An estate agency recruiter has welcomed the new Propertymark apprenticeship scheme, saying that it could help turn around the sharp decline of entrants into the profession.
Property Personnal managing director Anthony Hesse said: “The number of new recruits has fallen off a cliff in recent years.
“We’ve seen a 55% drop in the number of people looking to get into estate agency since 2016 – a shocking loss of more than half of new recruits in just 24 months.
“When you combine this with a steady flow of experienced staff leaving the industry, as well as those joining the raft of online-only agencies, the situation looks even more unsustainable.
“So this new apprenticeship scheme from the NAEA is nothing less than a vital initiative which will breathe new life into the industry.”
Hesse added: “It’s true to say that estate agents are no longer earning the money they once were, so the appeal of the profession has dropped accordingly.
“In the meantime, as we’ve often said, agents can help tempt new recruits with offers of flexible working arrangements and a better work/life balance.”
The Propertymark junior estate agent scheme will set standards for apprentices, so that they will have a uniform training experience no matter which firm they have gone to work with.
Each apprenticeship will have government funding to the tune of £4,000.
During their year-long apprenticeship, the new recruits will carry out a wide variety of roles under supervision, including arranging and booking viewings, accompanying colleagues on viewings, collecting keys, and learning how to use the portals.
Comments (13)
In a five year period from 2012 – 2017, I recruited a large number of apprentices and they can be a breath of fresh air into what is often a stagnant industry.
Apprentices come with no poor habits and an open mind, if you are diligent with your interview, onboarding and development processes these people can deliver some staggering results and will bring great pride along the way.
Like any new recruit an apprentice will need time, nurturing and inspiring…throwing them into the Lions Den, as probably happened to many of us of “a certain vintage” is not the answer and will lead to a high attrition rate.
Would love to find a good apprentice but like PPIE, our experiences on the last two occasions were not good. Both lasted until lunch time on the second day. Both broke down in tears when we asked them to answer the phone and take enquiries, both claiming that we hadn’t advised them at the interview that such duties would be required. This despite putting them through a series of written and oral competency tests including taking a mock phone call. Both cocksure 18 year old (male) A level students. The company who placed them didn’t want to know.
We take an apprentice every year for the past 3 years.
We think they are great. Admittedly we do have to conduct a lot of interviews to find the right one but it’s worth it.
We employ someone with no bad habits and they do the job the way we want.
Cost us the princely sum of £3.70 per hour and a little commission. Also there are so many national and local schemes you get almost 6 months paid for you. After 12 months they have a qualification and you have your perfect member of staff.
where do they go after you have trained them?
Yes end of the 12 months if they gain the qualification and are an asset to the firm we employ them.
We recruited the previous two on full time basis after their apprenticeship and our third one (if he continues as he has) will be offered as well.
Agents need to realise they need to mentor the apprentice. Sticking them in front of a computer and asking them to make calls is not what it’s about. Most do not even know how to take a message on their first day.
If they have the right attitude and you give them the time they will succeed .
What a refreshing post to read….your approach and attitude is spot on.
It amazes me how many agents have forgotten/never discovered/never considered that raw talent needs to be harnessed, developed, nurtured, coached and encouraged to be turned into a functioning, delivering asset.
Good approach and outlook….I assume full time roles are offered at the end of the scheme?
Would it be fair to recruit a young person to such an insecure unprotected industry. ? Govt can stick it. Give us no help and allow rightmove and purplebricks to destroy any long term security.
We all had to start somewhere. I gave up trying to find a senior neg recently, got a trainee and moulded him in my own image. He’s now cynical, grumpy and drinks too much
Love it!
Tried about 4 apprentices in the past, they were all useless.
So this recruiter is just looking to make commission by selling the idea to agents who haven’t got the budget to recruit and pay proper salaries to proper agents.
PPITE, are you confusing apprentices with juniors/trainees as there is a huge difference? For clarity, recruiters do not get involved with, or profit from, introducing candidates into apprenticeship schemes. We do, however, place trainees (people with no previous estate agency experience) in the industry, and do profit from those, as do many of our clients who we place them with. I’m sorry to hear that your experience was not good, but I know there will be a number of people reading this that my company have introduced to the world of estate agency over the last 30 years who are now very successful agents, many of whom are even running their own businesses. You have to start somewhere, and I can’t see what the problem is with apprenticeships for estate agency.