Is This For Me? Ten Tips On Finding Your Fit With Studio Culture, Ft. Julia Nicholls

In this Architecture Social CPD, communications strategist Julia Nicholls joins Stephen Drew for a practical, roughly one hour conversation on how to tell whether a studio is the right fit for you. Drawing on more than 25 years working with architecture practices, Julia turns the usual interview dynamic on its head: instead of only trying to impress an employer, you learn how to judge whether a studio's culture matches your values, your stage of life and the way you want to work.

Who this is for

Architecture students and graduates choosing where to apply, professionals weighing up a move, and practice leaders who want to understand what candidates are really looking for in a studio culture.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this session you will be able to:

1. Treat an interview as a two-way assessment and judge whether a studio fits your values and goals.
2. Read a practice's purpose, values and ways of working from its projects, clients and structure.
3. Ask informed questions about career progression, management and professional development.
4. Evaluate how a studio handles inclusion, wellbeing and flexible working.
5. Recognise the signals of a healthy studio environment, internal communication and social life.
6. Use community and industry engagement as a measure of a practice's culture and outlook.

1. Values and purpose

Look for the why behind a practice, evidenced in its work rather than just stated on a website. Consider the clients, organisations and project types it takes on, and whether they sit comfortably with your own ethics. Shared values are a strong motivator and make it more likely you will stay and grow.

2. Ways of working

Understand the business structure, whether a partnership, an employee ownership trust or something else, the leadership style, and how projects are run, including whether concept and delivery sit in one team or are split. Check the working pattern too, from full time in the studio to flexible and hybrid, and whether it suits the life stage you are in.

3. Studio environment

The feel of a physical studio says a lot. Look at location and commute, facilities such as kitchens, showers and storage, and whether there is space for focused work as well as collaboration and social time. A studio you travel to should offer something you cannot get at home.

4. Internal communication

Transparency has become a genuine expectation. Look for open forums, visibility of project wins and business strategy, and focus groups for skills, training and inclusion. Notice the channels too, and whether information feels shared rather than overwhelming.

5. Career progression

Seek structured, recorded performance reviews that run both ways, support for qualification and part 3, and investment in upskilling and management training. A good employer also supports time out for industry events, design review panels and occasional teaching, recognising the benefit flows back to the practice.

6. Inclusion

Start with representation across the studio, from junior staff to leadership. If a practice finds this a challenge, ask what it is doing about it, from training and inclusive culture work to engaging with the many industry initiatives that support diversity. A lack of representation is a real signal worth probing.

7. Wellbeing

Look for sensible working hours, a healthy balance between work and home, and clear routes to support if something is not right, including someone other than your immediate manager to talk to. Long unpaid late nights are no longer acceptable, and responsibility for wellbeing sits with the practice.

8. Staying inspired

Does the practice invest in research and innovation in working hours, and treat CPD as genuine learning rather than a supplier sales pitch? Internal forums on lessons learned, site visits to your own and other practices' buildings, exhibitions and internal competitions all help keep people inspired.

9. Social life

A social scene can help you build friendships, especially early in your career, but it should be optional and never a hidden route to progression. Consider how inclusive the offer is, for example for people who do not drink, and how much you want to invest in it at your stage of life.

10. Community

Being a good neighbour matters, from careers talks and work experience for local young people to sharing skills with community organisations. Industry community counts too, with younger practices increasingly collaborating, sharing knowledge and even sharing staff through groups and forums.

Key terms

• Studio culture: the shared values, behaviours and environment that shape day to day life in a practice.
• Employee ownership trust (EOT): a business structure where a trust holds the company on behalf of its employees.
• Part 3: the final stage of UK architectural qualification, often supported by peer groups and mentoring in practice.
• CPD: continuing professional development, ideally focused on evolving standards, materials and technologies rather than supplier pitches.
• Hybrid working: a mix of studio and remote working, balanced according to when people genuinely need to be together.

Reflective prompts for your CPD record

1. Which three of these ten factors matter most to you right now, and why might that change at a different life or career stage?
2. Thinking about your current or last studio, where did its culture genuinely support you, and where did it fall short?
3. What two questions will you prepare to ask in your next interview to test whether a practice is the right fit?

About the guest

Julia Nicholls is a communications strategist who has worked with architects and creative businesses for more than 25 years. After two decades in practice, where she left her last studio, Squire and Partners, as a director, she set up Julia Nicholls Communications. She is a champion for inclusion in the built environment and supports organisations including Narrative Practice and Built By Us. Find out more at julianicholls.com or explore her Architecture Social directory profile.