How to go about architecture work experiance??(summer work)
Anyone got any suggestions on how to go about this? will most places accept undergraduates over the summer?
Basically im changing courses and in need of money, , and want to work in some sort of architecture firm, ive applied for a work placement already in a architecture gallery place in manchester, but would prefer somewhere that pays more as its only £500 + travel costs for the 3 months, but need more ideas.
What should i do for CVs? how should i go about applying, ive found a big list of architecture firms in manchester, could find loads on the RIBA website, but i have no idea what im doing, how i should contact them, as i hate phones, so will emails be ok?
Also anyone done work experience in manchester? anywhere you can recommend?
Any advice, at all would be welcome, thanks a lot.
Basically im changing courses and in need of money, , and want to work in some sort of architecture firm, ive applied for a work placement already in a architecture gallery place in manchester, but would prefer somewhere that pays more as its only £500 + travel costs for the 3 months, but need more ideas.
What should i do for CVs? how should i go about applying, ive found a big list of architecture firms in manchester, could find loads on the RIBA website, but i have no idea what im doing, how i should contact them, as i hate phones, so will emails be ok?
Also anyone done work experience in manchester? anywhere you can recommend?
Any advice, at all would be welcome, thanks a lot.
you really need to phone up. architects are notorious at ignoring emails, even for urgent matters, so you are going to rank very low on their list of priorities for reply. you just need take the bull by the horns and phone them, start with the ones you are less interested in, so you get your lines worked out with them, then build up to the ones you want. sorting this sort of thing out over the email is very time consuming and hard for firms to do, much quicker in a short phone call.
i would warn you though, that without experience and without any contacts, it will be quite hard to get anything paying very well, or even anything not paying very well. there's not much money in architecture for juniors, and part Is during holidays frequenlty find it hard to get decent paying work, so be prepared for more than a few knockbacks.
good luck with it.
i would warn you though, that without experience and without any contacts, it will be quite hard to get anything paying very well, or even anything not paying very well. there's not much money in architecture for juniors, and part Is during holidays frequenlty find it hard to get decent paying work, so be prepared for more than a few knockbacks.
good luck with it.
Jrhartly, do you think its wise to do a work placement over the christmas holidays instead of the summer? or is there no point since its for a small period of time.
no point, certainly not when you're studying - you'll have projects, the break is only three weeks and you'll have at least 2 weeks of project work / essays to write, you'll want a week for xmas and a lot of firms close for xmas week, so you'd only be there for two weeks even if you didn't have any of your own work to do. no one wants to take someone on for such a short period of time.
Major point about that e-mailing business jrhartley - I had to go through about a couple + messages + callingz ups before I got my interview (which was coincidentally the day before I left!)...
I got loads of replies from emails. Busy firms will put you through to a secretary anyway so just because you call you cannot guarantee you'll get an answer or an interview arranged.
If you send a polite email with your CV and a sample of your portfolio in PDF format, they have the option of looking at your work and deciding whether or not they want to call you back for an interview. I got an offer because I had a CV that stood out, apparently.
You may also want to apply early in the year before the rush of students. Some firms might ask you to try again over the summer, but others appreciate you applying early. I applied in early February. And this is in Manchester. You may be lucky but I have 5 other friends doing the same thing now and they're not having as much luck getting positive responses from firms. There's no harm in giving it a shot though.
If you send a polite email with your CV and a sample of your portfolio in PDF format, they have the option of looking at your work and deciding whether or not they want to call you back for an interview. I got an offer because I had a CV that stood out, apparently.
You may also want to apply early in the year before the rush of students. Some firms might ask you to try again over the summer, but others appreciate you applying early. I applied in early February. And this is in Manchester. You may be lucky but I have 5 other friends doing the same thing now and they're not having as much luck getting positive responses from firms. There's no harm in giving it a shot though.
Absinthe
I got loads of replies from emails. Busy firms will put you through to a secretary anyway so just because you call you cannot guarantee you'll get an answer or an interview arranged.
If you send a polite email with your CV and a sample of your portfolio in PDF format, they have the option of looking at your work and deciding whether or not they want to call you back for an interview. I got an offer because I had a CV that stood out, apparently.
You may also want to apply early in the year before the rush of students. Some firms might ask you to try again over the summer, but others appreciate you applying early. I applied in early February. And this is in Manchester. You may be lucky but I have 5 other friends doing the same thing now and they're not having as much luck getting positive responses from firms. There's no harm in giving it a shot though.
If you send a polite email with your CV and a sample of your portfolio in PDF format, they have the option of looking at your work and deciding whether or not they want to call you back for an interview. I got an offer because I had a CV that stood out, apparently.
You may also want to apply early in the year before the rush of students. Some firms might ask you to try again over the summer, but others appreciate you applying early. I applied in early February. And this is in Manchester. You may be lucky but I have 5 other friends doing the same thing now and they're not having as much luck getting positive responses from firms. There's no harm in giving it a shot though.
Which firm in Manchester are you currently working at?
Manchester is a very competitive environment, more so than you'd think. Liverpool, Sheffield and Leeds simply don't have enough practices to accomodate the amount of students. The result being, that Manchester practices, get all of the students from these universities, and of course Manchester university, attempting to scramble for around 15/20 places. It is rather like the IKEA stampede.
I'm sure the practices eventually tire of constant pestering by students - but I wouldn't let that damped your enthusiasm.
do things. be visible. talk, phone, email?
Original post by Untitled258
Anyone got any suggestions on how to go about this? will most places accept undergraduates over the summer?
Basically im changing courses and in need of money, , and want to work in some sort of architecture firm, ive applied for a work placement already in a architecture gallery place in manchester, but would prefer somewhere that pays more as its only £500 + travel costs for the 3 months, but need more ideas.
What should i do for CVs? how should i go about applying, ive found a big list of architecture firms in manchester, could find loads on the RIBA website, but i have no idea what im doing, how i should contact them, as i hate phones, so will emails be ok?
Also anyone done work experience in manchester? anywhere you can recommend?
Any advice, at all would be welcome, thanks a lot.
Basically im changing courses and in need of money, , and want to work in some sort of architecture firm, ive applied for a work placement already in a architecture gallery place in manchester, but would prefer somewhere that pays more as its only £500 + travel costs for the 3 months, but need more ideas.
What should i do for CVs? how should i go about applying, ive found a big list of architecture firms in manchester, could find loads on the RIBA website, but i have no idea what im doing, how i should contact them, as i hate phones, so will emails be ok?
Also anyone done work experience in manchester? anywhere you can recommend?
Any advice, at all would be welcome, thanks a lot.
If your ambitious enough and have enough time you should try to get a work placement for the year (e.g during weekends)
I was having loads of difficulties getting a work placement until I phoned them up! Now im looking at a year long experience (unpaid though) but still very lucky to.
The reason there is not so many work placements being handed out anymore is that the insurance for student work placements has shot up (or so I have been told)
Original post by ChrisE2
If your ambitious enough and have enough time you should try to get a work placement for the year (e.g during weekends)
I was having loads of difficulties getting a work placement until I phoned them up! Now im looking at a year long experience (unpaid though) but still very lucky to.
The reason there is not so many work placements being handed out anymore is that the insurance for student work placements has shot up (or so I have been told)
I was having loads of difficulties getting a work placement until I phoned them up! Now im looking at a year long experience (unpaid though) but still very lucky to.
The reason there is not so many work placements being handed out anymore is that the insurance for student work placements has shot up (or so I have been told)
Haha! I posted this thread like 3 years, ago, ive finished my architecture degree now and ive decided i want nothing to do with it ever again, thanks anyway :P
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