I'm a 4th year student, working at a design office. We develop the project, from schematic design to construction documents and are fully involved in all aspects of design/construction. We primarily deal with residential and a couple of our projects are under construction currently. However, no one in the office has a license and we send our drawings out to a different architect to serve as the architect of record.
In addition, I am only working there on a part-time basis and paid by check, "off the books" so to speak.
My main questions are:
A) Can I still earn IDP credit even though there are no licensed architects? Is it fine if the architect that stamps the drawings signs my IDP hours?
B) Would there be an issue of getting hours considering I am working "off the books"
I don't really like the situation as everything seems sketchy but I want to know if the time I've spent here has been wasted and if I should get out and find someplace with a licensed architect.
Does "off the books" mean that you are a contract employee w/o any taxes or other benefits?
If so I believe you can still get IDP under one of the optional work settings (the amount is capped) but you should also find a "real" job. The company is probably familiar with IDP and should want to help you, or at least have no reason not to.
claiming IDP in school has a lot of rules you need to look into. I think there is a requirement that you work continuously for a certain amount of time for a certain amount of hours before anything can count. I started looking into it when I was in school but decided it wasn't worth the effort to sort it all out. Filling in the hours you would earn as a school intern doesn't take long once you start working. Its the CA, contracts and management that are pretty hard to get in a traditional firm. You'll get all the CD, SD and DD you need long before you fill out all the other categories.
eskimo is right - it may count under the supplemental experience but in general, you have to be under the direct supervision of an architect, which i can say from personal experience means a licensed architect at the same location as the business. if the business owner signing off as your supervisor is not in the same office, ncarb will call him to verify that fact. again, i've seen that one up very close. if he's not, they'll disallow the experience except as noted above.
Sep 2, 14 3:29 pm ·
·
robbmc,
The minimum duration rule doesn't exist anymore.
I advice anyone commenting on IDP to first update themselves on IDP before commenting just out of making sure comments are still valid.
CLOCLO,
When it comes to NCARB programs, ALWAYS consult NCARB website and NCARB via phone or email before getting third-party information. Remember, we are not NCARB.
Regarding question (A):
The answer to this is, yes you can get IDP training hours with someone who is not licensed with limited hours allowed for that. I would advice you to read the current NCARB IDP Guidelines. I advise EVERY IDP intern to visit NCARB website twice a month and keep up to date with the news on their website.
The architect stamping the drawings will need to have legal and proper responsible supervision and control over the preparation of the drawings they are stamping. This means they must be lawfully supervising your work and exercise control over the work. If they don't, that can be grounds for a lot of problems which includes you not getting IDP training hours for such work. The architect can face serious disciplinary action and potentially, you too can face disciplinary action depending on the board.
Regarding question (B):
Yes, there can be a potential problem. Explain exactly you mean by "off the books". If it's unpaid then you won't get training hours if you have not been paid for your time. If it's EMPLOYMENT (traditional and contracted employment), minimum wage and overtime laws (federal and state) may very well apply. As for independent contractor relationship (where a Form 1099-MISC would be required to be filled out and filed to IRS and meets the federal and state definition of independent contractor), minimum wage may not be required but contractual compensation of a monetary value greater than $0.00 is required. If NCARB finds out this was illegal employment or otherwise, experience that is not compliant with the laws, it is possible that you can lose those IDP training hourse or worse all your IDP training hours, any ARE exams and basically be barred from getting licensed in any state under the most extreme case. The potential is there because a condition of registration in any state is good moral character which means you need a good legal record.
My suggestion is bona fide employment (traditional or contractual) or bona fide independent contractor relationship.
Sep 2, 14 4:31 pm ·
·
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IDP Hours at Design Office, not Architectural Firm?
I'm a 4th year student, working at a design office. We develop the project, from schematic design to construction documents and are fully involved in all aspects of design/construction. We primarily deal with residential and a couple of our projects are under construction currently. However, no one in the office has a license and we send our drawings out to a different architect to serve as the architect of record.
In addition, I am only working there on a part-time basis and paid by check, "off the books" so to speak.
My main questions are:
A) Can I still earn IDP credit even though there are no licensed architects? Is it fine if the architect that stamps the drawings signs my IDP hours?
B) Would there be an issue of getting hours considering I am working "off the books"
I don't really like the situation as everything seems sketchy but I want to know if the time I've spent here has been wasted and if I should get out and find someplace with a licensed architect.
Does "off the books" mean that you are a contract employee w/o any taxes or other benefits?
If so I believe you can still get IDP under one of the optional work settings (the amount is capped) but you should also find a "real" job. The company is probably familiar with IDP and should want to help you, or at least have no reason not to.
http://www.ncarb.org/Experience-Through-Internships/IDP2-Experience-Settings/IDP2-Supplemental-Experience-Core.aspx
Is the office located in NY?
If so, look at the NYS requirements for what type of entity will be recognized by the state as a professional entity...
an LLC will not be recognized while a PC or PLLC will... NCARB may recognize your experience, but the State will not.
claiming IDP in school has a lot of rules you need to look into. I think there is a requirement that you work continuously for a certain amount of time for a certain amount of hours before anything can count. I started looking into it when I was in school but decided it wasn't worth the effort to sort it all out. Filling in the hours you would earn as a school intern doesn't take long once you start working. Its the CA, contracts and management that are pretty hard to get in a traditional firm. You'll get all the CD, SD and DD you need long before you fill out all the other categories.
eskimo is right - it may count under the supplemental experience but in general, you have to be under the direct supervision of an architect, which i can say from personal experience means a licensed architect at the same location as the business. if the business owner signing off as your supervisor is not in the same office, ncarb will call him to verify that fact. again, i've seen that one up very close. if he's not, they'll disallow the experience except as noted above.
robbmc,
The minimum duration rule doesn't exist anymore.
I advice anyone commenting on IDP to first update themselves on IDP before commenting just out of making sure comments are still valid.
CLOCLO,
When it comes to NCARB programs, ALWAYS consult NCARB website and NCARB via phone or email before getting third-party information. Remember, we are not NCARB.
Regarding question (A):
The answer to this is, yes you can get IDP training hours with someone who is not licensed with limited hours allowed for that. I would advice you to read the current NCARB IDP Guidelines. I advise EVERY IDP intern to visit NCARB website twice a month and keep up to date with the news on their website.
The architect stamping the drawings will need to have legal and proper responsible supervision and control over the preparation of the drawings they are stamping. This means they must be lawfully supervising your work and exercise control over the work. If they don't, that can be grounds for a lot of problems which includes you not getting IDP training hours for such work. The architect can face serious disciplinary action and potentially, you too can face disciplinary action depending on the board.
Regarding question (B):
Yes, there can be a potential problem. Explain exactly you mean by "off the books". If it's unpaid then you won't get training hours if you have not been paid for your time. If it's EMPLOYMENT (traditional and contracted employment), minimum wage and overtime laws (federal and state) may very well apply. As for independent contractor relationship (where a Form 1099-MISC would be required to be filled out and filed to IRS and meets the federal and state definition of independent contractor), minimum wage may not be required but contractual compensation of a monetary value greater than $0.00 is required. If NCARB finds out this was illegal employment or otherwise, experience that is not compliant with the laws, it is possible that you can lose those IDP training hourse or worse all your IDP training hours, any ARE exams and basically be barred from getting licensed in any state under the most extreme case. The potential is there because a condition of registration in any state is good moral character which means you need a good legal record.
My suggestion is bona fide employment (traditional or contractual) or bona fide independent contractor relationship.
Block this user
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