Construction, engineering & design consultancies...
Discussion
I've contracted at a couple of the big design consultancies. They pay well above average, working conditions are excellent, eg free fruit morning and afternoon, and the high pay rates mean they can attract the best people, not only technically good but also excellent interpersonal skills.
They do expect their pound of flesh in return and you'll have to be at the top of your game and be prepared to put in a lot of effort.
They do expect their pound of flesh in return and you'll have to be at the top of your game and be prepared to put in a lot of effort.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
1. Generally pretty good, as long as you follow the 'house rules'. They tend to love their professional image, so as long as you fit within that mould, you'll get along fine.2. Again, pretty well. Some places are different, but through the 'sterile' image is actually a lot of social interaction (if you're into that kind of thing).
3. As long as you do your work to a high standard, they're happy. Each company varies, some are very much all business, others are slightly more relaxed and don't mind a bit of banter as long as the work is done.
4. Yes, but it depends on who sits above you. Point 4 and 5 go hand in hand at these kind of companies. You need to work out who are the ladder climbers and who are those that are just treading water. Confidence and ability speak volumes, you almost need to be a 'jack of all trades' and show you can do the job, learn and be a boss.
5. Like any company, keep quiet for the first couple of months. Watch and listen to other people before making any personal comments. There will likely be a bit of b
hing behind people's back, but as long as you are fairly sociable and friendly, it should be fine.In all honesty, they are a lot like other companies. They just like to see themselves as a step apart. Watch out for the ones with their heads up their own arses, they can make life difficult, especially if they have the ear of the boss.
The Beaver King said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
1. Generally pretty good, as long as you follow the 'house rules'. They tend to love their professional image, so as long as you fit within that mould, you'll get along fine.2. Again, pretty well. Some places are different, but through the 'sterile' image is actually a lot of social interaction (if you're into that kind of thing).
3. As long as you do your work to a high standard, they're happy. Each company varies, some are very much all business, others are slightly more relaxed and don't mind a bit of banter as long as the work is done.
4. Yes, but it depends on who sits above you. Point 4 and 5 go hand in hand at these kind of companies. You need to work out who are the ladder climbers and who are those that are just treading water. Confidence and ability speak volumes, you almost need to be a 'jack of all trades' and show you can do the job, learn and be a boss.
5. Like any company, keep quiet for the first couple of months. Watch and listen to other people before making any personal comments. There will likely be a bit of b
hing behind people's back, but as long as you are fairly sociable and friendly, it should be fine.In all honesty, they are a lot like other companies. They just like to see themselves as a step apart. Watch out for the ones with their heads up their own arses, they can make life difficult, especially if they have the ear of the boss.
General consensus is you'll get what you want by moving about a bit but that's the same in any job. Also there is definitely more money in contracting than staff.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Well my background is Large Scale Residential/Commercial/Light Industrial, so the large consultants that I deal with tend to be Mace, Arup Associates, Couch Perry & Wilkes, Northcroft, Silcock Leedham, Morgan Sindall Professional Services.There are hundreds, but my dealings are predominantly Building Services Consultants.
The Beaver King said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Well my background is Large Scale Residential/Commercial/Light Industrial, so the large consultants that I deal with tend to be Mace, Arup Associates, Couch Perry & Wilkes, Northcroft, Silcock Leedham, Morgan Sindall Professional Services.There are hundreds, but my dealings are predominantly Building Services Consultants.
The Beaver King said:
Yazza54 said:
Fair dos, was just wondering what the beaver king does
M&E. Without giving the game away, offsite construction.Yazza54 said:
The Beaver King said:
Yazza54 said:
Fair dos, was just wondering what the beaver king does
M&E. Without giving the game away, offsite construction.
Indeed and the market is a bit flooded at the minute since Emcor & Mitie decided to pull out of the U.K., so there are plenty of engineers floating about ready to jump ship.
You working residental or light commerical?
z4chris99 said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
not sure you will find someone who does all of those things? On most big build projects we do we will have 1/2 companies for each of those. Your looking at 10+ big consultants, plus maybe 15 smaller ones. The Beaver King said:
Yazza54 said:
The Beaver King said:
Yazza54 said:
Fair dos, was just wondering what the beaver king does
M&E. Without giving the game away, offsite construction.Indeed and the market is a bit flooded at the minute since Emcor & Mitie decided to pull out of the U.K., so there are plenty of engineers floating about ready to jump ship.
You working residental or light commerical?
Yazza54 said:
Light commercial, the only bit of Resi we have really done were clients homes and a bit of assisted living but generally offices, commercial units, data centres, shopping centres etc. Not done anything healthcare wise yet which I'm a bit miffed about as that could be interesting.
'interesting' would be one way to describe it; a complete fking arse would be another.They're not too bad to be honest, it's just a whole new level of specification that is completely locked down. We've done jobs that use IP68 rated 4000amp Busbar, 250mm 316L SS pipework and IP54 stainless trunking with torx security lids held in place with secondary 'drop chains' in case of explosions.
It's interesting work, but the attention to detail is insane.
The Beaver King said:
Yazza54 said:
Light commercial, the only bit of Resi we have really done were clients homes and a bit of assisted living but generally offices, commercial units, data centres, shopping centres etc. Not done anything healthcare wise yet which I'm a bit miffed about as that could be interesting.
'interesting' would be one way to describe it; a complete fking arse would be another.They're not too bad to be honest, it's just a whole new level of specification that is completely locked down. We've done jobs that use IP68 rated 4000amp Busbar, 250mm 316L SS pipework and IP54 stainless trunking with torx security lids held in place with secondary 'drop chains' in case of explosions.
It's interesting work, but the attention to detail is insane.
Anyway sorry to hijack the thread!!
I work for a large multi d consultancy. Building Services design
We can and do do it all. However tbh, it can be simpler with a separate design team.
tbh how the company functions is massively varied.
The company is broken into divisions, and within these, business units.
Each business unit runs more or less independently.
Our business unit is 70ish strong and is further broken down into 4 teams. I manage one of those teams. Division is about 2000 strong and company is 5000 ish.
We certainly run with minimal stress, laid back, but results driven.
As long as the project is delivered on time and to a good standard, everyone is happy.
This tbh is a result of the attitude of the BU manager.
On a side note, i see the merry go round of people coming and going has started back up.
3 people handed their notice in last week, and we are back interviewing hard.
Hopefully a sign of an improvement?
We can and do do it all. However tbh, it can be simpler with a separate design team.
tbh how the company functions is massively varied.
The company is broken into divisions, and within these, business units.
Each business unit runs more or less independently.
Our business unit is 70ish strong and is further broken down into 4 teams. I manage one of those teams. Division is about 2000 strong and company is 5000 ish.
We certainly run with minimal stress, laid back, but results driven.
As long as the project is delivered on time and to a good standard, everyone is happy.
This tbh is a result of the attitude of the BU manager.
On a side note, i see the merry go round of people coming and going has started back up.
3 people handed their notice in last week, and we are back interviewing hard.
Hopefully a sign of an improvement?
davethebunny said:
On a side note, i see the merry go round of people coming and going has started back up.
3 people handed their notice in last week, and we are back interviewing hard.
Hopefully a sign of an improvement?
Yeah I've noticed this too, more so over the last 6 months. Lots of movement going on within the industry at the moment, with familiar faces popping up in unfamiliar places. I assume two of the big players moving out of the UK has pushed a bit of this as well.3 people handed their notice in last week, and we are back interviewing hard.
Hopefully a sign of an improvement?
anonymous said:
[redacted]
It's booming in London but clients are still wanting to screw the back out of contractors who are still fighting it out to win jobs. Tender prices will have to start increasing soon (surely). The biggest problem for the industry now, I believe, will be that with the market being in such a dip for so long and so many manufacturers downscaling there won't be a sufficient supply of basic materials to meet demands.
A lot of people also moved out of the industry so as things pick up there will no doubt be a short supply of competent staff. I'm not complaining though as my value will just go up and up.
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