Nic H Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Hello there London arch vis people! Im moving to London from Melbourne in January and am looking for work (either contract but full time preferably) and some pointers as to where might be good to work etc. I have researched fairly extensively and found alot of offices but have no 'ground knowledge' so to speak and was hoping for some input from anyone working in the London area in Arch Vis? is ''contract' work easy to come by? Working in a dedicated arch vis office vs. being a in house arch visualiser at a architects office? Whats better form your experience? I have a cv, folio of stills and an animation reel ready to email out but I wanted to target 'decent' places and try to extend myself professionally in some way. I am professionally proficient in max/vray/A.E and have a architecture degree and 5 years of professional experience in arch vis/architecture, im looking for a 'senior' role (or whatever pays rent/food/beer) If anyone has any pointers regarding good places to work or contacts / advice at all id be very appreciative! Im pretty excited about a change in working environment...even if it is going to be mid winter when I arrive.... cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon76 Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Hi Nic, I'm a creative Director at Smoothe, there are a number of good architectural visualisation companies in London, the main ones besides Smoothe would be Hayes Davidson, GMJ, Miller Hare, Squint Opera... i'm sure there are more out there! There seems to be plenty of work at the moment and we are always looking for good, experienced freelaners. I'm sure you'll have no problems picking up work. Cheers, Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic H Posted December 5, 2007 Author Share Posted December 5, 2007 Ah cheers for the pointers I haven't seen a few of those names before! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Hunt Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 I too was going to mention the same companies. I worked for GMJ many years ago, they are really great Most places are always looking for talented people. You wont have too many issues in getting work. Having said that, what type of visa are you going over on. If its the working holiday you may have a few issues, unless things have changed. I am sure you have checked out the legalities of working visas. Have fun, you will learn alot, it is very different to working here in OZ. JHV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic H Posted December 6, 2007 Author Share Posted December 6, 2007 hey justin, im going over on a 'working holiday' visa, no restrictions as far as I can tell except that I can only work for 24 months. Also what kind of ballpark rates are average for freelance work? I have so little idea about salary and living costs in UK reckon I might get a bit of a shock at the price of living etc. The general plan is to get out of oz for a while and have a good time! thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigroo Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 I have so little idea about salary and living costs in UK reckon I might get a bit of a shock at the price of living etc. A bit, coming from Melbourne where I used to live many years ago I'd say you'll have a shock but I guess everything is relative in comparison. As long as you're working & working well you'll survive & have enough to have a tinnie at the Walkabout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic H Posted December 6, 2007 Author Share Posted December 6, 2007 Nnooooo Not The Walkabout! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Hunt Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 You might want to check the fine print of the Working Holiday Visa, once again things might have changed, but technically it is there so you can work to fund your holiday. Which means you cant work in your profession, but you can do other types of jobs, outside of your profession. There are a few exceptions, such as radiographers etc. I was on an anceteral visa which has no issues like this but I was asked by serveral companies about my visa status. As to cost of living, if you are earning then the two biggest costs are rent and travel. Food is actually quite cheap compared to OZ. If you are staying in London then rent will be high and travel sightly cheaper, but if you stay out of London then rents are cheaper and travel higher. Either way bank on spending a good chuck of your money on these two. Also take enough money to see you through at least three months. One thing I noticed was that it takes a while to actually land a job. Then there's rent deposits, food travel etc to cover before the first pay check. A good place to start looking for work on arrival is "Everyman" in Earls Court, just ask any backpacker and they will tell you all about it. They do all the "dogs body" work from construction to packing boxes. Its an easy way to get a bit of money in while you are looking for fulltime work. I did constuction work for three months before I started full time working. Its fun and pays well. I also tried agencies to get work, but they were a waist of time. Unless you want to get into the games industry or graphic design. They have no clue with arch viz, I got sent off for drafty jobs. Waisted my time and the interviewers. Check out the newspapers and the equivelent of seek.com . Also 3D magazines, often they post jobs there. Have a look both here and and CGtalk job section, you may be lucky. Other than that sent out your CV to every 3D house around. I am out of touch with rates. When I was there I was on 25K per year, seven years ago. It was me and my wife working so we were able to save one salary and live on the other. We lived comfortably in a 1 bedroom flat in Kent. Both worked in the West end. Ate out often and travelled over seas every three to six months. We lived well. Have fun, JHV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic H Posted December 17, 2007 Author Share Posted December 17, 2007 Sorry to bump this.... but I have a few phone interviews coming up and Iv been asked what kind of salary expectations I have...I really have no idea what market rates are over there are. Could someone from UK please PM me and give me some hints as to what a 'middleweight/senior 3D' arch vis artist might expect either contract or fulltime? much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAWUK Posted December 17, 2007 Share Posted December 17, 2007 Nic Dont work in london but found this while searching for a new job, unusual for the pay scales to be shown. Hope its helps http://www.hays.com/JobSearch/Results.aspx?Type=-1&CategoryId=-1&Key=3d+max&Location=&Distance=-1&SalaryFrom=-1&SalaryTo=-1&Page=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afterglow Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 Wow, those salaries are surprisingly low.. i reakon you'd want to be on at least 40,000 squids to live in London. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Hunt Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 When I was there 7 years ago I was on 25K per year, and was living well. so around the 30K sounds about right. Relitive to the Ozi dollar the pound has more spending power. I'd say salary wise 2 to 1 ration is realistic ie 2 dollars to 1 pound. JHV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic H Posted December 18, 2007 Author Share Posted December 18, 2007 hmm confusing indeed, those salaries look peasant. i will just jump in and see how I go i think! thanks for your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Hunt Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 its all relitive, 1 pond will buy you alot more than 1$. jump online and check out real estate site to see what rents will be, this will be your biggest expence. You should also be able to find out how much tube tickest are, this will be the next expensive. Food is actually quite cheap. There is the whole price range from home brand stuff to mortuage your house prices. All is excellent quality, makes Ozi stuff quite pittyful. JHV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAWUK Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 . Food is actually quite cheap. There is the whole price range from home brand stuff to mortuage your house prices. All is excellent quality, makes Ozi stuff quite pittyful. JHV depends on your point of view we seem to be going through a never ending spiral of creaping price rises at the moment , yes you can buy cheep but that tends to be at the lower end of the market 'Netto's but the quility isnt the best. We have several main players in the supermarket battle ground , Asda , Sainsburys, Tesco, Morrisons, all seem to make massive profits off the back of joe public. Bread for instance is around £1.30 a loaf , on the other hand you can get non branded food goods cheeper , tin of beans for around 20p. House prices have more or less doubled in the last 6 years , not sure on rent prices in London. Petrol is now above £1 a litre and still going up, interest rates are at there highest in 6 years 5.5 . Just spoke to someone in the office who dabbles in the markets and knows someone in London and he reakons for a 1 bedroom flat in Islington (north London) you are looking at between £800- £1000 per month on rent...... Hell, alot more than I was thinking ...you might want to get a second opinion on that. Sorry to sound negative...... Let me know if you need any more 'help' and I'll see what I can find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aflack Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 I'm a visualiser working for an architectural practice in the city, thankfully I earn more than what they offer. If you want to live in the city I think you will struggle on 25k. Rent varies a lot you won't live in the city centre on that wage you are looking at £400 a week in rent, so you will end up in one of the subburbs but that will still be about £180-£250 a week. I think 25k will pay just under £1500 a month, so after you have taken of £900 in rent plus at least £150 in bills then your monthly tube ticket you will be living on £300 a month. I'd try and push for 30k if you can. On the plus side there seems to be a hell of a lot of jobs at the moment in London. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAWUK Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 'plus at least £150 in bills' Did you count council tax in that, my gas and electricity bills for the year alone are £1500 granted I live in a house with a wife and kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camby1298 Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 Hey Nicnic, Coincidently enuff Im looking 2 move 2 London n April, and work n the arch vis industry (thot i was the only one LOL), Still wokring on the visa and demo reel and all, anyways I have done LOADS of research on the city and I must say the book "Working and Living in London" has been most useful, it will help answer a lot of your questsions ur asking; as to which borough to live, useful descriptions of avergae costs of house, flats, and how good the Public Trans is in that area, info on schools (if u hav a family), hospitols, maps, lifestyle, cultures, and loads more. U can find it on www.amazon.com. Thats a good start I think. And as far as ur visa, the website www.workgateways.com, has a ton of info on visas and jobs thru articles and forums on moving to UK. Hope that helps u on ur journey! Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aflack Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 I guess it depends on how many people you live with. Just be aware that the UK economy is on a bit of a knife edge at the moment, house prices are starting to drop, everything has been steadily getting more expensive over the last 2 years. People are expecting a big slow down next year and the job boom thats going on at the moment in the architectural industry to come to an end. Also check out the bbc website it appears they might be cutting the amount of time non EU citizens can spend in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Hunt Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 depends on your point of view we seem to be going through a never ending spiral of creaping price rises at the moment , yes you can buy cheep but that tends to be at the lower end of the market 'Netto's but the quility isnt the best. We have several main players in the supermarket battle ground , Asda , Sainsburys, Tesco, Morrisons, all seem to make massive profits off the back of joe public. Bread for instance is around £1.30 a loaf , on the other hand you can get non branded food goods cheeper , tin of beans for around 20p. House prices have more or less doubled in the last 6 years , not sure on rent prices in London. Petrol is now above £1 a litre and still going up, interest rates are at there highest in 6 years 5.5 . Just spoke to someone in the office who dabbles in the markets and knows someone in London and he reakons for a 1 bedroom flat in Islington (north London) you are looking at between £800- £1000 per month on rent...... Hell, alot more than I was thinking ...you might want to get a second opinion on that. Sorry to sound negative...... Let me know if you need any more 'help' and I'll see what I can find out. What you discribe is happening world wide, heck if house prices didn't double every 6 to 10 years there would be some major things to worry about. Hell I sold my place 3 years ago, its just been resold and its almost doubled. If your in London you wont be buying a car;) 800 for a 1 bedder in London, whilst not unheard of is definiterly not what you will be paying on average. Hell my IT friend earning 150K wont pay that. Just remeamber that once you are earning this will become alot easier. JHV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aflack Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 What you discribe is happening world wide, heck if house prices didn't double every 6 to 10 years there would be some major things to worry about. Hell I sold my place 3 years ago, its just been resold and its almost doubled. If your in London you wont be buying a car;) 800 for a 1 bedder in London, whilst not unheard of is definiterly not what you will be paying on average. Hell my IT friend earning 150K wont pay that. Just remeamber that once you are earning this will become alot easier. JHV You might want to check http://www.rightmove.co.uk it pretty much has every house and flat for sale and rent in the UK on it. If you type in Islington which is by no means a great area then the very very bottom of the market which is bedsits and house shares are £130-£150 a week, which is £600 a month. Your friend earns 150k and won't pay £800 a month???? All I can say is he must be pretty tight, this is London the most expensive city to live in in the world £3 a beer, a taxi starts the clock at £5 and a one way cash ticket on the tube is £4. My mortgage on a 2 bedroom terrace is significantly more than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAWUK Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 What you discribe is happening world wide, heck if house prices didn't double every 6 to 10 years there would be some major things to worry about. Hell I sold my place 3 years ago, its just been resold and its almost doubled. If your in London you wont be buying a car;) 800 for a 1 bedder in London, whilst not unheard of is definiterly not what you will be paying on average. Hell my IT friend earning 150K wont pay that. Just remeamber that once you are earning this will become alot easier. JHV Were not saying dont come just trying to give you an insite into what its really like over here, I dont live in london but know people who do and they can really struggle. It might be 'the place to be' but the grass isnt always greener on the other side of the tracks. And as Adam has already said theres alot of talk about a possible slow down in the economy next year I would love to move to Australia but my idea of what Australia 'is' is probably isnt the same as people who live there. If you still intend to come over Nic try and come with as much already in the bank as you can at least 6 months of living expences ( unless you have a job lined up paying 150k.... not your average) Have you considered other parts of the UK Good luck anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neox_xclusive Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 hi there thanks for posting me i am nadeem from pakistan i was wandering if you know about maya's vray if you have can you send me plz thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic H Posted December 19, 2007 Author Share Posted December 19, 2007 ^ LOLZ - Good Post!! Pawuk, if you want to come to Melbourne I can put you in touch with some good places. Australia is great (except it has the most unaffordable housing in the world - true!) Im definately moving - already booked, dont give 2 shits about earning money to be honest, as long as I can live / eat / socialise ill be happy, just wondering! Pretty excited about it all. Also lol at having 6 months of living expenses! thats an insane amount of money. Thanks guys - thread closed>? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Hunt Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 Good luck and have fun, When are you leaving? JHV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now