I am a licensed architect in Honduras and have been practicing architecture in this country for over the past 12 years. I will be moving to Seattle, Washington within the next 5 months to be with my wife (I am in the process of receiving my green card and will have full rights to work in Washington when I relocate).
I would like any insights on how easy/difficult it will be to find employment in the Seattle market given my years of experience and the fact that I am not locally licensed and my degree is from a national university in Honduras which is obviously not an NAAB accredited school (and considering my conversational but not fluent English language skills).
What kind of options do you think I have for finding a job related to architecture (working as an intern while getting my certification, working as an architectural drafter, or assisting with construction supervision, etc)?
What steps would you recommend I take now to best position myself to get a job once I arrive in 3 to 5 months? For example, should I:
-Start applying now to as many entry-level or non-licensed required job postings as possible with architecture firms.
-Study online courses or certificate programs that would help advance my knowledge of local codes/requirements.
-Begin the NCARB traditional path toward licensure (education, experience, examination). Right now the only thing I can think of doing to get a head start on this would be to begin translating my university course descriptions to get my university degree recognized. Or would it make more sense to wait to begin this process until I potentially start working/interning with a U.S. firm that can better guide me/help cover the costs of meeting licensing requirements?
Any feedback or insights would be greatly appreciated!
Also, look into NCARB, and specifically into EESA requirements, I think they require your school to send your course transcript in english directly to them.
There is experience based paths in which you get credit for prior education and potentially some experience for prior experuence to some degree.
You will need to consult with Washington Department of Licensing's architectural licensing board. You'll probably will want to work it through NCARB and get education approved and start IDP.
I think they'll (Washington and/or NCARB) be wanting you to complete IDP and pass the ARE and may require either additional education or experience.
It will undoubtedly take me 6+ years to get licensed in the State of Washington (given the time it will take to get my degree accredited through NCARB/EESA, then approx 5 years of IDP, and then to pass the ARE). What I really want to know is, how likely it is that in the meantime, I will be able to find some sort of paid architecture work (whether that is working as a paid intern, an entry level drafting position, etc) so that I have some income when I arrive in 3 to 5 months. Given my years of experience, is that likely or given the fact that I do not have an NCARB accredited degree, is it very unlikely for a firm to hire a foreign architect to do work that does not require a license?
^ just to inform you, IDP doesnt take 5 years. The ARE exams might take you 18-24 months, but IDP should only last less than 3 years. Probably 2 years if you work full time.
To boost your confidence as well, you should be able to get a job with relative ease.
Of course use the 12 years of prior experience to your advantage rather than your lack of licensure. Many firms already have their licensed architects in place for a secure amount of time, whether they're principal architects who own the firm or associates. So what I'm saying, is a firm will very likely hire you as a senior technical designer with your amount of experience. Once you get licensed you may be promoted to Project Architect, then Senior Architect as you hit the 20 year mark in your career. You may not be promoted at the same firm simply because the firm already has enough licensed architects who can design proficiently.
Seattle loves cultural diversity, and architects love cultural diversity, so I feel that any extra steps they'll need to take for you to work with them (acquiring work visas and such) wont be seen as a burden to many of the firms in the city.
Don't know the Seattle market in detail but I have never sensed that licensure is needed in any way to practice at one's appropriate experience level. The only exception would naturally be if you are looking to run your own firm or be the managing principal or similar in an existing one. You clearly have great command of English and from what I know of South American architects (sorry for super generalizing here) your technical skill level will be at least on par with US counterparts. I wouldn't even consider entry level or similar positions - these are for people who either have no experience or have very poor language skills. With your experience and work permit not being an issue, given the right fit of position you should be able to get in and work immediately at your appropriate level. Good luck.
Jul 6, 15 10:19 pm ·
·
empea,
EVERY STATE in the united states which includes Seattle requires a license to engage in the practice of architecture unless the project falls under exemption or the person is working under the supervision of a licensed architect and not using the architect title in violation of the architectural title, practice and licensing laws.
However, when it comes to firms, what position one is hired and the duties assigned depends on the employer. As with all people with foreign training and experience, they will always be initially working for a period of time effectively as an entry level until and then progress in responsibility from schematic/conceptual design to construction documentation phase as the person becomes familiar with the building codes requirements. The sooner you get a grasp and understanding of building codes and engineering standards as they are used in the U.S. and particularly the Pacific Northwest / Washington state area and also understanding of climate conditions of the area, the sooner you will have greater responsibility.
You'll probably progress through the ranks faster because of already prior practice but learning to operate and work in the U.S. using U.S. measurements and designing according to the way things are done here is important.
The quicker that is understood, the better. Command of english language is irrelevant but important skill. If you are good at communicating and have a good clear voice then I can see one being involved with client communication.
It will be important to get the building codes and engineering standards understood so that will be something Penderton11 should do as soon as possible after employment.
RB - I am not contesting any of what you just said but surely you can't disagree that a wealth of people with architectural degrees work for years if not indefinitely without licensure. Happens all the time. Granted they work "for someone else" and as you mention there will, depending on the state, be variations as to what one's title can formally be. But I don't think it's correct to let a foreigner believe that licensure is the only path to working in architecture in the U.S. at anything but menial type work, because that is not true. The same is true for engineers, strictly speaking far from everyone in the firm needs to be able to stamp drawings.
Jul 6, 15 11:41 pm ·
·
They work for someone else OR they work for themselves on exempt buildings as a "building designer" or "residential designer" or similar titles to avoid being fined for architect title use.
It is the only path to engage in the "practice of architecture" as defined by the laws independent. The point is being absolutely clear about the law or the foreigner would or could end up getting themselves into legal trouble.
I agree with your point. Anyone can be a draftsman (draughtsman or drafter) or such roles but to be an "ARCHITECT" you need a license to use the title and to be the design professional of responsible charge of NON-EXEMPT PROJECTS & BUILDINGS.
If the project requires an architect stamp then you need to be an architect to be the Architect of the project. However, anyone can be an employee working for the architect under the architect's supervision and control.
If you want to be independent then you work on exempt building using an alternate title and business name that doesn't contain "architect", "architecture" or "architectural" in the title or business name. This even includes phonetically similar sounding titles. If it sounds like architect, architecture, or architectural or is a foreign language variant of the title, you should not use it.
As much as it is important to know the architectural licensing laws as an architect, it is even more so when you are an unlicensed designer.
I know both Oregon and Washington licensing laws and the boards. I had dealt with them in the past. I strive not to be in bad terms with the licensing boards.
I was also stating that no employer in their right mind would immediately let a foreigner be in charge of any project in significant ways at first until they demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the locally applied building codes and engineering standards. They will be in schematic design and menial stuff at first because putting them in charge of construction documents will lead to alot of headache, additional redlining and building codes violations because how things are done in another country does not mean it complies with building codes. They also have to understand the way government works including local county or city government, zoning codes, CC&Rs, and all sorts of other regulatory matters. While a U.S. school will teach more of how government works in the U.S. context, you can't expect them to teach that in a foreign school.
Thank you both for your feedback--all of this is very helpful! Getting licensed is my ultimate goal, but it is great to know that it is possible to find a job workign under a licensed architect in the meantime.
As a comparison, there is a man in my office who is licensed in Brazil, with about 10 years experience. When he moved here he took an intermediate position in our office that usually starts at around 6 years of US experience and extends to people with up to about 15. Yes you have to work for someone, not a big deal, it's easier than trying to start your own firm when you get here anyway.
It's not that big of a deal as long as your skill/knowledge is reasonably applicable in here.
Jul 7, 15 12:36 am ·
·
Penderton11,
First thing you should do is get employed and then to study the building codes and such as I suggested so you can get familiar with the requirements and get moved up to more responsibility in the construction document phase and things like that.
Foreign Architect (with 12+ years experience) in Seattle
I am a licensed architect in Honduras and have been practicing architecture in this country for over the past 12 years. I will be moving to Seattle, Washington within the next 5 months to be with my wife (I am in the process of receiving my green card and will have full rights to work in Washington when I relocate).
I would like any insights on how easy/difficult it will be to find employment in the Seattle market given my years of experience and the fact that I am not locally licensed and my degree is from a national university in Honduras which is obviously not an NAAB accredited school (and considering my conversational but not fluent English language skills).
What kind of options do you think I have for finding a job related to architecture (working as an intern while getting my certification, working as an architectural drafter, or assisting with construction supervision, etc)?
What steps would you recommend I take now to best position myself to get a job once I arrive in 3 to 5 months? For example, should I:
-Start applying now to as many entry-level or non-licensed required job postings as possible with architecture firms.
-Study online courses or certificate programs that would help advance my knowledge of local codes/requirements.
-Begin the NCARB traditional path toward licensure (education, experience, examination). Right now the only thing I can think of doing to get a head start on this would be to begin translating my university course descriptions to get my university degree recognized. Or would it make more sense to wait to begin this process until I potentially start working/interning with a U.S. firm that can better guide me/help cover the costs of meeting licensing requirements?
Any feedback or insights would be greatly appreciated!
I would apply to any jobs you can find.
Also, look into NCARB, and specifically into EESA requirements, I think they require your school to send your course transcript in english directly to them.
Read up on this:
http://www.ncarb.org/News-and-Events/News/2015/June-CertificateAlternatives.aspx
Pay attention to this as this may potentially affect you.
I believe they require IDP and passing the ARE.
Oh there is also other options that maybe available to you specifically regarding Washington.
I'll get to that in the next post.
http://www.dol.wa.gov/business/architects/index.html
There is experience based paths in which you get credit for prior education and potentially some experience for prior experuence to some degree.
You will need to consult with Washington Department of Licensing's architectural licensing board. You'll probably will want to work it through NCARB and get education approved and start IDP.
I think they'll (Washington and/or NCARB) be wanting you to complete IDP and pass the ARE and may require either additional education or experience.
Thank you for the links!
It will undoubtedly take me 6+ years to get licensed in the State of Washington (given the time it will take to get my degree accredited through NCARB/EESA, then approx 5 years of IDP, and then to pass the ARE). What I really want to know is, how likely it is that in the meantime, I will be able to find some sort of paid architecture work (whether that is working as a paid intern, an entry level drafting position, etc) so that I have some income when I arrive in 3 to 5 months. Given my years of experience, is that likely or given the fact that I do not have an NCARB accredited degree, is it very unlikely for a firm to hire a foreign architect to do work that does not require a license?
^ just to inform you, IDP doesnt take 5 years. The ARE exams might take you 18-24 months, but IDP should only last less than 3 years. Probably 2 years if you work full time.
To boost your confidence as well, you should be able to get a job with relative ease.
Of course use the 12 years of prior experience to your advantage rather than your lack of licensure. Many firms already have their licensed architects in place for a secure amount of time, whether they're principal architects who own the firm or associates. So what I'm saying, is a firm will very likely hire you as a senior technical designer with your amount of experience. Once you get licensed you may be promoted to Project Architect, then Senior Architect as you hit the 20 year mark in your career. You may not be promoted at the same firm simply because the firm already has enough licensed architects who can design proficiently.
Seattle loves cultural diversity, and architects love cultural diversity, so I feel that any extra steps they'll need to take for you to work with them (acquiring work visas and such) wont be seen as a burden to many of the firms in the city.
Thank you! That was very helpful! And good to know about the IDP only taking around two years (working full time) vs 5+ years.
empea,
EVERY STATE in the united states which includes Seattle requires a license to engage in the practice of architecture unless the project falls under exemption or the person is working under the supervision of a licensed architect and not using the architect title in violation of the architectural title, practice and licensing laws.
However, when it comes to firms, what position one is hired and the duties assigned depends on the employer. As with all people with foreign training and experience, they will always be initially working for a period of time effectively as an entry level until and then progress in responsibility from schematic/conceptual design to construction documentation phase as the person becomes familiar with the building codes requirements. The sooner you get a grasp and understanding of building codes and engineering standards as they are used in the U.S. and particularly the Pacific Northwest / Washington state area and also understanding of climate conditions of the area, the sooner you will have greater responsibility.
You'll probably progress through the ranks faster because of already prior practice but learning to operate and work in the U.S. using U.S. measurements and designing according to the way things are done here is important.
The quicker that is understood, the better. Command of english language is irrelevant but important skill. If you are good at communicating and have a good clear voice then I can see one being involved with client communication.
It will be important to get the building codes and engineering standards understood so that will be something Penderton11 should do as soon as possible after employment.
They work for someone else OR they work for themselves on exempt buildings as a "building designer" or "residential designer" or similar titles to avoid being fined for architect title use.
It is the only path to engage in the "practice of architecture" as defined by the laws independent. The point is being absolutely clear about the law or the foreigner would or could end up getting themselves into legal trouble.
I agree with your point. Anyone can be a draftsman (draughtsman or drafter) or such roles but to be an "ARCHITECT" you need a license to use the title and to be the design professional of responsible charge of NON-EXEMPT PROJECTS & BUILDINGS.
If the project requires an architect stamp then you need to be an architect to be the Architect of the project. However, anyone can be an employee working for the architect under the architect's supervision and control.
If you want to be independent then you work on exempt building using an alternate title and business name that doesn't contain "architect", "architecture" or "architectural" in the title or business name. This even includes phonetically similar sounding titles. If it sounds like architect, architecture, or architectural or is a foreign language variant of the title, you should not use it.
As much as it is important to know the architectural licensing laws as an architect, it is even more so when you are an unlicensed designer.
I know both Oregon and Washington licensing laws and the boards. I had dealt with them in the past. I strive not to be in bad terms with the licensing boards.
I was also stating that no employer in their right mind would immediately let a foreigner be in charge of any project in significant ways at first until they demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the locally applied building codes and engineering standards. They will be in schematic design and menial stuff at first because putting them in charge of construction documents will lead to alot of headache, additional redlining and building codes violations because how things are done in another country does not mean it complies with building codes. They also have to understand the way government works including local county or city government, zoning codes, CC&Rs, and all sorts of other regulatory matters. While a U.S. school will teach more of how government works in the U.S. context, you can't expect them to teach that in a foreign school.
Thank you both for your feedback--all of this is very helpful! Getting licensed is my ultimate goal, but it is great to know that it is possible to find a job workign under a licensed architect in the meantime.
As a comparison, there is a man in my office who is licensed in Brazil, with about 10 years experience. When he moved here he took an intermediate position in our office that usually starts at around 6 years of US experience and extends to people with up to about 15. Yes you have to work for someone, not a big deal, it's easier than trying to start your own firm when you get here anyway.
It's not that big of a deal as long as your skill/knowledge is reasonably applicable in here.
Penderton11,
First thing you should do is get employed and then to study the building codes and such as I suggested so you can get familiar with the requirements and get moved up to more responsibility in the construction document phase and things like that.
That's very motivating to hear natematt!
Yes, Richard that's my first goal (get employed) and up to speed. Thank you all for your insights!
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