My grandfather was an engineering draftsman and my father and uncle had a great interest in architecture, so I was drawn towards a career in construction. I had my university placement year at Hoare Lea's Bristol office and the friendliness and enthusiasm that I encountered there made me sure that I wanted a long term career with them.

I now work from the Manchester office and the nice thing to discover was that even 10 years on from my initial placement, the culture of Hoare Lea was still the same. I also like the fact that you are helping to create something substantial or improve an existing building. What job could be better?