 Conder worked for the Gothic Revival architect William Burges for two years.In 1876 he was awarded the Soane Medal..

Conder was surely interested in the Orient through his relatives' works, in particular of Claude Reignier Conder, but it is unknown how he was appointed as professor for the Imperial College of Engineering, Tokyo.The Imperial College of Engineering started teaching in October 1873 by British instructors led by a principal Henry Dyer, who was looking for an architect-professor in the Department of Architecture.