They’re Hired! 100 Apprentice agents pledge by London firm

Some 100 new apprentice estate agents are to be recruited in London.

Dexters, which has 70 offices across the capital including 12 in prime areas, says 90 apprentices are already in its academy programme with another 100 coming on board this year; they follow some 150 who have qualified via the academy in recent years.

Dexters says it is one of London’s few major residential agencies regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and is the only classified ‘employer provider’ in the agency industry with accreditation from the Department for Education. 

Chief executive Andy Shepherd says: “We are passionate about investing and training our people and do everything we can to support them so they can spend their careers with us. At a time when we hear reports that other London agents are closing offices and going online, cutting staff and slashing training budgets, Dexters is doing the opposite and instead we are growing through investing in our offices, bringing on new apprentices and maintaining our Dexters Academy through remote learning and socially distant practices.”

Meanwhile Connells Group - which currently has 7,000 staff ahead of its takeover of Countrywide - says it takes “an active role” in the annual Apprenticeship Week, which falls this week.

Connells’ scheme covers residential sales, lettings, mortgage services, business administration, customer service, HR, payroll, IT, recruitment, and survey and valuation.

The group also offers an apprenticeship programme for existing members of staff to upskill, focusing on leadership and management development or customer service courses. 

Matthew Creswell, the company’s head of recruitment, says: “We feel that by offering a wide range of exciting apprentice opportunities this is a real win, win situation. As a business it is fantastic that during such challenging times we can offer new opportunities to job seekers and we get enthusiastic, committed individuals who are much more likely to give their all to be successful and build a long-term career with us. 

“Apprentices also get the benefits of a structured learning environment whilst working for the UK’s leading estate agency business. Please keep an eye on our careers site for more information and job opportunities as they arise.”