I want to work in London!!

[jaro]

Hi!
Can you recommend how to find the job in architecture (or design) office in London? I am an architecture student from Latvia and I want to work in London for a while!
I have wrote several e-mails to several offices but nobady ansvers to me!
Could you be so kind and recommend me something? Probably you know how it is to be a student without the work!!

[AP]

Competition in London is fierce, the standards are high. Sending out eye-catching portfolio samples which can be printed to A4 or viewed easily on-screen, in pdf format, is a good start, with a covering CV. Target firms specificaly, don't spam everyone.

Perhaps also target firms who work abroad where your (presumably) good language skills might be an asset.

The catch, is that any firm is going to want to interview you before they consider offering you a job (unless they're a multinational firm with an office in your own country). They'll always pick a good local person they can interview over someone they can't meet beforehand. So you'll have to visit London for a while for that to be a reasonable prospect; which is an investment in itself.

[keyserni]

Does anybody not want to go to London? I can't stand the place for more than a couple of days! I'll probably end of taking my year out their just so it looks good on my CV. I much prefere Dublin.

[ArchTeque]

I have a friend who recently started his job in London at Kohn pederson and Fox. It is really tough to get a job there if you are not close by because they would like to interview. The best thing is to try and get your foot in the door whether it is an absolutely attention grabbing portfolio or even you have a connection. Ask some of your professors if they know anyone who works in London. That is how my friend got his job there along with his amazing portfolio. Some of the professors at the school I went to, with my friend, knew some of the people who hold some of the higher positions in the firm and were able to put in a good word for my friend. SOmetimes connections are the way to go now-a-days. My advice is to start talking to some people, find out who has been there, and while you are doing some networking to find a connection, work on that amazing portfolio! Best of luck to you!

-Erick St.Pierre
ArchTeque Co-Owner
www.archteque.com

[AP]

"networking" has always been a way to success, but not everybody can do it. Always feels a bit cheap, in my experience, favours for friends and all that. Undeniably it does work, though, and in many industries is how the whole thing works.

And I agree with the poster who says London's not all great. I like having some countryside within striking distance, myself, though it is dead handy having London and all its goings-on within reach (or at arms length, if you prefer!).

[jrhartley]

have you actually tried phoning any firms? very few people will bother actually reading an email - half them end up in the junk folder, the majority of the rest are just deleted. just work out who you would like to work for on the grounds of their built work or competition entries and phone up and say "i really liked your xx project - i was wondering if you were hiring at the mo". if they say "no" then you can't do much about it, move to the next, if they are, then they will prob give you the right email (vs. a "info@architecturefirm.com" address - so they actually receive your digital portfolio. or better still post them hard copy as its much nicer to have hard copy. that's the process i'm afraid. you're wasting your time if you think you can just email loads of firms and expect people to reply. PHONE, PHONE, PHONE.

[jaro]

Thanks a lot, fellows! These posts made me to think about many things!
Firstly, I mentioned London, because I had to start something with. And London is London. But I have nothing against other cities.
You say there is fierce competition in London, but are there cities who are welcoming architecture students?
And there is one thing I don’t know what to do with! I am afraid that nobody will invite me knowing, that I have just ended the first year of architecture studies, although my course works often make an impression to the students from elder classes!
Would you mention the fact you have just ended the first course?
Although I am a little afraid that architecture firms in Uk will not want one foreign student among their architects. I hope I’m wrong!

[jrhartley]

oh right, i thought you were qualified. i think you'll find it quite hard to get a job during the summer after your first year studying architecture- most london based students don't get jobs as its not really worth the while for the firm to take a year 1 student on as they can't do very much of use in the office, so the staff almost spend as much time looking after them as working, so its not very worthwhile. you might get something at one of the bigger firms but you'd be doing pretty menial office jobs, probably not anything really archtectural. most of my friends last year at cardiff had the same experience as me when we called round firms - they said "thanks for the interest - but in fairness it'd probably be a waste of our time and your time to come in during your first summer after your first year of studies".

i suggest you enjoy your summer - travel around, see some of the great buildings in europe. most summer placements for the big firms fill up from february to april so its pretty unlikely you'd find anything now for this summer, unless you were just very lucky.

sorry i can't be more positive, but there's no point in falsely getting your hopes up.

[AP]

Agree with jrhartley; if you're a first year then there's no point trying. Competition is fierece amongst those qualified, nobody will even read the CVs of those who aren't, realistically. I agree, travel, read, get ready to make the most of the next few years, and try London in a couple of years.

[keyserni]

I just finished first year and didn't really find it hard to get paid summer work. Then again I work in Belfast not London and I have a really strong construction education not just in Architecture. As you only just finished first year you will gain just as much experience from working in a local firm for the summer. Going to a big city only really becomes a priority when you do your year out but being foreign I'm not sure you do that.

[jaro]

o.k. back down to the sharp reality!
I hoped I could use my software skills looking for job. All these amazing visualizations, lightings and walkthroughs when the door-handles are turning down and doors are opening in front of you and all that stuff…you know!
And I have to get out of my homecountry for a summer to “breathe something fresh”!
I like traveling, but I find it quite difficult to travel around without money! That’s why I am looking for opportunity to work in architecture office in UK besides the experience I could gain.
If the competition to work in architecture offices is so fierce, maybe there are some congenial spheres I could use my skills looking for job? Could you be so kind to recommend me something!

[AP]

[jaro]

I have something nice!
But how can I say that my work is top-of-the-line? Then I have to compare it with others!
I don’t know much about opportunities working freelance! How do you mean it?
Do these animation skills change the situation somehow?

[AP]

[jaro]

Thanks AP

But if I am working on student version software jet, can I offer my visualizations to somebody? Is it o.k. than, if the office has the purchased software? How these things work?
And about visualization portfolio… These video files are really “heavy”! Is there the well known number or Mb (megabyte) that I shouldn’t overpass in my portfolio?