my frustration with not being able to find a job leads to this question: what can i do to be more desirable in the architecture job market in europe? (i live in the eu)
after optimising my portfolio, cv and cover letter i thought it would be easier to find a job but i have been proved the opposite. i sent numerous unsolicited applications and a few solicited ones and receiving lots of negative replies, i am thinking that maybe my approach isn't the right one.
normally i write a generic cover letter including my goals, ambitions and what i can offer to the firm and i slightly modify it to fit the profile of the respective company. also, i write that im looking for a junior architect position. do you think this might be a negative factor since i have a total of experience of 5 months gained during my study years? in fact i don't really care if i'm called an intern or junior architect, what i do care is that i receive a salary with which i will be able to sustain myself in that particular country (this is the reason why i write that im looking for a junior architect position, because normally interns are paid a wage with which they cannot sustain themselves throughout the working period).
are you still a student? if you are I think by applying as a junior architect while still a student is damaging your chances. There are loads of unemployed architects in the EU right now and really good ones. There are some intern positions that pay enough to live off the stipend. I would just apply to England (as a part1 or part2 I am not sure if you are done school) because there they always pay enough to live off the wages. Or the northern countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Holland etc. There it depends on the offices but there are ones that do pay interns enough to live. But only go for an intern position if you are still in school.
I know that Italy, France etc. the wages are really low and in general I don't even bother applying there at all.
thank you for the reply archinet. i am still a student but i'll finish my undergraduate degree in 2 months. technically, i'll be a graduate at the time i will be working.
i have been applying to offices in germany, switzerland, holland and austria but i didn't try england yet. i will also try using the word "intern" since "junior architect"might be more competitive. do you normally state in the unsolicited/solicited application your desired salary? how much would you ask in countries like germany, holland and switzerland?
ok - then its fine to apply as a junior architect. No I do not go into salary details until the interview. Also how much you get paid very much depends on the city/country. Here in Berlin entry level pay is 1500 to 2000 euros a month. However the pay is more (or at least I heard) in other cities such as Munich. Also usually its better to apply in the language spoken of that country. So if I were you I would try London- unless you know German or whatever. It puts you at a disadvantage if you don't speak the official language of the country.
"Here in Berlin entry level pay is 1500 to 2000 euros a month" - is this the pay of a Junior Architect who can speak German? How much would a foreign intern earn in Berlin? Would it be different from a local intern who can speak German?
Last summer I interned in Berlin and I got paid a very low wage but I accepted it because it was the only possibility to work in Berlin (btw I speak very basic German). Nevertheless I am far more attracted to Germany and Holland than to London, even if I don't speak the language very well.
um i dont know what its like up in Berlin, but in Munich times are fantastic and i havent heard of any unemployed architects. I think there are a few firms that work here in English, but Ive heard there are more in Berlin and Hamburg. My office works in German.
Check Baunetz and Competitions Online for job adverts. Theres plenty of work out there right now. And Germany, an "intern" or "Praktikant" is someone who is still in school. You will be an unregistered architect.
however i'm not sure if i understood the pdf correctly. as a fresh graduate will i be in Gruppe T1? and lets say i am working in the big cities like berlin, hamburg or munich, this will make me in Ortsgruppe 2 right?
a T1 is a position without an Aubildung/degree. Once you have graduated, you would be at a minimum of T2. With the experience you get into T3 and T4...
I would say Ortsgruppe 2 would be good. Thats mainly talking about Stuttgart for BW. So obviously Munich will pay better. Berlin and H should too.
its much easier to get a job in Munich and Hamburg then Berlin. Many people rather live in Berlin especially young people and rent is cheaper therefore employers like to low ball. I came to Berlin to be with my significant other. But if I were you I would look in Munich, Hamburg...i heard the pay is much higher.
thanks for the tips. i had a look at the websites baunetz.de and competitionline.com and i was surprised by how many job offers there are. all of them are written in german so maybe they are searching for german speaking people but i will still try my luck.
i would like to share my experience to get a job from a firm at berlin. I graduate with MArch from an university in US. I am korean. I can not speak and read German. But, I know several computer language such as rhinoscript, processing, java vbscript and c#. My work experience as a intern is over 2 years. I totally agree above mentions. If you have some problem to get a job as junior architect position, apply for an inern position first. I think salary is not important for entry level, but a firm and project is more important. Also, I recommend you to prepare specific abilities. Frankly speaking, i applied for over 200 firms in US as junior architect position. Then, I received only one job offer with poor salary from a small firm. But, I applied for about 10 offices in EU as computational design specialist, I could got two job offers within only one week after I started apply for firms in EU. So, I recommend you to focus on your strenght and to show it on your resume. I am sure there are firms to recognize your potential. Good luck.
...point taken in Berlin they like to low ball. just make sure you don't stay at an intern position for too long- they will try to make you stay there as long as possible.
i agree, internships are easier to get but not everybody affords to be an intern after graduation. in fact i am applying for internships with the condition of reviewing my position after 3 months of interning at the firm.
congrats on the job offers iamsunghyun, wish you luck!
move to North America... I have done a couple of internships during university. During my final placement, one of the full-time workers asked me how much I was getting paid. To his disappointment and surprise, I was getting paid more than him xD It ruined the next 2 months I had to work there because he clearly wasn't happy doing work after xD
Anyways.. Personally, I wouldn't even call myself a junior architect after undergrad. There are lots I have yet to learn and wouldn't want to disappoint employers by giving myself the title of 'architect'. My work itself should speak and not the title I call myself. I probably won't call myself an architect until I finish my masters, perhaps only after I've been employed full-time for a few years or am licensed.
good luck.
May 30, 12 12:54 am ·
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how to increase employment opportunities for recent graduates in europe?
hi archinect,
my frustration with not being able to find a job leads to this question: what can i do to be more desirable in the architecture job market in europe? (i live in the eu)
after optimising my portfolio, cv and cover letter i thought it would be easier to find a job but i have been proved the opposite. i sent numerous unsolicited applications and a few solicited ones and receiving lots of negative replies, i am thinking that maybe my approach isn't the right one.
normally i write a generic cover letter including my goals, ambitions and what i can offer to the firm and i slightly modify it to fit the profile of the respective company. also, i write that im looking for a junior architect position. do you think this might be a negative factor since i have a total of experience of 5 months gained during my study years? in fact i don't really care if i'm called an intern or junior architect, what i do care is that i receive a salary with which i will be able to sustain myself in that particular country (this is the reason why i write that im looking for a junior architect position, because normally interns are paid a wage with which they cannot sustain themselves throughout the working period).
your thoughts and experiences are very welcome
are you still a student? if you are I think by applying as a junior architect while still a student is damaging your chances. There are loads of unemployed architects in the EU right now and really good ones. There are some intern positions that pay enough to live off the stipend. I would just apply to England (as a part1 or part2 I am not sure if you are done school) because there they always pay enough to live off the wages. Or the northern countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Holland etc. There it depends on the offices but there are ones that do pay interns enough to live. But only go for an intern position if you are still in school.
I know that Italy, France etc. the wages are really low and in general I don't even bother applying there at all.
thank you for the reply archinet. i am still a student but i'll finish my undergraduate degree in 2 months. technically, i'll be a graduate at the time i will be working.
i have been applying to offices in germany, switzerland, holland and austria but i didn't try england yet. i will also try using the word "intern" since "junior architect"might be more competitive. do you normally state in the unsolicited/solicited application your desired salary? how much would you ask in countries like germany, holland and switzerland?
ok - then its fine to apply as a junior architect. No I do not go into salary details until the interview. Also how much you get paid very much depends on the city/country. Here in Berlin entry level pay is 1500 to 2000 euros a month. However the pay is more (or at least I heard) in other cities such as Munich. Also usually its better to apply in the language spoken of that country. So if I were you I would try London- unless you know German or whatever. It puts you at a disadvantage if you don't speak the official language of the country.
Oh yeah if you apply to London check out the RIBA website for average salary of a recent graduate http://www.ribaappointments.com/Salary-Guide.aspx
in general it will be tough though....the economy is not doing so hot in the EU in general, a-lot of people are having a tough time
"Here in Berlin entry level pay is 1500 to 2000 euros a month" - is this the pay of a Junior Architect who can speak German? How much would a foreign intern earn in Berlin? Would it be different from a local intern who can speak German?
Last summer I interned in Berlin and I got paid a very low wage but I accepted it because it was the only possibility to work in Berlin (btw I speak very basic German). Nevertheless I am far more attracted to Germany and Holland than to London, even if I don't speak the language very well.
Those figures in London look pretty nice though.
um i dont know what its like up in Berlin, but in Munich times are fantastic and i havent heard of any unemployed architects. I think there are a few firms that work here in English, but Ive heard there are more in Berlin and Hamburg. My office works in German.
I find this ( http://www.ingenieurkammer-mv.de/upload/168/1273220019_24603_12518.pdf ) to be a great tool to judge German architecture wages. Its for baden-württemberg from a few years ago, but the table is fairly accurate.
Check Baunetz and Competitions Online for job adverts. Theres plenty of work out there right now. And Germany, an "intern" or "Praktikant" is someone who is still in school. You will be an unregistered architect.
thanks James, very helpful sources.
however i'm not sure if i understood the pdf correctly. as a fresh graduate will i be in Gruppe T1? and lets say i am working in the big cities like berlin, hamburg or munich, this will make me in Ortsgruppe 2 right?
a T1 is a position without an Aubildung/degree. Once you have graduated, you would be at a minimum of T2. With the experience you get into T3 and T4...
I would say Ortsgruppe 2 would be good. Thats mainly talking about Stuttgart for BW. So obviously Munich will pay better. Berlin and H should too.
its much easier to get a job in Munich and Hamburg then Berlin. Many people rather live in Berlin especially young people and rent is cheaper therefore employers like to low ball. I came to Berlin to be with my significant other. But if I were you I would look in Munich, Hamburg...i heard the pay is much higher.
Also I have heard that in Germany its much easier to get a job then in Holland
thanks for the tips. i had a look at the websites baunetz.de and competitionline.com and i was surprised by how many job offers there are. all of them are written in german so maybe they are searching for german speaking people but i will still try my luck.
if you know a bit of German try to write your cover letter in German might help
i would like to share my experience to get a job from a firm at berlin. I graduate with MArch from an university in US. I am korean. I can not speak and read German. But, I know several computer language such as rhinoscript, processing, java vbscript and c#. My work experience as a intern is over 2 years. I totally agree above mentions. If you have some problem to get a job as junior architect position, apply for an inern position first. I think salary is not important for entry level, but a firm and project is more important. Also, I recommend you to prepare specific abilities. Frankly speaking, i applied for over 200 firms in US as junior architect position. Then, I received only one job offer with poor salary from a small firm. But, I applied for about 10 offices in EU as computational design specialist, I could got two job offers within only one week after I started apply for firms in EU. So, I recommend you to focus on your strenght and to show it on your resume. I am sure there are firms to recognize your potential. Good luck.
...point taken in Berlin they like to low ball. just make sure you don't stay at an intern position for too long- they will try to make you stay there as long as possible.
i agree, internships are easier to get but not everybody affords to be an intern after graduation. in fact i am applying for internships with the condition of reviewing my position after 3 months of interning at the firm.
congrats on the job offers iamsunghyun, wish you luck!
here's what you should do: get greece and spain off the euro.
Move to Greece!
move to North America... I have done a couple of internships during university. During my final placement, one of the full-time workers asked me how much I was getting paid. To his disappointment and surprise, I was getting paid more than him xD It ruined the next 2 months I had to work there because he clearly wasn't happy doing work after xD
Anyways.. Personally, I wouldn't even call myself a junior architect after undergrad. There are lots I have yet to learn and wouldn't want to disappoint employers by giving myself the title of 'architect'. My work itself should speak and not the title I call myself. I probably won't call myself an architect until I finish my masters, perhaps only after I've been employed full-time for a few years or am licensed.
good luck.
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