I'm interested in pursuing a career in Appraising. Does anyone have any knowledge regarding whether a trainee is paid while working under a certified appraiser? Also, how hard is it to get an appraiser to take you under their wing? Any information would be appreciated regarding this field.

Appraisers are VERY stingy about allowing apprentices because they do not want the competition. In my area, there has only been one appraiser added in the past two years, because he had a relative mentor him.

Before you commit to the school, make sure you have a rock solid mentorship in place. Some appraisers will mentor someone if you sign a non-compete clause that you will not set up your business within so many miles of their operation.

Oregon Realtor

Think about this first: Generally appraising real estate requires that you inspect the property. In most states that require a certified or trained appraiser that would mean inspecting a home from the crawl space to the the roof. If you are prepared to do that, simply call a lawyer or real estate agent and ask if they can direct you to an appraiser. But keep in mind that most states require the certification these days. That means you will have to take a course and a test, in which case, you don't need to work under anyone, you can do it on your own... By the way, the timing is good. Getting in on the ground floor of appraising while business is down means you'll be ready when it starts to go back up! Good Luck.