Claire : Assist. Quantity Surveyor
BA French and Music, Keele University
I spent four years doing other things before joining Balfour Beatty. This included 18 months in China where I was the principal of three English schools. I came into Quantity Surveying because it is a fresh challenge and something new to learn - my degree is in French and Music - and something that will let me live and work abroad if I want to.
Quantity Surveying is still quite male-dominated, so I was braced for the 'old boys network' but it really isn't an issue. There are just four women on our team of 30, but that's quite a good ratio from what I've heard.
Working on the construction of the new Birmingham Hospital is brilliant. It's the biggest hospital project outside London and the first new hospital in Birmingham for 70 years. Huge doesn't cover how big it is. When you're working here it's a wonderful feeling to know what you're doing is going to benefit so many people.
The sheer scale takes your breath away. One of my responsibilities is the partitions in the Acute area. This is only a small part of the project, but it still involves three kilometres of plasterboard. It's difficult to get your head around, but there's a general undercurrent of excitement.
The Birmingham project is absolutely a baptism of fire, but that's what I joined Balfour Beatty for. They've got a brilliant training scheme for graduates and are very keen to progress their people. I was impressed with the freedom I have within the scheme. If I wanted to change role, they'd support that within the programme. Or if I wanted to change role in 10 years, they'd support that too. They're behind the people who work for them.
