Surveying technician
Also called surveyor, instrument man, instrument woman
Surveying technicians carry out technical surveying tasks. They assist surveyors, architects or engineers in surveying related technical tasks such as mapping land, creating construction drawings and operating precise measuring equipment.
What you'd do
Civil engineering technicians · ILO- Performing or assisting with field and laboratory tests of soils and construction materials
- Providing technical assistance connected with the construction of buildings and other structures, and with surveys or the preparation of survey reports
- Ensuring compliance with design specifications, relevant legislation and regulations, and maintenance of desired standards of materials and work
- Applying technical knowledge of building and civil engineering principles and practices in order to identify and solve problems arising
- Assisting with the preparation of detailed estimates of quantities and costs of materials and labour required for projects, according to the specifications given
- Organizing maintenance and repairs
- Inspecting buildings and structures during and after construction to ensure that they comply with building, grading, zoning and safety laws and approved plans, specifications and standards, as well as with other rules concerning quality and safety of buildings
- Inspecting industrial plant, hotels, cinemas and other buildings and structures to detect fire hazards and advise on how they can be removed
- Advising on the installation of fire detectors and sprinkler systems and the use of materials in the construction of buildings, and means of transportation to reduce risk of fire and extent of damage and danger if fire occurs
- Indoors and outdoors
- A mix of sitting and standing
- Lots of contact with people
- Good freedom to decide
- Often more than 40 hours a week
- Deadlines most weeks
- Some repetitive tasks
Will there be jobs?
Yes, good prospects11 EU countries are short of civil engineering technicians now, and a typical number of jobs will need filling by 2035.
Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.
What does it pay?
About averagePay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,600 a month (Bulgaria) to €6,500 (Denmark), before tax.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.
Among technicians and associate professionals in the EU, women earn 16% less per hour than men. Technicians and associate professionals · Eurostat
What do I need to study?
Usually post-secondary or a short degreePost-secondary training or a short degree in architecture and town planning is the usual route.
949 institutions in the EU offer engineering bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.
Will AI change it?
Very littleAI could help with only small parts of the tasks.
Average task score 0.28 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).
See the score for each of the 9 tasks
Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for civil engineering technicians. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).