Quantity surveyor
| Highest | $8,250 / mo · Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Experience | 2–4 yrs |
| Degree | Not required |
| First paycheck | 3–4 years of undergraduate study |
Pay in the destination countries
Monthly, in US dollars. Each country is an Imora admission package — open one for that route's fees, language requirement and deadline.
| Country | Monthly |
|---|---|
| SwitzerlandIELTS 6.5 · CHF 0.9–8k | $8,250max |
| United StatesTOEFL 80–100 · $10–70k | $7,500 |
| United Arab EmiratesIELTS 5.5–6.5 · $10–25k | $7,150 |
| Saudi ArabiaIELTS 6.5 · 0 (grant) | $7,150 |
| QatarIELTS 7.0 (raqobatbardosh) · USD 74–87k (to’liq xarajat) | $7,150 |
| NorwayIELTS 6.0–6.5 · NOK 130–260k | $6,700 |
What does the day look like?
Most of your time is spent in an office working with architectural drawings, models, and spreadsheets. Around 35% of your day goes toward plan take-off and extracting physical quantities from 2D drawings and 3D BIM models, while 25% is spent calculating unit rates, materials, plant, labour, and risk contingencies for tenders. Another 20% involves contract administration, issuing Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs), and managing variation orders under standard contracts such as FIDIC, NEC4, or JCT. Around 15% is dedicated to subcontractor procurement and scope comparisons. Only 5% of your time is spent walking active construction sites to verify progress.
Your primary tools include software like CostX, PlanSwift, Bluebeam Revu, Candy (RIB CCS), Grand-Smeta, Primavera P6, and Procore. Standard office hours are 40 to 45 hours per week, typically Monday to Friday, 08:00–17:00 or 09:00–18:00. During tender crunch periods, hours frequently rise to 50 to 60+ hours per week to meet strict bidding deadlines. Shift and night work do not apply to this role, aside from rare nighttime site visits during live infrastructure shutdowns.
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