Connect · The Common Room

Ask the questions you can’t ask at work.

Connect is Architecture Social’s free members’ forum. Talk pay, portfolios, interviews and studio life with people who work in architecture, and join Stephen’s weekly coaching.

  • Free for everyone in architecture
  • Your existing account works
  • No CV uploads

The spaces

Find your corner of the room.

Join free to follow spaces

Follow the spaces you care about and your home page starts with what is new in them. Questions waiting for a first reply are easy to find.

Careers & practice

Jobs, hiring, interviews, salary and early-career support.

Work & craft

Projects, portfolios, guides and practical advice.

Business & market

Running a studio, company life and market notes.

Community

Open conversation, events and coaching follow-ups.

Salary & Offers

Ask about pay without your name on it.

Post a pay or offer question anonymously. Other members see only the role you choose. Only the Architecture Social team can see who asked.

Show my role as

  • Part I assistant
  • Part II assistant
  • Part III
  • Architect
  • Senior architect
  • Associate
  • Practice owner
  • Student
  • Other
Posted anonymously · Part II assistantHow your question appears to other members
Stephen Drew giving a guest lecture to architecture students
Stephen Drew at a guest lecture, University of Portsmouth

Coaching with Stephen

Weekly group coaching. Free for members.

Bring a CV, portfolio, interview or salary question to a live session on Microsoft Teams. Register in Connect, and the follow-up stays in one thread.

  • CV and portfolio tips
  • Interview and salary negotiation prep
  • Career transitions and resigning professionally

Next session

Friday, 6 November 2026, 12:30 GMT – 13:30 GMT

Session details
Join free to register

Stephen is a Part II Architectural Assistant, founder of Architecture Social and a specialist architecture recruiter.

Prefer one to one? Book a paid session

The Architecture Social Podcast

Every episode leaves a conversation.

All episodes

Listen free wherever you get podcasts. Members talk each episode through in Connect, one discussion per episode.

Latest · EP 0261 · 17 min

How AHMM Survived Its First Five Years

Simon Allford · Allford Hall Monaghan Morris

Architecture is often presented as a linear career, but building a successful practice demands patience, resilience and a willingness to keep learning. Simon Allford, Founding Director of AHMM, explains how the practice survived its lean early years and developed a culture where strong architecture, shared ideas and long-term investment come first. They get into starting a practice during a downturn, surviving the critical first five years, building an open studio culture, approaching architecture interviews, adapting to new technology and rethinking architectural education. The conversation offers practical perspective for architects, students and practices navigating changing tools, rising expectations and an industry that still struggles to value its work properly. AHMM: https://www.ahmm.co.uk/

Listen nowDiscussion for members

How the room works

Useful answers, and a room you can trust.

  • Answers you can find again

    The person who asked marks the answer that helped, so the next person with the same question finds it first.

  • No CVs in the feed

    Connect never asks for your documents. Guides is text only, and your files stay with you.

  • Not a jobs board

    Roles stay public on Jobs. Connect is for the conversation around them: offers, interviews and moves.

  • You stay in control

    Block, hide or report anyone, and choose what your profile shows to other members.

Not ready to join?

Everything else is open, no account needed.

Pull up a chair

Free, and it takes a minute.

Use the account you already have for saved jobs and applications, or create one now. Your first question can go straight to the room.