An architecture firm says it expects a normal working week. The same firm targets high billable utilisation, asks staff to attend internal meetings and wants proposals, training and mentoring done well. Where do those hours go? A candidate who asks only “Do you have work-life balance?” may receive a reassuring slogan. A candidate who asks how billable and non-billable work is planned can learn how the office actually allocates time.
This is not a demand for an employer’s private financial data. It is a way to understand the role you are considering. Practices need to budget project hours and manage overhead; employees need enough time to do both client work and the other work that keeps a practice functioning. The tension matters to juniors, project architects and future associates in different ways.
Learn the basic vocabulary
Billable hours are time charged or allocated to a client project under the firm’s accounting method. Actual hours are all the time you work, including billable tasks, internal coordination, training, proposals, IT problems, reviews and administration. Firms define categories differently. Ask how the practice records time and what it expects from someone at your level.
Utilisation is often expressed as billable time divided by available time, but the denominator and treatment of leave, holidays and overtime vary. A high target does not automatically prove a bad job; a lower target does not guarantee manageable work. The key is whether the office budgets the required non-billable activities and responds when plans exceed available capacity.
The RIBA business benchmarking resources show that practice management has measurable financial dimensions. A job candidate need not reproduce those metrics in an interview. Use them as a reminder that a firm’s work pattern comes from how it prices and staffs projects, not only from its stated culture.
Ask about one ordinary week
Try: “For this role, how many hours are normally planned for project work, and where do internal reviews, mentoring and business development fit?” Follow with: “What happened during the last deadline week?” A concrete recent example is more informative than an ideal policy. Ask whether the team reschedules work, brings in help, records overtime or expects staff to absorb it.
If the interviewer is a principal, ask how project fees account for revisions and client changes. If the interviewer is a future teammate, ask what is most likely to interrupt a planned day. Their answers may differ; that is useful. You are not trying to catch someone contradicting the policy. You are trying to understand how work actually moves.
Avoid asking for an exact universal average of every employee’s hours if the firm has diverse teams. Ask about the specific team, sector and project stage you would join. A concept competition group and a long-term public project team may have different rhythms within one office.
Test whether “hidden work” is recognised
Junior architects learn through markups and reviews. Project leads mentor, check drawings and coordinate consultants. Senior staff write proposals and manage clients. None of these is optional if the firm expects quality and growth. Ask whether time for reviews and training is planned or treated as something to do after the billable day.
A useful question for a junior role is: “Who reviews my drawings, and is that review time included in the team’s programme?” For a senior role: “What proportion of my time is expected on delivery versus proposals, team development and practice management?” If the answers are vague, ask for an example from a current project.
Timesheets can help a firm see overload or conceal it, depending on culture. Ask what happens when actual time exceeds the fee budget. Does the project lead revisit scope and staffing? Are staff told to stop recording hours? You do not need to accuse the firm of bad practice; a normal question about variance can reveal whether management uses the data honestly.
Connect hours to the offer
Calculate the offer against a realistic working week, commute and travel. A salary that looks strong at 40 hours can have a different effective value if the team routinely works many more. Do not assume every deadline week is permanent. Ask how often intense periods occur and how recovery time works. Check the written policy for overtime or time off in lieu where applicable.
If the role is hybrid, ask how site visits and office days are scheduled. Travel can sit outside a neat “hours in the office” answer. If the job involves several cities, clarify whether travel time is counted and expenses are reimbursed. These conditions are part of the working pattern, not minor perks.
For a trainee, ask how study and experience-record work fits the schedule. A firm may promise professional support while setting a utilisation target that leaves no room for mentoring. Put both terms side by side before accepting.
Listen for a management method
Strong answers usually describe a process: project plans, weekly capacity checks, escalation when a client changes scope, review time in schedules and a way to compensate or recover from a deadline. Weak answers rely entirely on personal stamina: “Everyone does what it takes,” “we are like a family” or “we don’t track hours because we trust people.” Those statements are not conclusive on their own, but they should prompt specific follow-up questions.
Ask who decides that a deadline is unrealistic. Can a project architect raise a staffing concern before the team works late? Does a principal renegotiate scope with a client? What does the office do when two projects need the same person at once? The answer shows whether work pressure is managed as a practice problem or handed to individuals.
If a firm says it values predictable hours, ask for evidence: a recent project where a deadline changed, the action taken and the result. A single story is not a guarantee. It is more concrete than a culture slide.
Prepare your own boundaries professionally
Know the hours and flexibility you need. State them clearly without apologising for a normal life. “I can support occasional planned deadline periods, but I am looking for a team that budgets standard weeks realistically and records extra work” is a reasonable position. If you have caregiving or other constraints, decide what you want to disclose; you can ask about schedule and availability expectations without sharing private details.
Do not present yourself as someone who never works late if the role sometimes requires it, unless that is your firm boundary. Likewise, do not promise unlimited availability to win an interview if it is unsustainable. A mismatch discovered after joining is costly for everyone.
When comparing offers, note base salary, expected hours, overtime policy, commute, travel and the credibility of the staffing method. Assign “unknown” where the firm did not answer. An unanswered question is not automatically a red flag; it is a reason to seek a conversation with the future team before accepting.
What current employees can tell you
If you can speak with someone at your level, ask how they know when a week’s workload is too large and what happens after they raise it. Avoid asking for confidential fee information. Ask about the ordinary workflow: planning meetings, markups, deadlines and time recording. One person’s account is not definitive, but it can confirm or challenge the interview description.
Look for consistency over several examples rather than one dramatic story. A firm may have had a difficult project; the question is what it learned and changed. Equally, one calm team may not reflect the team you will join. Ask about your actual manager and project type.
The best interview question is not “How many hours do architects work here?” It is “How does this team plan the billable work, the necessary non-billable work and the weeks when the plan breaks?” The answer gives you a clearer picture of the job you will live in.
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