Careers Spotlight: Interior design

The UK interior design market is a significant industry, with a market size of £1.5 billion. Interior designers are in demand, particularly in a post-pandemic world where people are increasingly prioritizing the design and function of their homes.

What does an interior designer do?

As an interior designer, you will help to curate or renovate the inside spaces of buildings, so they are functional and aesthetically pleasing to your client. You may be recommending wall colours, lighting, fittings, furniture and fabric to enhance a space. Alternatively, you could oversee structural design elements within a room, such as in- built shelving, stairs, ceiling designs and more. 

The job role of an interior designer involves the following duties:  

• Meeting clients to understand their requirements and budget 

• Surveying, measuring and analysing how the project space will be used 

• Considering colour schemes, materials and fabrics, fittings, decorations, furniture, and environment 

• Developing sketches and mood boards for your client to approve 

• Preparing detailed drawings and designs to suit clients’ needs, usually on a computer 

• Sourcing suppliers of fittings, furniture and interior decorations and materials 

• Working with fitters, electricians, painters and decorators, architects and other construction professionals to complete a project. 

How to become an interior designer

There are several routes to becoming an interior designer. You could complete university or college course, an apprenticeship, or on-the-job training.   

You should explore these routes to becoming an interior designer to find out which one is right for you. Although some of these options have certain qualification requirements, some employers are more interested in people who are enthusiastic, willing to learn and can follow instructions. 

You may need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card to work on a construction site, which will require you to have a valid CITB Health, safety and environment test.

University 

To become an interior designer you could complete a relevant foundation degree, higher national diploma (HND) or undergraduate degree.

You could also move into interior design after studying architecture, fine art, graphic design, or textile or furniture design. 

College

If you don't want to complete a degree there are various college courses you could take to help you on your journey to becoming an interior designer, such as: 

• Level 3 Diploma in Interior Design 

• Level 3 Diploma in Art and Design 

• A Level in Art and Design  

Apprenticeship 

There aren’t many specific apprenticeships for interior designers. You could complete an advanced apprenticeship as a furniture design technician to help you get into the role, or train as an apprentice painter and decorator.

You may need GCSEs (including English and maths) or equivalent to do an entry level apprenticeship, but not all employers ask for formal qualifications.  

You’ll need 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship. 

Apprenticeships are open to anyone over the age of 16. As an apprentice, you’ll be fully employed by your company and expected to work a minimum of 30 hours a week. Your time will be split between on-the-job experience and a college or training provider.

Work 

If you can find work as a design assistant, your employer may support you to gain professional qualifications on the job, to help you become an interior designer. 

Work experience 

Work experience is essential to gaining employment within the industry. You could gain this at school, or by working weekends and holidays with a company or relative who works as an interior designer. Potential employers will always be pleased to see work experience listed on your CV. 

Skills  

Additional skills which may benefit anyone considering a job as interior designer include:  

• Creative design skills 

• Understanding of building and construction 

• Excellent attention to detail 

• Verbal communication skills 

• Ability to work well under pressure 

• Logical thinking skills 

• Ability to use your initiative.

If you want to learn more about becoming an interior designer click on the links below

Boosting your CV

In this section we have looked at how boost your CV.  A good CV will get you noticed and invited for an interview, but no further.  The key to a successful interview lies in soft skills.

What are soft skills?

Soft skills relate to how you work. Soft skills include interpersonal (people) skills, communication skills, listening skills, time management, and empathy, among others. They are among the top skills employers seek in the candidates they hire, because soft skills are important for just about every job.

Over the next few editions of the careers newsletter we will look at different soft skills and how you can improve them

Emotional intelligence

What does it mean to have high emotional intelligence? Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, evaluate, and respond to your emotions and the emotions of others. This means that you're able to think empathetically about the people around you and the interpersonal relationships that develop in the workplace.

This is another of those soft skills employers want to see, and it's taken on new meaning for 2023. As we emerge from the shadow of the recent pandemic, many people continue to struggle with their place in the workforce and the world. Having the ability to read the emotions of your co-workers and respond with compassion is essential. 

What is emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence can be defined in two major parts. First is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage your own emotions. Second is the ability to recognize, understand, and influence the emotions of others. Psychologist and science journalist Daniel Goleman breaks this down further in his book titled “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ.” He introduces the idea as a set of skills including self-motivation, empathy, social competence in interpersonal relationships, and control of one's impulses.

It may sound complex, but don't fret. Essentially, emotional intelligence is all about understanding yourself and the people around you.

Why is emotional intelligence important for your career?

Like any hard skills, interpersonal skills are essential for success in the workplace ‒‒ and those are informed by your EQ. Most importantly, they affect the way you work with those around you. Traits like empathy and self-awareness, for instance, directly improve your ability to collaborate, resolve conflict, and handle pressure.

Say you're in a brainstorming session with your colleagues. One of your co-workers presents an idea that you don't think would be effective, but you have an idea that you think could be the answer to the issue at hand. Your task is now to communicate both of those things tactfully, suggesting this solution without putting down your co-worker or appearing overbearing. In order to navigate this tricky situation, you need to understand the way your actions may affect the people around you and choose them accordingly.

If you are looking to move up to a leadership position, EQ becomes even more important as much of the dynamics of the team will be determined by your decisions and behavior.

How to display emotional intelligence in an interview

There's no objective test you can pass to show a hiring manager during the hiring process that you have the EQ needed to be an effective addition to their team. Therefore, you have to demonstrate it throughout your interview through your responses and interactions. Here are some of the ways you can do that.

Actively listen

To show EQ in a job interview, you have to start with active listening. This means doing more than simply waiting for the interviewer to finish speaking before you dive into your pre-planned answer to “What's your greatest strength?” ‒‒ quite the opposite, actually. Don't start planning your response or jump to conclusions about what they want to hear from you. Instead, when the interviewer is speaking or asking you a question, take time and really listen to what they are saying and only respond to that. Consider that every word they say to you is as important as what you will say to them.

Show your emotions genuinely

Human resource professionals and interviewers need to see that you care about what you do, and answering that call will also help you demonstrate EQ by showing off your emotional availability. Luckily, some of the most popular interview questions present you, the candidate, with the perfect opportunity to do just that. Take advantage of queries like “Tell me about yourself” and “Why do you want this job?” to demonstrate to an interviewer your genuine passion for your career (and the job opportunity).

Talk about your growth

No one likes to talk about their failures, especially at a time when you're supposed to impress a stranger. Still, the ability to acknowledge mistakes and learn from them is a strong indicator of high EQ. Therefore, don't shy away from questions like “What's your greatest weakness?” or the behavioral-interview staple, “Tell me about a time when you experienced failure.” Talk openly about a shortcoming from your professional past and then add the positive spin: what you learned and how you've applied the lesson since.

Ask questions about company culture

The questions you ask at the end of an interview can say a lot about who you are, and you can use that to your advantage. By asking to know more about the company culture and team environment, you'll demonstrate that you have an active interest in the motivations and personalities that drive the organisation.

Unifrog

What is Unifrog?

Unifrog is a one-stop-shop where students can easily explore their interests, then find and successfully apply for their next best step after school. All of our students can login to Unifrog using the school login details.  However we think Unifrog is so good we want parents and carers to use it as well.  To use Unifrog for free go to  unifrog.org/code, enter the code HXRTparents.  You will be asked for some basic details and then you are in.

Help for Parents and Carers

When it comes to education and careers, parents and carers have a large influence on a students choices. As an adult you are expected to have all the answers, but in a constantly evolving world it can be a struggle to keep up with the latest options out there.  In this section we will highlight resources that will help keep you up to date with careers and the choices available to young people.

This month we look at college applications

What is the difference between higher education and further education?

• Further education (FE) includes any study after secondary education that’s not part of higher education, so typically college or 6th forms while higher education involves undergraduate and postgraduate study.

What is the difference between college and 6th form?

• While both options provide students with a pathway to higher education, they differ in a number of ways. Colleges focus solely on educating students aged 16-18. These colleges are often larger than school sixth forms and often offer technical and vocational qualifications.

When do we need to start applying for college/6th form courses?

• Applications can start at any time during Year 11, though typically students start applying during the spring term.

• Any offers made by a college/6th form will be subject to the student gaining the required grades at the end of Year 11.  The specific grades required by each course will be explained by the college/6th form

What if our child changes their mind about the courses they want to do at college/6th form, is this a problem?

• This depends on when the student changes their mind.

• If during year 11 a student changes their mind this isn't an issue, a student can apply to multiple colleges and only has to make a decision about which one to attend once the GCSE results are known in August

• Many students change their mind in the first few weeks of starting a new course.  Colleges/6th forms are used to this and will allow students to move courses as long as they meet the requirements for the new course they wish to choose.

• The longer a student has studied a course before deciding to change the harder it becomes to change to a new course.  This is due to the amount of teaching they will have already missed on the course they wish to change to.

Careers in Hertfordshire: Film, Media and Creative

• The creative industries can be divided into 16 exciting career pathways including arts, culture and heritage, design, fashion, film & TV, gaming and immersive technologies, media, music, photography and videography, podcast and radio, publishing, architecture, theatre & performing arts, writing and journalism, visual effects and animation, advertising, PR and marketing.

• Some of the world’s best-known films, including all Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, and all eight Harry Potter films, were made here. Hertfordshire-based firms’ specialist and technical experts have been recognised for their contributions to Oscar-nominated and winning films.

• Hertfordshire is a major contributor to a global success story, as the UK has one of the world’s most successful and dynamic creative sectors. Hear from some of our local residents describe their career pathway into the creative industries.

• A GROWING TALENT BASE

•  There were 4,550 firms in Hertfordshire’s creative industries in 2016, involved in activities from film-making to digital content production.

• The number of employers has grown by 6.5% per year since 2010. Creative industries employed 17,600 people in 2015. Employment has grown by 10.6% annually since 2010, far exceeding the national growth rate of 4.5%.

• The University of Hertfordshire is a key contributor to this creative ecosystem, with specialisms in animation, animatronics and digital media. Its animation school, UH Animation, is among the top four in the world. Alumni from the university are actively involved in world-leading games and animation companies and have worked on blockbuster productions such as Harry Potter, Avatar, Prometheus and the GTA series.

• Hertfordshire is home to both Elstree Studios and Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden. Elstree has made three of the top shows on British television: Dancing on Ice and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? for ITV, and Big Brother for Channel 5. Some of the most famous films in the world have been made at Elstree, including Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Shining, Superman, and Labyrinth. More recently, Elstree has been home to Kick Ass, The King’s Speech and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Thanks to a £1m Growing Places Fund loan from the LEP Elstree Studios was able to expand its studio space, resulting in it securing the £100m Netflix contract for The Crown.

• BBC Elstree Studios has been home to some of the broadcaster’s most popular shows, including Grange Hill, Top of The Pops and Kilroy. BBC Elstree is best known for popular drama programmes such as EastEnders and Holby City.

• The £100m Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, owned by Warner Bros. Studios and opened in June 2012, is the largest studio space in the UK and is known worldwide as the home of the Harry Potter films. Other notable films include Edge of Tomorrow, Jupiter Ascending, In the Heart of the Sea and Man from U.N.C.L.E., as well as numerous TV productions and advertisements.

• Its secure, 200-acre site is the only facility in Europe owned by a Hollywood studio. It has more than 250,000 square feet of studio space and hosts some of the largest sound stages in the UK, as well as one of the biggest heated underwater filming tanks in Europe. Its 100-acre back-lot is among the most extensive in Europe and can be adapted for multiple production needs.

• Sunset Studios in Broxbourne will be the first expansion of Blackstone and Hudson Pacific Properties’ studio platform outside Hollywood. The two partners acquired a 91-acre site to the north-west of the M25-A10 junction through a joint venture for £120 million. With an expected total investment of £700 million, the facility is estimated to generate 4,500 permanent jobs and £300 million annually for the local economy.

• Hertswood Studios is a proposed new studio complex in Borehamwood. Planning permission has yet to be secured, but if built, the 90-acre site will provide a total of 1 million sq ft of film studio space, including 21 stages, supporting workshops and offices, as well as an additional commercial, hotel and film industry college space of 600,000 sq ft, making it the single largest studio in the UK. 

THRIVING DIGITAL MEDIA

•  A growing number of digital content, gaming, software and visual effects (VFX) companies have started in Hertfordshire or chosen to locate here.

• Hertfordshire’s digital companies produce content for feature films, television, games, commercials, websites and mobile phones. Games production and distribution companies such as Aspyr Media Europe Ltd, Rising Star Games Ltd, and KOEI TECMO Europe Ltd operate successfully from the county, taking advantage of Hertfordshire’s communications links with London and connectivity to key international markets.

• For the last ten years, UH Animation’s annual exposé has been a primary recruitment forum for high profile companies seeking out new and exciting 2D, 3D, animation and VFX talent. Companies such as Disney Animation, The Mill, Tandem, Double Negative and Framestore are regular participants.

• The University of Hertfordshire is also home to G+VERL (Games & Visual Effects Research Lab), a ground-breaking project linking scientists, artists, clinicians and filmmakers. It brings together the worlds of film, art, technology and computer science to undertake research into digital image-making and high-resolution image technologies. Sharing methods and promoting interdisciplinary understanding, the project brings together world-class research in a wide range of areas, including video art, digital film, visual effects and medical visualisation.

• Hertfordshire is strong on promotion too, with corporate and events management companies such as SMYLE helping global brands launch new products or celebrate successes.

For more information please go to www.hopinto.co.uk/ 

Current Opportunities

This month we have opportunities with West Herts College and Kwik Fit

GIRLS FOOTBALL EXCELLENCE PROGRAMME

I am sending this email to share our upcoming trials for our women's football programme at West Herts College Watford. This course gives young women the opportunity to play regular football, compete against other teams around Hertfordshire, London and surrounding areas as well as be educated on various sport related topics opening various sports related employment doors. This programme can also open doors to women seeking a career in football due to the coaches on the programme having excellent links into the women's professional game.

More information on the course can be found here: Level 3 Diploma/Extended Diploma in Sport - West Herts Women's Football Programme | West Herts College

Further details and signing on information can be found here: Level 3 Diploma/Extended Diploma in Sport - West Herts Women's Football Programme | West Herts College

Kwik Fit Apprenticeship - Borehamwood

If you’re looking for an apprenticeship with real clout, do one with an industry-leading brand.

In auto servicing, that’s us.

Ofsted rates our apprenticeship highly for how we support apprentices.

With us you get state-of-the-art training academies, your own toolkit, a free tablet computer for your assignments—as well as all the expert help and mentoring you need to become great at what you do.

Further proof that “You can’t get better” than Kwik Fit.

The Day to Day

You’ll spend two years learning about tyre fitting, wheel balancing, and vehicle systems from steering and suspension to exhausts and air-conditioning.

Most of the time, you’ll be learning the ropes at your autocentre.

But you’ll also make regular visits to our training academies, where you’ll train with our experts and get to mix with other apprentices.

If you need travel or accommodation for that, we’ll cover it.

The programme is designed to give you the best possible start in your new career and ease any nerves you might have about being new or doing the wrong thing.

With us, as long as you’re learning and improving, you're doing it right.

Who we're looking for

• People keen for a career in the automotive industry.

• People passionate about cars.

• Self-motivated people.

• People who like teamwork.

• People who like helping others Ideally, you’ll have GCSE grade 3-9 (or equivalent)

in English Language and Maths. However, we consider all applications and can help you get the grades you need to pass your apprenticeship.

The Perks

At the start of your apprenticeship, you’ll be given a Google Chromebook. It's yours to keep, and you can use it to access any online resources you might need. You’ll also get employee benefits that can help you both in and outside of work, with discounts on everyday expenses like food and access to professional advice on life’s issues. Then there’s the tools and uniform we provide to help you to do a great job while staying comfortable and warm. We're able to offer great perks thanks to feedback from apprentices and employees. At Kwik Fit, if there’s something you think would make work better, speaking up can make it a reality. In that sense, the perks are up to you.

About us

Everyone knows Kwik Fit for tyres, but these days we do a whole lot more.

MOTs, brakes, suspension, air-con, servicing—but that’s still only part of the picture as far as your career is concerned.

Kwik Fit is part of a group of auto-servicing brands including Tyre Pros, Central Tyre and others, which means joining us is a great way into a career you could pursue down many different paths.

If you can give customers what they want, there’s no limit to how far you can go here.

Just ask our Retail Operations Director—he started as an apprentice with us and now he’s in the top job at Kwik Fit. 

To find out more click on the link below