Pros
-Jeremy Gardner Associates often hire graduates and train them in the fire engineering regulations so no experience is necessary. -All the graduates make for a very young office with a lot of energy and evenings out for drinks every 2 weeks. -New engineers are quickly given their own projects so they get to put regulations into practice rather than spending weeks reading books. -Fire engineering projects are very structured and it is easy to get into the swing of doing them. Doing fire engineering (in Ireland) mostly involves going to the regulations to find the solution which is straightforward but lacks creativity.
Cons
-Like much of the construction industry, fire engineers must work to artificially deflated deadlines in a highly competitive environment. Working hours are 8:45-5:30 but it is rare to finish work before 6:30. 55 hour working weeks are common. I was also asked to read advanced fire engineering books on my commute which increases working hours to 60 per week. -Management in the Irish offices blindly give out work without considering if it can be done on time. Trying to raise honest concerns about capacity for work will earn blank looks from management and hostility for challenging their authority. -There is a strong culture of reaching deadlines regardless of the circumstances; rather than prioritizing important projects the management will insist on meeting every deadline given. I have seen an engineer work an 80 hour week because the client made a mistake and management would not tell the client that their mistake called for a revised deadline. Note that the UK fire regulatory system makes work a lot easier for engineers and as such, working conditions are not as harsh.