^ Watch out, we got a bad ass over here.

I'd advise you not to underestimate the value of networking. Go out to architectural (and not only) events, meet people, exchange contacts, make yourself known amongst practitioners. Have smth interesting on your Facebook / LinkedIn page so that potential colleague would have you in mind when searching for a right person.

And all the other common knowledge: sexy resume and portfolio, software proficiency, certifications (like LEED or what's there in the UK).

OP it's very unlikely that you will be offered paid work prior to finishing your part 2 degree in the UK. Most people who finish the 3 year bachelor degree end up working unpaid for the simple reason that there aren't many open positions for Part I architects in the UK industry. Therefore most people generally complete 5 years of education before they can find a decent job.

You mentioned that you are attending a top UK school. Which one is that?

archietechie :D

Thanks leriotdelac, a very insightful note!

daer, not attending yet, though currently during the process of application.

Bath / Cambridge / Cardiff / Edinburgh, still waiting for the final decision from some of them.

Cambridge and Edinburgh are my favs at the moment. 

Any thoughts re my options you would like to share? :)

Definitely there are many people studying for bachelor in Arch. in the UK as there are plenty of schools, though if you go to a very good one and work your hardest then perhaps it gets a bit different? I remember analysing some RIBA reports once and indeed there was a substantial no. of part one-s working for free, but wouldn't say majority. And I do check job platforms from time to time, looks like there are paid opportunities.

Forgot to add: I know a person who got a paid position while studying undergraduate Landscape Architecture, which appears to be as competitive as Arch, if not more. Is the job market really so tough?

Only a fool takes an unpaid internship. Don't dismiss being a waiter or similar service gig. Those odd shift type jobs are great to work around studio deadlines and as an extra bonus, keeps your all-nighters in check. There is no better time management training than balancing a part time work and studio.

its not hard to get an internship for a few months and build on that experience.  Hundreds and thousands of students all over the world do it each semester and firms hire them for temporary work.  Just put together a nice portfolio and send them out months ahead of when you want to start working.  If you have a decent amount of work in the portfolio, many  firms will give you a chance for a few months.  Just do your work properly and do it right. They don't expect you to know it all.  Heck.. Most people with years of experience are CAD monkeys anyways.  They just follow instructions given to them and produce work. I got my first job without any knowledge of CAD back then.

And don't take an unpaid internship.

For your information, UK March programmes require that the applicant has completed one year in professional practice before applying. Dismissing unpaid internships is easy, but how is the graduate going to get that one year of experience when the industry doesn't have enough positions for everybody out there? They would have to work for free. There is no other way.

Also, most Part I (entry level) positions advertised nowadays require at least 1 year's experience. 

Unpaid internships are unethical but they are unavoidable at the start of one's career.

Maybe try working at Uni in between classes at the model making facilities, the bookshop (great to catch up on some theory or history during quiet hours) or as a teaching assistant to one of the professors. That way you don't have to commute extra and you're really immersed in Uni life and will have a great network at your disposal that might benefit you later in second year when you would ideally transfer to an architectural office job on the side.

Working at an architecture office during studies can be very tricky though, since office hours seem to overlap with uni hours. The pressure of deadlines in the office while having to finish your own school projects can be impossible to combine, although you will have great resources at your disposal if you do work in an architecture firm you might fail a couple more classes than you would have otherwise. I would therefore try to work in an architecture office only during holidays when you can go all in.

Get a weekend or evening job instead where you can do some course work as well  during quiet hours would be my advice, like at a reception desk or something, or do the opposite and go for something physically demanding that enables you to switch off your brain for some hours. I've worked in an architecture office at the beginning of my studies and failed some of my classes because we had too many deadlines at work. I then quit my archi job and focussed full-time on my studies for a bit to catch up and after that did more physically demanding jobs like working in a professional kitchen or as a bike messenger during weekends and holidays only, that paid (off).

If you really want to work in an architecture office during studies (or afterwards), make sure your course work is top notch, it's the stuff you'll need to sell yourself with to potential employers. You will develop your skills automatically while going the extra mile for your school projects. Never do only the minimum required, always push yourself and do more, more than you think you'll need or can handle at first. Also do as many relevant extracurricular activities as possible. You'll be competing with your classmates and seniors for those architecture (temp)  jobs so develop skills that others might ignore, become very proficient in something that you see your classmates ignore. If everybody goes for the 3d-printing/laser-cutting route, do beautifully hand crafted models next to that as well, you'll be surprised how little high-tech facilities are available at your standard architecture office. I've seen interns who couldn't use an x-acto knife, a foamcutter or even hold a pencil because they only lasercut and 3D-print their models at school, while I've never worked at an architecture office that had all the facilities of my university and had to improvise old school style. 

So learn to do more with less! Oh and learn how to draw and draft by hand properly, it's very likely you'll be working for somebody that was trained before the digital age. Being able to communicate with them in their language can be essential and they'll really appreciate a clear sketch done in 10 minutes over a photoshopped rendering that took half a day's work if it's just about discussing ideas and options.

Bonus: Always casually take a role of sketching paper with you to your job interviews.

Non Sequitur, Exeg, accesskb, randomized

Thank you all for these useful views! It's helped me realise things that I'll bear in mind when the time of uni comes. :) 

Thank you and good luck with your own work!