I was relieved to find Galbraith does not expect its trainees to be chained to their desk 12 hours a day.
Instead, there is an expectation to go the extra mile and get involved in work related extra-curricular activities. The firm believes that if you work in the rural sector you should support, understand and be involved with rural communities, and everyone at the firm takes this ethos to heart - and we also get a lot of enjoyment from it!
In forthcoming months, teams made up of people from our offices across Scotland are participating in the Cateran Yomp (see how we did here!), the Lanrick Challenge, the Buccleuch Property Challenge, and the RSABI Great Glen Challenge. These events will raise money for vital charities such as ABF The Soldiers' Charity, the Sandpiper Trust, Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) and the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI).
Being encouraged to spend time outdoors, set yourself a challenge and raise money for charities that make a valuable difference in the lives of some of the people we work with is one of the aspects of working at Galbraith that I enjoy most.
Galbraith has created a well-structured training programme for its graduates, having firm-wide formal training sessions on specific competencies every four months. Each graduate works with a supervisor and counsellor to ensure we are ready for each stage of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). The effectiveness of this approach is shown by the very high first-time pass rates for the firm's trainees.
While graduates work towards achieving their APC from their first day, we are also encouraged to be innovative and get involved in projects which interest us, regardless of whether they are connected to our team or office. Having clients and offices across Scotland means there is no limit to what we can get involved in. Even if you are a graduate in our Castle Douglas office you could still end up helping the Inverness office with a job up in Caithness.
Although I grew up in the Scottish Borders I am not from a farming family, but from day one Galbraith encouraged and helped me to gain access to the information and knowledge I needed. During my first few months with the firm I attended the Stirling Bull Sales, our own firm's Farming Seminar at Murrayfield Stadium and the New Entrants to Farming Gathering.
Working in the rural industry is not just about farm consultancy, estate management or renewable energy. I don't switch off from the job as soon as I leave the office.
People join the rural sector because they are invested in making their lives a part of that future. That culture is embodied in everything I do at Galbraith and it provides me with a highly rewarding training scheme.
For more information about graduate opportunities please click here.