Social media has been accused of being many things: a time-waster, an intelligence-leveler, a privacy-invader. However, in the field of architectural employment, social media has oddly become a kind of virtual worker’s union, helping to expose unethical hiring practices. A recent leaked email from Japanese firm SANAA advertised an unpaid internship for three months consisting of 12-hour days, 6-7 days a week, with the intern providing his or her own computer and software. Juan Herrera tweeted the email on March 23rd and it quickly garnered extensive press coverage.
Unpaid work within architecture has a historical basis: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West thrived on apprentices paying “tuition” to work alongside the master, although in exchange for their wood-chopping and water-hauling they were housed, fed, and made to feel like part a community. Many industries rely on the currency of naïveté, not cold hard cash. They were also essentially being trained to become a part of the paid workforce. In contrast, 21st century unpaid internships are less apprenticeship and more exploitative labor, with, as the SANAA email states, “little or no chance of being hired as an architect at the end.” While the U.S. Department of Labor defines a legal unpaid internship by six different criteria, one of which is that the intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at its conclusion, it also states that “the employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded.” While first-hand experience is certainly of value, its worth must not come at a net loss for the intern and pure gain for the firm. Obviously, SANAA’s version of an internship benefits only the employer, and is therefore unethical.
Or is it? Architects such as Sou Fujimoto and Peter Eisenman have come out in favor of unpaid internships, stating that they serve as an invaluable introduction to the practice, since “you can’t do anything for [the first] three months anyway” as Eisenman reportedly stated during a talk at the Harvard GSD in 2007. Fujimoto, meanwhile, is used to the “open desk” policy of internships in Japan, in which students line up scholarships and then intern for the standard twelve to fourteen hour days for three to six months along paid staff, building physical models and participating in the day-to-day office culture. Just as each studio has its own culture, so each country has its own notion of what constitutes an ethical employment contract. While certain traditions may work as long as both parties understand what that tradition entails, young people especially are at risk of being exploited when these rules are not made clear. Architects such as Sou Fujimoto and Peter Eisenman have come out in favor of unpaid internships According to architect Denise Schiller, in Peru interns need to complete a certain number of hours in an architectural studio before they can earn their bachelor’s degree, and are paid between $0 to $150 per month. Sometimes, only their transportation is covered as a form of recompense. However, no Peruvian college graduate is expected to work for free; a recent graduate with a bachelor’s degree can typically expect to start making $350 a month. In The Netherlands, paid internships are complicated by the fact that students are usually paid to go to college, as opposed to the U.S. where they must either pay to attend or line up a scholarship. Regardless, students undertaking an internship can still generally expect a small stipend, usually around 300 euros a month. In Berlin, internships are often referred to as “mini-jobs” and pay anywhere between 400 to 800 euros a month. However, these “mini-jobs” are hardly menial; on her her blog, Stephanie Braconnier recounts completing a professional rendering for Nieto Sobejano. “Almost a year after this post, it has sunk in for me completely how utterly exploited I was...I was paid 400 euros TOTAL for six visualisations. I had eight days to finish these visuals. There were no computers to use at Nieto Sobjenao’s office because they only had one Photoshop license, so I had to use my own computer at home.”
Many industries, including but not limited to architecture, rely on the currency of naivete, not cold hard cash. (See: 20th Century Fox and the recent lawsuit over allegedly illegally unpaid “Black Swan” interns.) Regardless of the industry, the crucial distinction between a beneficial internship and a exploitative haul seems to be based on education. Jeffrey Dow Jones, a hedge-fund manager and owner of the financial technology company Alpine Advisor, explains that “even though an internship might technically be just another form of courtship to see if a longer-term relationship is possible, the purpose is still to educate. We believe we have a duty to our interns to provide them with an interesting, educational experience that rounds out their formal education and career development.”
Although apprenticeships and unpaid internships have historical precedent and may technically provide experience, the notion of hiring someone without any kind of monetary recompense or paid job offer is unethical. Twitter has opened a vital dialogue within the profession about ethical payThis is painfully true for the vast majority of professionals who do not have a scholarship or an independent funding mechanism to sustain themselves while they beaver away in the office. Social media, especially Twitter, has opened a vital dialogue within the profession about this issue. Ruth Reed, president of The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), announced a mandatory minimum wage for architecture students working in order to satisfy their Practical Experience and Development Record requirements as of July 2011. The NCARB, meanwhile, has launched an effort to banish the term “intern” as an employment descriptor, although there are no specific initiatives to set a minimum wage, or to address the issue of recompense among whatever architects seeking licensure will officially be called.
Social media may be the ideal method with which to address labor issues in such a globalized profession. As Alexandra Lange stated in a memorable op-ed, “Architects need to start thinking of social media as the first draft of history.” I would venture that no one is keen to create a history that reflects indifference at best and exploitation at worst. Social media can serve as a much needed virtual instigator for real-world reform, regardless of the latitude or language. Perhaps the labor slogan for the 21st century shall become: I tweet, therefore I am (entitled to fair pay).
Speaking of Twitter, do you follow @archinectjobs?
For up-to-the-minute job listings, please visit Archinect's job board, and keep an eye out for future installments of the "EMPLOY(ED)" series. We'll be exploring all aspects of employment, from managerial concerns to portfolio tips to the day-to-day studio culture of some of the world's largest firms. To read previous articles in this series, click here.
Julia Ingalls is primarily an essayist. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Slate, Salon, Dwell, Guernica, The LA Weekly, The Nervous Breakdown, Forth, Trop, and 89.9 KCRW. She's into it.
17 Comments
As long as we're exposing - MOS Architects - at least as recently as 2 years ago - was paying a stipend equivalent of less than $2/hour and expecting interns to do manual labor renovating, repairing, and maintaining their office/townhouse.
Tradition as justification for exploitation is still exploitation and is still not acceptable. Using Japanese firms as an example is fitting as the majority of their work force in at least their first 10 years at any job is being exploited. Of course this is tradition, and it is also tradition not to question authority as well. It is unfortunate that these world renowned firms are also becoming known for how they treat those lowest on the totem pole, in this age of social justice crusades, and hashtag warriors they may want to tread lightly, lest someone with a lot of time on their hands wants to make them an example...
I've always wondered why the AIA (much like RIBA) couldn't create a minimum wage. When you look at our Law counterparts in the United States, esquires have a set pay of 160k in large cities and around 145k in the smaller markets once they graduate. I think it's very necessary we start better defining the path of young architects, especially in this time where the AIA is trying to rebrand the profession.
^ where did you get that from? Lawyers do not have set pay and do not make near that much starting out. The aia has zero authority to enforce wages and does not represent non-licensed architects. The fault is on the cheap fuck employers, the dumb fuck interns that take the jobs, and the greedy clueless ncarb morons. A design union is needed. Preferably one with ties to the mob.
just what we need... unionized sketch-up modellers.
i see no downside to unionized sketchup modellers.
"free interns...in the fuckin pizza oven you go..."
@jla-x
http://www.nalp.org/associate_salaries_2014
majority of my friends go to northwestern law so that's where I had initially heard it and by the way i definitely agree with you on unions (especially one connected to the mob).
Maxim, did you read the article you posted, or are you just choosing to ignore the content? It didn't say that lawyers have a set pay at $160 once they graduate. Nor did it claim that there is some sort of minimum salary or wage for lawyers once they graduate. Nor is it the mission of NALP to try and establish one.
@ Everyday Intern
I put that article up because jla-x didn't think that law students could make that much money starting their profession in their respective top companies, I didn't put it up to prove there was a minimum. Sorry for the confusion.
Maxim said, "When you look at our Law counterparts in the United States, esquires have a set pay of 160k in large cities and around 145k in the smaller markets once they graduate."
jla-x asked, "^ where did you get that from?"
Maxim replied, "http://www.nalp.org/associate_salaries_2014."
Everyday Intern pointed out, "It didn't say that lawyers have a set pay at $160 once they graduate. Nor did it claim that there is some sort of minimum salary or wage for lawyers once they graduate. Nor is it the mission of NALP to try and establish one."
Maxim tries to rephrase what he initially said, "I didn't put it up to prove there was a minimum. Sorry for the confusion."
Sorry to call you out, I just get so annoyed listening to people who try to compare architects to lawyers (or doctors or other professions). Guess what? We aren't, in a lot more ways than just pay.
No problem, being called out is necessary and I did make a few mistakes as far as saying it's set when it's merely the average for the top corporate firms. However, don't forget about where @jla-x says and I quote, "^ where did you get that from? Lawyers do not have set pay and do not make near that much starting out." Like I said my source was to reference the statement that they don't make near that much starting out. So please, if you quote the conversation, please quote the entirety of it.
Though I agree Interns should always be paid, we also need to change the intern culture regarding the need to take these unpaid jobs. No one is making them line up, or work for free for Fujimoto or Peter Eisenmen. The concept that working at one of these "rockstar" firms will in some way "pay" for the lack of monetary compensation with awesome career opportunities is what really drives this practice. The problem now is that social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter give every downtrodden soul without the backbone to standup for themselves a platform to whine, complain and "vent" about their workplace issues.
The issue isn't that interns need to get paid. The issue is that interns keep taking these nonpaying positions.
I turned down an offer to intern for Eisenmen back in 1998 because they wouldn't pay their interns. Its really that simple, if no one takes those jobs then those firms will have to change their practices. Let's stop mandating what everyone has to do, and let's focus more on empowering our young architects to value themselves and what they bring to our companies. A fair day's work deserves a fair day's pay and there are hundreds of firms out there that are more than willing to pay interns well for the jobs they do. In the end I'd rather have interns that learn how to properly flash a parapet than ones that show up everyday to patch 20 year old models for free.
the problem is not unpaid internships -- the problem is that companies under cut companies and take on jobs for less and less fee forcing them to resort to hiring cheap labor to make ends meet. email me at office@chuagroup.com if you are interested in building a community willing to fight for adequate pay for companies AND employees. If someone has already taken the lead on this, let me know too! - matthew
http://architecture-lobby.org
We've also spoken to the Architecture Lobby on our podcast, which you can listen to here
perfect !
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