Netflix reality show contestant on choosing civil engineering over celebrity

Although involved in the production, Singleton-Hill did not feature in the final edit of the show, which was filmed in 2023. However, he is now dating Catherine Richards, a 29-year-old dental nurse from Jersey, who featured prominently.

NCE spoke with Singleton-Hill to find out how he explained his job to fellow contestants, to hear about the civil engineering work he is currently engaged in, and about his plans for the future.

Explaining to other contestants what a civil engineer is

“On the first day when you’re meeting every girl, you have eight minutes of speed dating with 15 different women. And it’s quick-fire questions. So, ‘Where are you from, what’s your name, what do you do for a living?’ I would say I’m a civil engineer,” he said.

“It was a bit of a joke because nobody knew what it was, even though to me, it’s so well known, but to a lot of people, they associate ‘civil’ with some sort of ‘civil servant’ and engineering is such a broad job. The best way I explained it was ‘I build bridges’.”

While most were ignorant about the profession, Singleton-Hill said one of the women’s brothers was a civil engineer, so the contestant immediately knew what the profession was.

He went on to say: “It’s not really on the forefront of anybody’s mind. If I wasn’t a civil engineer, I wouldn’t really know what one was. I think it’s one of those professions which isn’t really spoken about. You know what an architect is, you know what a builder does, but we’re middlemen.”

The civil engineering work he does

Singleton-Hill works in earthworks on housing projects.

“I’m in housing. I’m a freelancer, but I work solely for a company called C3 Construction,” he said. “I build earthworks models. I’m a professional user of a piece of software which is huge in America called Agtek.”

Agtek describes itself as providing “dirt simple solutions for the construction industry to accurately takeoff and estimate construction quantities, model efficient construction processes and measuring progress throughout the construction life cycle, ensuring you stay on track”.

Singleton-Hill said he is “one of the leading users” of Agtek in the UK. He said he builds 3D design models using inputs such as remote sensing using drones and topographical maps and can strip away obstacles from the landscape.

He can then work out where materials need to be removed or added and his work helps improve site sustainability by reducing the demand for materials.

Civil engineering consultants are ‘underpaid’

Singleton-Hill said his first job in civil engineering was with consultancy WSP but said civil engineering consultant salaries “baffle” him.

“It baffles me that consultants don’t get paid anywhere near as much as on-site engineers,” he said. “Site engineer and contractor pay is so much better than consultants.

“I feel like the skills you need to become a consultant are far more in-depth. Most places want a degree-educated person to go and work at a consultancy, whereas you can go into site engineering as an apprentice where you don’t need a degree.

“One of my friends had done an apprenticeship since he was 16 and was on more money than me.”

Singleton-Hill has a masters degree in civil engineering and has had steady career progression, but he said it took his friend with the apprenticeship five years less time to get to the same salary.

“There’s no reward in [consultancy] other than the self-satisfaction you get from the work you’re doing. I just feel like consultants are so underpaid,” he continued.

Sustainability in civil engineering ‘one of the biggest challenges’

He described sustainability as “always one of the biggest challenges” and acknowledged that the civil engineering work he is involved in leaves a carbon footprint. He also said the push for sustainability means there are “hoops that you have to jump through”.

“It all comes down to money at the end of the day,” he added. Sustainability is only possible if “clients are prepared to pay more money” and said it’s “about finding a balance” between cost and sustainability.

Choosing civil engineering over celebrity

Singleton-Hill said he “didn’t actually go on the show for fame and I didn’t go on it for celebrity status”.

“I couldn’t care less for gossip and I couldn’t care less for the drama that comes with it,” he explained.

“I am with Catherine now who was on the show. She was featured so she’s having that [celebrity] life at the moment. She’s currently trying to manage it and seeing what she’s having to go through, I’m sitting back thinking ‘Thank god.’ Her name’s being dragged through the mud and I don’t think I could cope to be honest.

“I quite like doing what I do. I’ve trained myself to do what I do. I like to use my brain. Not saying that people who are celebrities don’t use their brains.”

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