The Value Of Chartered Status: What It Really Means To Employers
Everyone in valuation knows it: without MRICS, you don’t practise.
It’s the profession’s baseline. The licence that turns opinion into advice.
But once you’ve crossed that line, what happens next?
That’s the quiet dilemma facing thousands of surveyors in 2025. Chartership used to be the summit. Now, it’s the starting block. Employers don’t ask if you’re chartered anymore; they assume it.
What they’re really asking is, what does your chartership say about you?
So what does chartership mean to employers?
It means they can trust you to deliver.
It means they can sell your expertise.
It means they can build teams, and reputations, around you.
But for you, it should mean something else. That you’ve earned the right to think bigger.
MRICS is your professional foundation. What you build on top determines how far you’ll go.
Beyond The Qualification
For many professionals, the next leap isn’t technical, it’s behavioural. Those five letters are universal. They don’t distinguish you from the crowd, they qualify you to stand in it.
Your value now comes from everything you’ve built on top of that foundation: your commercial instincts, your relationships, your judgement, your ability to see the story behind the spreadsheet.
A decade ago, firms competed on brand, pipeline and portfolio size.Today, they compete on people. And what clients buy isn’t a valuation, it’s confidence. That’s why employers scrutinise the way chartered professionals carry themselves.They’re not looking for compliance. They’re looking for credibility that converts.
→ Write the internal insight note everyone quotes in the next board meeting.
→ Speak up when market movements affect valuation principles.
→ Mentor a graduate just starting their APC journey.
Every one of those actions tells your firm: this is someone ready to lead.
The MRICS after your name tells them you’re regulated.
The way you handle clients tells them whether you’re trusted.
The Commercial Value Of Being RICS Chartered
Firms making the fastest progress are those putting commercially-minded RICS chartered surveyors at the front of their conversations, not just behind their reports. That’s important to bear in mind. But let’s not forget the tangible benefits.
Salaries: Across SONDR’s recent placements, fully chartered surveyors command 10–20% higher pay.
Opportunities: Firms prefer chartered surveyors for blue-chip clients, regulated sectors, and portfolio-level work where liability and scrutiny are higher.
Mobility: Chartership is globally recognised. For those exploring international roles or client-side transitions, it’s a passport to credibility.
But perhaps its greatest power is the credibility it lends your voice.
With those five letters, your opinion carries institutional weight; and when you combine that with commercial confidence, you become the person clients call before they make a move.
It’s not just what the qualification is. It’s what it unlocks.
Turning Qualification Into Influence
So, how do you make those hard-earned letters work for you rather than just sitting quietly on your email signature?
Start by owning them. Talk about your journey: what you learned, how it shaped you, and how it influences your work today. Thought leadership posts, LinkedIn reflections, even mentoring an APC candidate, all signal confidence and leadership.
Then, depending on where you’re at in your career, use MRICS as a negotiation tool. When discussing promotion, salary, or project allocation, link your qualification to tangible value:
“This gives clients extra assurance.”
“It expands the scope of work I can legally sign off.”
“It strengthens our credibility in regulated markets.”
In short, treat MRICS as leverage, not a label.
What SONDR Sees Across The Market
Across every hiring briefs we’ve been given this year, one trend stands out:
Firms may write “chartered or working towards”, but they almost always hire already chartered.
It’s the number-one filter employers apply before they even look at experience. Because in their eyes, MRICS means you’ve already proven what they can’t teach: accountability, consistency, and pride in your profession.
That’s why, for ambitious surveyors, the months after qualification are such a powerful career window.
You’re no longer just capable. You’re credible.
Ready to make your chartered status work harder for you? Get in touch with SONDR and we’ll connect you with firms that recognise your worth.