A KENDAL property company is stronger than ever after two of its graduates passed their exams at the first time of asking.

Carter Jonas's Rachel Watson and Fergus Russell are now members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) after passing their Assessment of Professional Competence (APC).

The pair, both in their twenties and living in the Kendal area, joined the company in 2013.

Now a fully-fledged rural surveyor, Fergus explained the attraction of the profession: “Work is varied and very rewarding. I deal with people from all walks of life and often in pressurised situations. You need to be good at problem solving, be organised and quick thinking. My advice to graduates is to work hard on achieving good qualifications and work experience. Do not limit yourself with geographical ties, be willing to commit to a new area. Have professional people look at your CV and provide feedback.”

Oliver Bateman, partner at Carter Jonas, said: “Becoming a chartered surveyor isn’t easy. Whilst finishing a degree puts you on the first rung of the ladder there is still a hard-won ascent to charter-ship. The RICS’ APC is renowned as one of the toughest you can take. In recent years the Kendal office has supported three graduates through the selection process with a 100% success rate, this compares to an average UK pass rate of 70%.

“Rachel and Fergus have risen very ably to the challenge of working for a range of clients and giving professional advice."

The Kendal office of Carter Jonas is now recruiting for a new graduate to join the firm.