GRADUATE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

This is Harriet’s Story

We believe that investing in talent will ensure that the future of our firm is in safe hands. We have seen a number of excellent undergraduates and graduates thrive in their roles at GTH, developing their knowledge and skillset to best serve our rural communities.

Harriet Pike joined us in 2019 from Harper Adams University and has since gone on to gain her MRICS (Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) qualificationand we couldn’t be more proud! Here she tells us about her varied role at GTH.

What do you enjoy about working here?

Each day is different. The work we are involved in is extremely varied, with both arable and livestock farms and an extensive range of rural properties across the counties of Somerset and Devon. I really enjoy spending time out of the office, visiting our clients on the farm and in the field. I also enjoy working at our machinery sales, which are held on farm and at Sedgemoor Auction Centre and I enjoy my role of booking in the store cattle and clerking during the sale of pigs at our weekly Saturday market.

Since I started working at GTH, I have been given considerably more responsibility over time but have received plenty of support and training in the interim. It is important to understand your client’s objectives and be able to seek out opportunities. I am especially enjoying the rural professional work of advising clients on Countryside Stewardship Capital Grant schemes and Mid-Tier applications and submitting on their behalf.

How is the GTH Graduate Scheme helping you?

The Graduate Scheme is for two years, providing training and support to obtaining membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), completing the assessment of professional competence and the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV). The extensive variation of work and on-the-job experience working as part of one of our rural teams has put me in the best position to gain the qualifications.

What work have you been involved in?

I say I manage clients’ agricultural property and land portfolios but that just scratches the surface. I can be found out valuing farms and agricultural land across Somerset and Devon or producing farm business tenancies and licences for a longstanding client who owns a large land portfolio with parcels ranging from 0.5 of an acre to 185 acres. Or I could be booking in machinery at our bi-monthly collective machinery sale and lotting up machinery out on farm prior to a sale, assisting with viewing days for the sale of both agricultural machinery and farm holdings, providing advice on environmental schemes and grants or selling at our monthly general sale and poultry sale.

Has there been a day that has stood out for you?

One of the busiest days I have experienced here was being involved with both a dairy sale held at Sedgemoor Auction Centre and a machinery sale out on farm. During the morning I helped lot up the remaining dairy cows prior to the sale and during the sale itself I was manning our online bidding system, Marteye. In the afternoon, I attended a farm to lot up machinery ahead of the sale due to be held online. I enjoy meeting and interacting with the vendors prior to a sale and accommodating last minute entries prior to the sale.

For more information about our Undergraduate and Graduate programmes, please email placements@gth.net