Architecture: a ‘rewarding’ career? An Anglo-French comparative study of intrinsic rewards in the architecture profession

Careers in architecture are characterized by higher levels of job insecurity and lower levels of remuneration than other equivalent professions. Likewise, the ‘traditional’ rewards associated with professional employment—professional power, status and recognition—have been eroded. Raising the question of what are the rewards associated with an architectural career, the concepts of informal networks and relationships in particular are examined as compensation for the poor financial rewards. Drawing upon the rewards literature in conjunction with professional identity and career management data from 84 in-depth interviews with UK and France-based architects, adopting a grounded theory method within the interpretive paradigm, findings show these relationships provide a significant amount of intrinsic satisfaction and thus reward which has been hitherto overlooked. The importance of these relationships could not be foreseen nor can they be actively planned but exist as a powerful intrinsic reward.