Can you appoint an external apc counsellor?

Candidates undertaking the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) must appoint a counsellor when enrolling with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

In many organisations, a senior chartered surveyor within the firm will act as counsellor. However, some candidates work in organisations where no chartered surveyor is available.

In these circumstances, candidates may appoint an external APC counsellor, provided that their employer supports their APC training and that the candidate is gaining the relevant professional experience required by their APC pathway.

APC Support Limited provides external APC counsellor services for candidates who meet the required eligibility criteria and whose professional role provides appropriate exposure to the required competencies.

Before accepting an appointment as counsellor, we carry out a brief suitability assessment to ensure that the candidate’s experience aligns with the competency requirements of the APC.

Support for employers sponsoring APC candidates

Many organisations sponsor employees undertaking the RICS APC but may not always have sufficient chartered staff available to provide structured mentoring throughout the process.

APC Support Limited works alongside employers to provide independent APC mentoring, submission document strategy and final assessment preparation while ensuring that candidates continue to develop the required competencies through their day-to-day professional responsibilities.

The role of the APC counsellor

The role of the counsellor is central to a candidate’s preparation. A competent counsellor will guide the candidate throughout the APC, ensure that the required competencies are achieved and confirm that the candidate is ready for final assessment.

The counsellor’s responsibilities typically include:

• Advising candidates on the appropriate pathway and competency selection
• Identifying any gaps in experience against the competency requirements
• Agreeing a structured training plan with clear objectives and timelines
• Guiding candidates in selecting suitable key issues for their case study
• Reviewing and providing feedback on draft submission documents
• Ensuring candidates understand relevant RICS professional standards and current regulations
• Organising Q&A sessions and mock interviews
• Confirming that the candidate is ready and signing off submission documents

This is a demanding role which requires significant time commitment and a thorough understanding of the APC process.

What makes a good counsellor?

An effective APC counsellor:

• Has completed the RICS counsellor training
• Is available for regular progress meetings
• Has a strong understanding of APC competency requirements
• Is familiar with current RICS professional standards and guidance
• Can dedicate sufficient time to review submission documents
• Provides honest feedback and will not sign off candidates who are not ready
• Ideally acts as an APC assessor or maintains regular contact with assessors

Support for existing counsellors

If you are already acting as a counsellor but would like to strengthen your knowledge of the APC process, we can provide specialist APC training for counsellors and supervisors which can be recorded as formal CPD.

Where time commitments make it difficult to provide full support to your candidates, some aspects of APC preparation can also be delegated through our submission document strategy and mentoring services.

External Counsellor Services for Candidates

APC Support Limited may provide external counsellor services in carefully selected cases, subject to an initial suitability assessment.

To be considered for this service, candidates must typically:

• Have at least one year of relevant professional experience
• Be working in a role that allows them to develop the required APC competencies
• Demonstrate the ability to exercise professional judgement independently
• Commit sufficient time to their APC preparation (typically 6–8 months before submission)
• Participate in one of our structured APC training programmes

Please note that APC Support Limited will only sign off candidates whose experience, submission documents and professional knowledge meet the standards expected by the RICS.

Degree Apprenticeship

We can provide APC counsellor services to candidates undertaking a degree apprenticeship programme. However, there are some important practical considerations.

Degree apprenticeship programmes typically involve regular progress meetings between the candidate, their employer and the university tutor. These meetings are generally focused on the candidate’s workplace experience and development, which are matters that fall under the responsibility of the employer.

As external counsellors, we are therefore unable to attend university tutor meetings, as we do not have direct influence over the candidate’s day-to-day work experience.

Before appointing APC Support Limited as your counsellor, you should confirm with your university tutor that they are comfortable with an external counsellor who is not able to attend these meetings.

As with all candidates, we will first need to assess whether your current role provides sufficient exposure to the competencies required by the RICS. This typically involves a short preliminary questionnaire and an introductory meeting with the candidate and their employer.

Candidates and sponsoring employers should note that the provision of APC counsellor services is subject to the signature of our service agreement, which sets out the scope of our services and the respective responsibilities of the candidate, the employer and APC Support Limited throughout the APC process.

Please note that while we provide structured mentoring and guidance throughout the process, we will only sign off candidates whose experience, submission documents and professional knowledge meet the standards required for the APC.

Our Approach to APC Mentoring

At APC Support Limited we take the role of counsellor very seriously. The Assessment of Professional Competence is a rigorous professional assessment and the quality of the training and mentoring provided to candidates plays a key role in maintaining the standards of the RICS.

For this reason we apply a structured approach when accepting new candidates:

1️⃣ Initial suitability review
We review the candidate’s current role and experience to confirm that they are gaining exposure to the competencies required by the relevant APC pathway.

2️⃣ Preliminary discussion with the candidate and employer
Where appropriate, we arrange a short introductory meeting to understand the candidate’s responsibilities and agree a realistic training plan.

3️⃣ Structured mentoring programme
Candidates receive guidance on competency development, submission documents and preparation for the final assessment interview.

4️⃣ Professional sign-off
Submission documents are only signed off once the candidate demonstrates that they meet the competency requirements and professional standards expected at the APC final assessment.

This approach ensures that candidates receive structured guidance while maintaining the professional integrity of the APC process.

Considering an external APC counsellor?

If you believe that your experience meets the above criteria and would like to discuss the possibility of appointing APC Support Limited as your counsellor, please contact us with a brief summary of:

• your current role and responsibilities
• your APC pathway
• your current level of experience against the competencies

We will then advise whether our counsellor service may be suitable for your circumstances. If our counsellor service is considered suitable, we will provide a training proposal and service agreement for review by the candidate and their employer.