The first rung on the ladder...

Paul McNamara, Director: Head of Research at PRUPIM welcomed MSc and final year BSc students in Real Estate to the OBREMS Seminar Day. The day was chaired by Paul and hosted by the Department of Real Estate and Construction. The theme for the day was: The Real Estate Profession - the first rung on the ladder.

Welcome from Paul McNamara (photo by the Ed)

Dressed for the occasion (photo by the Ed)

Following on from Paul's welcome and introduction to the day, Nick French (Professor of Real Estate) spoke about OBREMS (Oxford Brookes Real Estate Management Society) and the importance of networking for social and professional purposes. Perhaps one of the most important OBREMS network is the Oxford Brookes Real Estate Alumni Group on LinkedIn which now has over 500 members who regularly share ideas and job/internship information. The rest of the morning session consisted of a series of presentations from recent graduates including:

• Valuation – things to know by Anna Emmison, Knight Frank
• Agency - knowledge to underpin people skills by Lizzie Whetman, Savills
• Residential Development - understanding the market by Abigail Heyworth, Savills
• Seeking a job – things to know by Natalie Essa, DTZ

And concluded with a panel session - the students certainly made the most of the opportunity to quiz the panel about breaking into the job market.

The Panel get a grilling (photo by the Ed)

The afternoon session focused on employment opportunities and the RICS and included the following presentations:

• Understanding Real Estate Markets by Angus McIntosh, Visiting Professor at Oxford Brookes
• Applying to “the big” Firms by Sally Chacatté, Knight Frank
• Working “client side” by Nick French, Professor of Real Estate at Oxford Brookes
• Working for “niche and smaller firms” by Mark Meeson, Meeson Williams
• The APC Process by Ruth Putt, RICS

Angus McIntosh on Real Estate Markets (photo by the Ed)

The day concluded with a drinks reception sponsored by Savills in the atrium of the new Abercrombie Building.

Down in the atrium (photo by Gina Dalton)

If you've read this far, you deserve a little extra. What do real estate professionals do in their spare time? Click here to hear something interesting by Paul McNamara.