Terry qualified as a Quantity Surveyor elected to membership in 1972 (and to Fellow in 1985) but practised as a Building Surveyor for 15 years before transferring to General Practice working as a Valuation Surveyor. Terry initially worked for house builder Trackrail in Sevenoaks before working for Norman Rourke & Partners and Fuller Peiser as a Project Manager. It was during a long spell at Property Holding & Investment Trust Plc that he specialised in Dilapidations before moving into Development Management. He formed his own practice in 1989 based in his home town of Maidstone.