Phase 3 Concluding Blog
My time on phase 3 is drawing to a close (3 weeks to go) and phase 2 have now been on site for a while and are possibly starting to consider their options for phase 3. I thought it might be worthwhile blogging about finding a phase 3 placement.
I’ve been attached at a company called Bryden Wood Limited. Bryden Wood is a small consultancy with approximately 80 employees split across four offices (London, St Albans, St Petersberg and Singapore).
How did I find my placement?
I used contacts I made whilst on phase 2. Carillion’s M&E design manager at Battersea had worked in consultancies previously and used his contacts to get me an interview / informal chat at BWL. That chat was pretty pain free and was as much about me confirming that BWL could for fill my requirements. Other options that were open to me but that I didn’t follow up were working for Carillion’s consultants. I didn’t pursue that option as I felt there would be too much risk of being sucked into working on design associated with Battersea.
Advantages of working at Bryden Wood:
The advantage of working for a small company like Bryden Wood is that I don’t feel like a small cog in a huge unwieldly beast (which was often the case at Battersea). The projects I’ve been involved in have been relatively small in size, which means I’ve had a great deal of autonomy on them, which has been very useful for gaining experience. The company also doesn’t feel particularly corporate and has a family feel to it, which makes it a nice environment to work in.
Downside / Risk of working at Bryden Wood:
The main downside of working for a small company like Bryden Wood is that there is a bit more risk in terms of the amount of work available. We’ve had a few projects put on hold, which has led to contractors and permanent staff being laid off. This has led to the number of projects I could get involved with being reduced, that being said I’ve never been without work; although for my last two weeks it looks like I’ll be doing some pretty mundane CAD work.
Potential Opportunities
In summary I think my attachment at BWL has worked well. Although I’ve not covered as many projects as I thought I would do at the start of phase 3 I think I’ve covered enough – the proof will come in a few weeks at CPR. I still stand by my decision to go for a smallish firm. I’d recommend BWL to any M&Es looking for a placement in London or Hertfordshire. I’d be more than happy to make introductions if anyone wanted look at them for a possible phase 3 attachment.
Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog 
You’ve massively stolen my sandwiches there Rich, I was planning a very similar blog and a key part of my phase 4 presentation…
For the phase 2s who wont see my (undoubtedly) excellent presentation, I’ll throw my hat into the ring (have I just made that up or is it an actual saying?)
While on phase 2 I discovered I don’t really like civvies. So in considering options for my placement I started looking for military friendly companies and those with a significant ex-RE workforce. I knew a couple of Officers who had left and joined WYG so I called one and asked him for an introduction. Job sorted.
As it turns out I massively landed on my feet. The company is very cellular with the main structural and civil engineering departments in Leeds and Bristol respectively. The London office contains a very small C&S department consisting of two directors who spend most of their time trying to win more business in order to grow this element of the company and some bloke on secondment who has no idea what he’s doing (that’s me!).
Because the business is so cellular, large jobs tend to be send straight to the relevant bit of the business to be processed. Smaller jobs, those requiring a fast turn around or those that require a person on site in London, are dealt with by this office, and therefore by me. Since there is no one else to palm stuff off to I have been the sole engineer on a number of small projects such as drainage design for a flooded National Grid site and for some reason became the office guru on repairing damaged maritime concrete (niche!). The jobs coming through are very diverse giving me a good insight into lots of different areas. And because it’s just me on it I’ve had to become competent at submitting paperwork to the environment agency, the highways agency and loads of other really anal public sector offices.
All of this is great preparation for being an STRE commander (I imagine) as I’m constantly thrown into stuff that I don’t understand and COA 1 is always to palm it off to someone else. When it’s not cost effective to do so, I do it myself, get it checked and spend the rest of the week going blind with paperwork. Sound familiar to anyone?
To sum up I agree with Rich that a smaller company (or small team within a larger company) is good as it gives you a diverse range of experience and greater responsibly.
Damo – since you’re at a really big company, what’s your thoughts?
P.S. Turns out it is a saying, but I used it wrong, oops! (http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/throw-your-hat-into-the-ring)
Rich,
Clearly I have read all of you phase 3 blogs so have a detailed knowledge of the things that you have been up to. But for other that haven’t read them, could you quickly summaries the main design projects that you have been on and the level to which you were designing.
The reason I ask is that the project I am in is both in a design phase and a construction phase, therefore I am getting exposure a fair amount of M&E design works. As a result, BMPX have suggested remaining where I am and doing the full attachment with them as an extended phase 2 1/2. I think there is validity in it, but want to better understand the opportunity cost in terms of out and out design experience.
Hi James,
I’m glad you’ve been reading all those blogs. The main project I’ve worked on is the replacement of a steam system at London School Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. I’ve taken the design from preparation and brief through to technical design, although there are a few elements of the design that have be allocated to the contractor as their design proportion. It’s currently out to tender for the appointment of a principal contractor. I was hoping to conduct the tender evaluation, however, the client is dragging their heels so I doubt that will happen. The other projects I’ve worked on have been smaller elements of work and been based around producing concept / developed design to be taken forward by contractors.
I suppose another advantage of staying on would be that you don’t loose out on the couple of weeks to a month it takes to get up to speed in a new office / project. Personally though I’d be cautious about extending phase 2. I found the pace of life between phase 2 and 3 remarkably different. The drop in pace was absolutely required to get my thesis done and still manage to have an element of family / personal life. If anything I wish I’d done what Henry did and jumped ship to phase 3 slightly earlier.
Thanks Rich. As I suspected, my experience so far is definitely 2 1/2ish. I’ve spent half my time involved with the design of systems for the new construction phase and half planning works on site. Only occasionally do I actually venture to site, my boots are still spotless! Hopefully when the services install begins I might remedy that.
Also, with the current arrangement (assuming I get approval to remain) I get Friday afternoons for academic work, I’ll do a 6-8week secondment to the head office during peak thesis time for some slower hours and commercial experience.