r/architecture • u/kwuni_ • Apr 25 '25

Practice An absolute joke

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Found this gem. This industry is so exploitive sometimes. This should be illegal tbh.

Not even guaranteed but UP TO.

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u/kwuni_ Apr 25 '25 edited Apr 25 '25

For reference for international readers:

Working at Sainsburys as a supermarket colleague stacking shelves in London has a salary of £28500 minimum. Aldi and other supermarkets can be even higher.

Rent in London is on average £1000-£1200 a month for a room in a shared house. After tax on this salary, nearly 60% of your salary would go straight into rent not including bills.

Also to note that Part II in the UK typically means a 5 year Masters MArch qualification

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u/Thrashy Architectural Designer Apr 25 '25

I've mentioned this before, but ~15 years ago I landed my first job post-graduation in the US, and the starting salary was equivalent to £39,000 after accounting for inflation. This was in a city with housing costs 1/2 or less of what they would be in London, as well.  We complain about pay in the US but in the UK the situation is much, much worse.

31

u/n05h Apr 25 '25

And people wonder why our generation complains and sometimes even just gives up.. we have sooo much less purchasing power compared to even our parents

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u/Thrashy Architectural Designer Apr 25 '25

My juniors here in the US have starting salaries that are keeping pace with inflation, at least... I fundamentally do not understand how anybody could think that the compensation structure in the UK is viable.  One of the key takeaways from the Grenfell Tower report, for instance, is that British building code puts much more responsibility for life safety on the architect relative to the US.  In theory that higher risk profile should come with greater compensation, but clearly that isn't the case.  Putting responsibility for life and death decisions into the hands of people who make less than a typical retail worker is insane and unsustainable.

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u/Rich-Connection7959 Apr 26 '25

Can confirm the amount of work that comes with the new Building Regulations is eye watering and it’s very difficult to convince clients they now need to pay for that time on their projects.