NATIONAL INTERN INITIATIVE

Jawitz Properties (Pty) Ltd has implemented a national intern initiative. The company sees this programme as a valuable investment for future growth and through mentorship and interaction from top management, the high standard of professionalism expected by the company will continue.

The education requirements for new entrants to the property industry have become more stringent over the past few years. Bridget Clark, Jawitz Properties’ HR Director says, “We welcome the industry qualifications as they really are ensuring that the industry is starting to be transformed into a recognised profession.” An intern has to complete a 12 month internship with a registered property company, must submit a Logbook prescribed by the Estate Agency Affairs Board, be found competent against the NQF 4 National Real Estate qualification and the Professional Designation Examination, before they qualify as a full-status real-estate agent.

We are proud of the achievements of some of our interns who joined the industry with no property experience and have very quickly shown success: Hitesh Madhav joined our Randburg office after being in the IT industry for over 15. He says, “I love what I do now, especially working closely with many different personalities and matching the right person with the right home. I brought in my first mandate within 3 months of my internship and sold the property within 7 days! I have achieved at least 1 mandate each month since and there is no looking back for me.”

Ynnis Willson, Randburg branch manager says it is so rewarding to mentor a rookie who does not come with any pre-conceived ideas or limitations on what they can achieve. She says, “It is all about hard work and how badly the intern wants to succeed. I love watching them grow and achieve their potential.”

20% of our owned offices’ property consultants are interns and we will continue to focus on finding ways to attract more interns to the industry. The biggest barrier to entry that we encounter with interns is that many people are averse to the risk of commission earnings. However, we are finding more and more individuals are recognising the opportunities that the property industry has to offer and that working hard in this industry can yield even higher earnings than in other careers.