Why did I become a surveyor? Well, I wanted a job that involved being out and about and I had an interest in law, but didn’t want to be a solicitor. I also liked working with and meeting people – dealing with landlords and tenants is the best aspect of surveying.
I joined DIO because I wanted to work in the public sector. The diversity of the Ministry Of Defence (MOD) Estate and supporting the military also appealed to me.
Plymouth Naval Base - an example of the range of the MOD estate! [Photo by LA (Phot) Paul A'Barrow; Crown Copyright]DIO’s surveying team undertakes leasehold property transactions around acquiring and selling land and buildings. We advise on town and country planning issues, rights across the MOD estate and land ownership issues.
I’m a Principal Estate Surveyor, which means I lead a team of ten surveyors who manage the MOD estate in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Dorset, Dartmoor and part of Hampshire.
Dartmoor is one of the areas Sarah and her team have responsibility for. [Photo by LA (Phot) Paul A'Barrow; Crown Copyright]My favourite parts of the job are working with the military and delivering their requirements, doing a good deal with a tenant and staff management and leadership – I like when a team member goes on and gets promoted.
One of Sarah's favourite aspects of her job is working alongside the military. Here, civil servants meet with military personnel. [Photo by Harland Quarrington; Crown Copyright]There isn’t a typical day because of the nature of what we do, which is what makes it so exciting. Some days we are out on site, inspecting buildings or visiting users and tenants. Some days we are in the office. We also 'hot-desk'in different offices when needs be. Most of our work is done by e-mail and telephone. We deal with leases, plans and documents and sometimes we handle related Parliamentary business.
As for career highlights, there are several. Getting a Chief Executive Leadership award, being promoted and getting my Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) qualification – many years ago now!
Insight into our work at the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, or DIO for short. We’re part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and look after the military estate, both in the UK and overseas.
![Plymouth Naval Base - an example of the range of the MOD estate! [Photo by LA (Phot) Paul A'Barrow; Crown Copyright]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2014/01/Plymouth-Naval-Base-aerial-view-Photo-by-LAPhot-Paul-ABarrow-e1390904379275.jpg)
![Dartmoor is one of the areas Sarah and her team have responsibility for. [Photo by LA (Phot) Paul A'Barrow; Crown Copyright]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2014/01/Helicopter-landed-at-Dartmoor-Photo-by-LAPhoto-Paul-ABarrow-e1390902964656.jpg)
![Civil servants meet with military personnel. [Photo by Harland Quarrington; Crown Copyright]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2014/01/Civilian-and-military-personnel-in-a-meeting-Photo-by-Harland-Quarrington-Crown-Copyright-e1390905536820.jpg)
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