Of the onerous tasks associated with becoming an Architect in the UK (and there are few) PEDR has to be the one that causes the most confusion, stress, and regret in the whole process. Understanding it a bit better from before you even really begin your journey to become a qualified Architect can help you avoid those most irritating points, and I intend to help with that here.
What is PEDR?
It stands for Professional Experience Development Record and is the way you record your time in professional practice (so basically any work you do in architecture outside of your uni course)
Why do I need to do it?
In order to take your part III exam and therefore qualify as an Architect, you need to have 24 months of experience which has been recorded using PEDR. In order to fill out PEDR sheets you need to pay for access via the RIBA’s PEDR recoding tool:
Who is involved with writing PEDR?
You - most importantly. You are responsible for arranging the other two people who input into your PEDR:
Workplace Mentor - This is usually someone working at the business you work at, they should ideally be an Architect, and have been qualified for a minimum of 5 years. This should be a person you can discuss your experience with, what you would like to be involved in/what you’re missing etc. They should be able to give you honest and constructive feedback on your experience and help you get a rounded experience that works towards your part III examination.
PSA ‘Professional Studies Advisor’ - Usually this is someone from your university, such as where you studied or where you plan on studying. The RIBA also offers a PEDR monitoring service which is equivalent to a PSA if you do not have one. Universities and the RIBA charge for this service and it is in addition to access to the PEDR recording website.
What are the timings and deadlines?
PEDR records every quarter or 3 month period of your time in employment. At the end of a quarter, you have two months to write up the PEDR for it and have it signed by both your Workplace Mentor and your PSA. If a sheet is not signed within this time it is considered ‘late’, in practice this means the PSA cannot comment on your experience or give any feedback, and in the future when sitting your part 3 if you have a considerable number of sheets late it might reflect badly on your time management skills.
What should I consider when choosing an office placement?
You want the broadest possible experience for part III. However, you should select an office placement based on what will interest you most. Large and small offices all offer different experiences and it depends on your own personality, expectations, and enjoyment as to what kind of placement you would get the most out of. Don’t be afraid to change your employment to try different types of work and offices as it can help you formulate what kind of Architect you might want to be.
Two of my videos on youtube that could help with this are linked below and a further blog post called ‘Completing PEDR’ looks at what you should focus on when actually filling out your sheets.
Thanks for reading