End the Architect’s Complex, Pay Your Interns

While I completely agree with the above, in my experience unpaid intern labor is largely restricted to a select number of high-profile firms. I managed to get paid even after my 2nd year of school, even doing high-profile work for award-winning companies. I don’t think the system is broken. More egregious to me is the extreme low-ball offers many of these same firms give to people with Master’s degrees and tons of student loans. Hear me, Mr. Holl? $20k ain’t cutting it.

mmh… well, let’s see… On one hand I desagree with the ‘interns have no value’ philosophy of Mr Eisenmann, but on the other, you can’t say that 3 months are a large amount of time.
Just to get into the workflow of a practice you will need at least one month (so, if you’re doing something else than glueing models).
From my point of view, in three months, you won’t learn a lot, but yes, you’ve added a nice name in your CV (what I think is the main purpose of a lot of short-time interns…).
So, Mr Eisenmann, just change the rules: Take interns for at least 6 months! They’ll be far more effective… and as they are productive, you should now really consider PAYING them!!

I can’t speak for other star architects but I have had Eisenman as a teacher and while he is no monster I think he can be very demeaning to students and I would imagine interns as well.

look at the second Eisenman video in this post to get an idea of what I mean.

http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2007/11/26-fake-it-til-you-make-it.html

If you plan to go and work for this guy for free, have an idea of what you are getting into.

If you don’t want to work for free (or virtually nothing) don’t work for a starchitect and/or self-important firm. It is not that hard.

Although Eisenman is defending the practice he should by no means be singled out. This is a very widespread phenomena. To be honest, volunteer labor has done a lot for the world. Look at Morphosis! That firm (which many people would say has changed architecture) built the first 20 years of its practice on volunteer labor.. I’m really starting to realize that most of the best work in life is done off the clock – or at least is paid by “honararium”.

All of that said, I think architecture is out to lunch when it comes to compensation. If firms and regulatory bodies that govern the field can’t figure out how to arrange adequate compensation for practitioners, where is the money to trickle down the food chain going to come from? The discipline really undervalues itself.. workaholic inferiority complexes abound!

Unpaid internships also puts this experience outside the reach of most middle income college grads. Wealthy students and grads are more likely to take advantage of free internships in expensive places like NY.

Also, I think its fair enough to single Mr. Eisenman out because he is a jerk about the issue. He also deserves snarky questions because he himself is pretty snarky.

As a liberal he should be very uncomfortable with this labor practice.

Davvid, you made one mistake: Eisenman is not a liberal. He is a very vocal political and social conservative.

Greg,
I find your comments particularly important. A subtle point I attempt to make is that compensation can come in many forms, including overall happiness. Please review my definition of incentives.

Often times, though, this leads one’s ‘labor of love’ to occur during or extend into off-hours. We all know this has to do with passion, that’s why some of us are still architects. Passion provides the energy for creative and devoted work.

Think of any small business owner, especially of a young business. Their extra investment in time is necessary to make up for the initial lack of human capital.

Again, this is all ok, but that doesn’t mean a ‘labor of love’ should be free labor. The concept to take away from all this is value. Is the potential for future compensation great enough to meet the demands of starting a business?

How do you value your time, your skills, and your knowledge? Or how do you value those that make you more valuable?

As an employer, how do you compensate the value of your employees and interns. To some, your name on their resume may be enough. However, if you want to keep real talent around, you’re going to have to pony up. Understanding your value and the value of those working for you is the key to your long term sustainability. Again, this is your call, but you won’t see me recommending any students in your direction.

As an intern, you may not think you have any value because you do not have any experience. However, that does not mean you are without skill. Besides, once you learn to operate within the system of your office, you begin to add the value of experience. Note: enthusiasm and attention to detail go a long way when you are inexperienced.

And if for no other reason to get paid as an intern, you have a long way to go. Rumor has it most architects don’t arrive on the scene until they are 50.

…also, thank you all for your comments, highly entertaining.

Hey.. I definitely agree that if you want to keep real talent around “you have to pay up”. That is the truth! I think the issue, with entry level labor in Architecture is that it is viewed as a disposable commodity. If you look at the way some firms go through interns, the turnover rate might not be that different than a fast food restaurant. I had a peer do a year and change at OMA (a long spell there) and he joked that nobody even called you by name for the first two months. If OMA is a model firm, what does that say about the value of young blood?

I don’t have a definite position on this issue but I do work at a firm that pays overtime.

I really do understand the notion of paying dues, but what I was getting at in my response was that I think as a culture, architecture is incapable of assessing the value of their work. Being obsessive about your field is great in many ways, but crippling in others..

Thanks for fostering this discussion.

On another note related to job hunting, I would like to share the following link discussing information interviews. This is a practice I do not see too often in architecture, as we tend to be too busy, at least we think we are. Happy reading.

What’s an information interview and why aren’t you doing it?

Well, I dont agree completly with the above, not all the interns have the same situations or conditions that make them eligible to get paid, for example foreign architects with visas that dont allow them to work.

They look for any single opporunity to get into an architecture office and start his or her experience in the country.
Some of them are just looking for the chance more than the money and yet some offices may not accept that because they need should be paid!totally opposite!..I mean how can a foriegn architect get an internship if the office itself dont accept him because he need to be paid?!

i agree with the above statment..me being a student in dubai for landscape acthitecture would just like to have an experience in us or other countries.if we’re getting paid for it that would be a plus point.nathing goes to waste even an unpaid internship for 3 months…one thing i would like to know, how can i apply for internships..should i apply in companies or universities..and which are the few top landscape architecture companies in states…would love the help..thanks