is there somethign i can do?  i don't want to do it, but need the job...

If they're incorrect, don't sign them.  No job is worth you signing your name to a lie.  You are  a human being, with a reputation (and a conscience) that will last longer than your job.  If you're not comfortable with it, do not do it.  

side note... I am so beyond sick of the rampant mis-use of employees in this profession.  Now that I am out of it it's fascinating to me how I am treating as a human in my non-arch job and not solely as a seat-filler who exists only to mark down billable hours in my time-sheet... and my current job requires only a high school degree!  no specialized knowledge!

back on topic:  If you do crack, however, I suppose you could console yourself by knowing that it's very hard to pass those exams without actually having real-world experience of the material.  So this person is at least condemned to years of re-taking failed exams... 

What's really interesting is when I have met architectural plan examiners here in the City of Chicago who took the job straight out of school and someone got through IDP. If that's all they've done, then how did they satisfy the requirements?

thank you mantaray.  i agree with you. i was very excited to find a job as a 'project architect' finally.  and i spent a lot of time and money on my exams.  now it seems i was hired for the signature only, no responsibility or input.  this would maybe be ok (not really) if the person at least did the work, but it is not the case.  i was wondering if there was a place to complain about this firm, at ncarb or the state.  has anyone done this before?

william-i was told others were ok with doing this before me.  ?

If that is truly what is being asked, I would absolutely file a complaint.  If your firm is a member of the AIA, I am certain this must be a violation of their ethics code (although I haven't read it so couldn't say for sure); you can submit a complaint to the AIA and if they find it true they could choose to kick out the firm.  This of course doesn't have criminal or civil repercussions but presumably clients could find out and take their business elsewhere.

In a more serious way, there's another option available to you... this firm does not have any licensed professionals besides you, it sounds like, correct?  Since they specifically hired you to sign off on the owner's kid's hours?  Well, have they been misrepresenting themselves as offering architectural services when they are not?  If it seems this might be the case, check with your state's licensing board to determine whether the firm is in violation of their legal requirements.  If so you can submit a complaint to them.

There's also the BBB, and Angie's List, which can be good tools in spreading the word about unethical business practices.

William, I feel like my eyes are crossing.  I've read your comment about 5 times and can't make heads or tails of it.  Is there a typo somewhere?  "...and someone got through IDP"?

i thought he meant "somehow"...

...someHOW got through IDP is what William meant.  

yawn! Just do it and move on, but let them know you are doing them a big favor. The tests are the big equalizer. There are tons of people (I should know) with illegit IDP hours.

Don't kill yourself over the job (morally, ethically, etc.).  If you don't want it what they are proposing then move on and don't look back.  "Pressured" is a relative term, so if you feel that way then there is no choice but to move on.

Personally, I find the profession enough of a mess that I wouldn't care one way or the other, as long as you feel the kid is competent (if he's not, then that's another matter).  I'd be with SOD.  There are a million ready to take your job should you leave.

So you have two options as I see it:  1 - quit and move on, forget about it or 2 - say you are uncomfortable with it and ask how it benefits you (you have a negotiating tool, should you choose to use it).  

report them and quit.

quit and report them.

demand more money.

the fact is you're the one who could lose big here. if you are falsifying documentation and the word got out you could be fined or censored or lose your license.

It would be interesting to know if anybody EVER got in trouble for certifying IDP time that they did not personally supervise. I've certainly never heard of this happening.

Aw. Poor Chernikov. You invent futurism, and when said future arrives you're only good for small time document forgeries. Fuck that. Back to hand carving mamushkas, I say.

[i]the fact is you're the one who could lose big here. if you are falsifying documentation and the word got out you could be fined or censored or lose your license.[/i]

Exactly.  I accidentally used my phone during the break during one of the exams (didn't stop & think about it, wasn't calling about the exam or anything, just made a regular random quick call) and the testing center reported it to my state licensing board with an official letter (of which they sent me a copy), and the state licensing board now keeps that info in my permanent file.  No joke.  Over a 5 minute phone call during a break in one exam.  Also remember the breaks come after the MC (before graphic) so there's not really anyway way you could cheat at that point anyway, even if you were in fact trying to.  

I would never, ever, ever, ever ever in ten million years do something like your firm is asking you to do, which could endanger not only my own permanent reputation with my legal licensing board but endanger the public as well.  No way in hell.  Your company deserves to be reported for what they want you to do and you should have no part in it.

Sorry, Manta, for my diction. Yes, they somehow got through IDP with only, as far as I know, their plan examiner experience. I am guessing that someone signed off for them...

And there maybe rules that make exceptions for people. So it maybe perfectly legal. If that's so, then that changes the whole conversation.

Thank you everyone.  i think hearing from vado retro and mantaray is reassuring that this is not something i want to be part of.  no, he doesn't do any work.  and these people think anything hard can just be bought.  it is a big dissapointment. i will try to report them to anyone who will listen, but the boss is kind of a big shot in the area so it probably won't make a difference.

kshernikov: why don't you first place a call to NCARB (on your own time and away from the office) and discuss this matter - and your options - with someone there. this is not a local matter and, unless you're just willing to walk away from this job, stirring up people locally is just going to harm you and your future job prospects. 

for me, the bottom line is that if an official inquiry is launched, you are going to be the most likely source of the whistleblowing. you gotta do what you gotta do, but prepare yourself for the implications.

Excellent advice from file. 

Doing anything on the local level will probably result in people ignoring it because you said the boss is a big shot.  It could also give you a bad name.  You are much better off going outside the local level to report this.

is there any way you can make him do the work?  wouldn't that be more of a win-win?  the brat gets his idp signed off on, you look good for mr. big shot now that his son is a bit more competent, and maybe maaaybe the kid actually assists you?

They're seriously asking you to sign paperwork for someone to take the exam and said person doesn't even do any work in the firm at all?  

You DO NOT want to be working for someone that unethical yourself.  I say find a new job then report them - to NCARB national, as file suggested, and/or to your STATE licensing board.

I know finding a new job is the hard part here, but do you have any idea of another firm in town who has bad blood with your boss already?  Maybe you can get an in due to camaraderie - share survivor stories, etc.

good luck.  What a shitty situation.

Also, manta: I can't believe you got written up for a phone call.  That's just stupid - you make an innocent phone call and it's reported, yet some people are apparently sitting for the exam who have never worked in an office and submit forged paperwork?  Great job at quality control, NCARB!

Yes, yes, that is what i meant--report them to Ncarb or the state.  there really isn't anyone local who would care.  i meant that it probably would not affect his business much what Ncrab thinks, but maybe it would affect the son and would scare him into doing some work.  

I am not going to risk my reputation, but I have plans to relocate out of state soon anyway, so it would not matter so much either way.

postal--I tried, but they made it pretty clear that i'm not the one who runs things and they do not want me invoved in decision making.  A real crappy place.

Thank you again for your advice.

it is this crappy job that has made me decide to look for work out of state and get out of here.

Donna-I don't want to say too much about the place, but it's a Construction firm.  the guy is there and goes to meetings with the firm owners and has an office.  he has an architecture degree, but doesn't do any architecture work.  I don't really know what he does because I don't work with him.  I work for an affiliated architecture department. they are trying to make him the architect so that they can work with him directly.

well ... if it's a construction firm, then you definitely want to have this situation reported - once you're in a protected place.

"with someone there. this is not a local matter and, unless you're just willing to walk away from this job, stirring up people locally is just going to harm you and your future job prospects."

In a "zero tolerance" world, it is funny how people are punished for doing the right thing. This is far from the first time I've ran into the discussion of not burning bridges. Makes you wonder about the soundness of the entire foundation of contemporary architecture. Certainly not a world of literary heroics, universalist philosophy and triumph.

Sounds more like petty grade school pot dealers but far from being as awesome.

i also really disagree with the no-bridge-burning approach...some bridges should totally be burned!  if someone behaves unethically in the world, it's only a matter of time before they turn the same no-holds-barred attitude on you, so do your best to shut it down before it ever gets there (and before they can do it to others). there's really nothing to be gained in appeasing or abetting these people.

it's a shame that in doing this you risk your livelihood...

you should always protect yourself, but not to the point where it keeps you from doing your job well or behaving ethically.

i do wonder whether or how NCARB would respond.  they did take actions against those people on AREForum who posted exam materials...weren't some of them barred from taking exams for several years?  would they be as strict with other kinds of ethics violations?  i guess they would be harder to prove.

my advice is to never do anything (or fail to do anything) out of fear.

People are suggesting reporting said idiot to the NCARB. No wonder everyone hates architects. (I mean, sorry, registered architects).

Architecture as a profession is connected intimately to people and contacts. Doing this is going to ruin your chances of connections at the local level, and mark you as a classic pile of dung for your life.

Yup.  It is a dog eat, er, architect eat architect world out there.

Maybe reporting someone who is cheating the system would ruin THEIR chances of connections and mark THEM as a classic pile of dung for THEIR life?

It's a small, small world we operate within, which cuts both ways.  Responding to a wrong ethical choice by whining "But everyone else is doing it!" is something your mom should have taught you not to fall for many years ago.  It's lazy.

geesh - just say no - all you need to say is that you didn't supervise this kid's work therefore you can't sign off on their hours.  You'd be more than happy to start the IDP process with this kid, but this kid needs to be working under you or you need to check in with them regularly to monitor their progress.  you're the one with the license, and you get to make the decision about this if they want you to be this kid's supervisor.  they need to know that a license isn't something to be taken lightly.

wtf are they going to do?  fire you?  make sure you have all this in writing, and if they fire you, then you report them.

if they can't handle dealing with a grown-up then you don't want to work with them anyway.

What toaster said, exactly.  Nice posts, toaster.

there are too many people in this profession who are scared of losing their job if they stick up for themselves.  you wouldn't capitulate with a client who wanted you to do something illegal with your license, right?  don't get pushed around - and if you are like your typical sensitive creative-type (like a lot of us are) it's not going to be easy.

Donna, I am not being lazy. I am just ascribing to the (crazy) notion that maybe, we can be more than paper pushers, and get to better pursuits (like you know, design?).

Also, I know that if one would threaten to report this kid, the OP is going to get fired in a few weeks for something completely unrelated.

Sorry I called you lazy, sameold, but I disagree with you.  Design isn't done in a vacuum, and good design is done in a culture that values good design.  Acknowledging that NCARB has nothing to do with quality design, how is cheating more likely to lead to quality than is rigor?

The OP said s/he's planning to move on already anyway.