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work for student?

james
edited October 2006 in Q and A
was just wondering wat advices anyone had to give for a archi student looking for work during summer holidays...

i did some construction work over the last holidays, and thought it was educational in its own sense, but i'd rather give working in a firm or smth more closely related ago this time...

i heard working voluntarily first is best way into a firm? anyway any advice would b appreciated

thanks
james

Comments

  • james
    edited January 1970
    thoght i mightn't get a reply...
  • dav_
    edited January 1970
    yeah dude, this forum isn't exactly pumpin'.

    Christmas holiday work is hard as lots of firms are down-shifting for the year and preparing to take time off. The new year is usually the best time to get work of any sort.

    As for the voluntary stuff, I've never been a believer in it. While its true that students in the office can be a hassle, they can be an investment. The firm should pay you SOMETHING, even if its not a full wage. I know that i got payed $50 for a days work, once a week when i began.

    But sometimes you should be happy for the experience and opportunity etc etc... though not for free. That just means you need a second job to pay the bills and then you stress and then you hate architecture hehe.

    Hope that helps somewhat, mate.
    Dav
  • james
    edited January 1970
    haha thanks dav
    that helped heaps

    i've been emailing some firms but mostly don't seem interested:(

    oh well i'll keep trying
  • Mk3
    Mk3
    edited January 1970
    Don’t bother with emailing. Just show up at an office and say: “I’m here for work experience”.

    Worked first time for me.
  • james
    edited January 1970
    wow ok...
    i'll give that a go :) thakns
  • peter_j
    edited January 1970
    Some related threads:

    http://www.butterpaper.com/talk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1513
    http://www.butterpaper.com/talk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=473

    My 2 cents:
    I think it's quite alright to go looking at this time of year - October is often a busy, paniccy month for architects as clients push them to get work done before Xmas. My advice would be to send an email and follow up with a phone call within 5 days. Emphasise your computer skills (ie which programmes and to what degree you are familiar) as this tends to be where students have become most valuable (for better or worse). Also give the impression that you actually know who these architects are - that you haven't just been going through the phone book (architects have egos that need stoking).

    If you have skills that might set you apart then show them off a bit - even if they are not strictly architectural skills (ie furniture making, accounting, web design...).
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