Sorry to be such a newbie about all of this...but what is a fair internship salarie for a boutique size architecture firm (ie. 1 certified architect and two interns). I am a fresh piece of meat out of school with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. I know for engineering it can range from $15 to $25 per hour, but I've never done an hourly architectuer internship...a lil' input on pay, hours, and what type of tasks I'm going to want to be focusing on, please.
i think you'll find that you'll be offered the low end of the range you mentioned: about $15. and that's if you're drawing. i don't know, since your background is engineering, what role you'd take in an architecture office. you might slip right into making drawings and being billable or you might get some orientation into how the firm works first. if your tasks end up being runner tasks - printing, running things around town, organizing things - so that you can 'observe' the way the office works, the pay will be even lower.
architecture firms in general seem to be less lucrative, with a tighter profit margin, than engineering firms. partly because we (rightly, imo) keep messing with things until we're satisfied and thereby eat up fee margins. ah well.
all of the above depends on a lot of variables: where you are, how the economy is where you are, your abilities to function as an architectural intern, how busy the office is and whether they have time for mentoring, and what kind of firm - more academic/speculative-design-oriented or more production-oriented or at some spot on the wide spectrum in between.
finally, check out the salary poll on this site. it's kind of hard to navigate but if you do an f4 search using your city or nearby cities, you might come up with some ranges of pay.
there are no easy answers to your questions. as far as tasks, you're going to be at the mercy of the firm. i'd simply recommend being open to anything and you'll learn. absorb as much as possible about how things work and who's doing what.
check out this article which came in the AIA National Associates Committee newsletter this morning... (gasp... the aia sent something useful...)
it give a few tips on how to negotiate your salary... both for your first job and in the future... it also cites a study that says that if you don't negotiate the salary of your first job you stand to lose around $500,000 over the course of your career... and negotiating every time that you change jobs can mean an extra $1M in your pocket over the course of your career...
It also depends on the city you're in. I know that working in Columbus, OH, architecture interns make less than similar positions in NY or LA. Students in (or just out of) undergrad make $10-16/hr for a temporary position ( summer only). Also, some firms demand extra hours, so make sure you know if you'll get overtime (1.5x your rate), paid at base rate, or be expected to work extra hours for free...this can change your bottom line quite a bit!
Architecture interns do a lot of Construction drawings, specifications, and shop drawings, but make sure you get some design tasks thrown your way to keep things interesting!
not that this little story has anything to do with 'internship' pay, but I was talking to someone who worked for a big name architect in NYC who paid shit. They told my friend that they would lie about how much they were paying my friend (would write a letter saying they were paying them 2X as much) so that he / she could get approved to rent an apartment in the city...all the while they were living in a seet condo, chouffered (sp??) Porsche, new Prada clothes, etc....
this in complete bullshit, the office should be shut down, and the partners taken out back and shot
mdler ... i can see why your anger is aimed at the firm ... but how about aiming some at your friend, who apparently is willing to work for that wage ... someone can't take advantage of a person in a situation like that without the victim's willing participation.
that is true..they no longer work there. Being fresh out of school we all want to work for these hot-shit offices who dont pay so that we can say that we worked there...
Thanks everyone for the input. Philarch (or anyone)...could you suggest a couple of those architecture/engineering firms located in Los Angeles? Also, not to be a prick but...I would like to make some money in this industry, what do you all think of design builders? And...how could I get into that industry?
Internship pay
Sorry to be such a newbie about all of this...but what is a fair internship salarie for a boutique size architecture firm (ie. 1 certified architect and two interns). I am a fresh piece of meat out of school with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. I know for engineering it can range from $15 to $25 per hour, but I've never done an hourly architectuer internship...a lil' input on pay, hours, and what type of tasks I'm going to want to be focusing on, please.
-cheers
i think you'll find that you'll be offered the low end of the range you mentioned: about $15. and that's if you're drawing. i don't know, since your background is engineering, what role you'd take in an architecture office. you might slip right into making drawings and being billable or you might get some orientation into how the firm works first. if your tasks end up being runner tasks - printing, running things around town, organizing things - so that you can 'observe' the way the office works, the pay will be even lower.
architecture firms in general seem to be less lucrative, with a tighter profit margin, than engineering firms. partly because we (rightly, imo) keep messing with things until we're satisfied and thereby eat up fee margins. ah well.
all of the above depends on a lot of variables: where you are, how the economy is where you are, your abilities to function as an architectural intern, how busy the office is and whether they have time for mentoring, and what kind of firm - more academic/speculative-design-oriented or more production-oriented or at some spot on the wide spectrum in between.
finally, check out the salary poll on this site. it's kind of hard to navigate but if you do an f4 search using your city or nearby cities, you might come up with some ranges of pay.
there are no easy answers to your questions. as far as tasks, you're going to be at the mercy of the firm. i'd simply recommend being open to anything and you'll learn. absorb as much as possible about how things work and who's doing what.
check out this article which came in the AIA National Associates Committee newsletter this morning... (gasp... the aia sent something useful...)
it give a few tips on how to negotiate your salary... both for your first job and in the future... it also cites a study that says that if you don't negotiate the salary of your first job you stand to lose around $500,000 over the course of your career... and negotiating every time that you change jobs can mean an extra $1M in your pocket over the course of your career...
also, check out this thread ... it already addresses a lot of the questions that probably are rattling around in your head: ask for what you're worth
Have you checked into architectural engineering firms that have an architectural branch/division?
It also depends on the city you're in. I know that working in Columbus, OH, architecture interns make less than similar positions in NY or LA. Students in (or just out of) undergrad make $10-16/hr for a temporary position ( summer only). Also, some firms demand extra hours, so make sure you know if you'll get overtime (1.5x your rate), paid at base rate, or be expected to work extra hours for free...this can change your bottom line quite a bit!
Architecture interns do a lot of Construction drawings, specifications, and shop drawings, but make sure you get some design tasks thrown your way to keep things interesting!
not that this little story has anything to do with 'internship' pay, but I was talking to someone who worked for a big name architect in NYC who paid shit. They told my friend that they would lie about how much they were paying my friend (would write a letter saying they were paying them 2X as much) so that he / she could get approved to rent an apartment in the city...all the while they were living in a seet condo, chouffered (sp??) Porsche, new Prada clothes, etc....
this in complete bullshit, the office should be shut down, and the partners taken out back and shot
mdler ... i can see why your anger is aimed at the firm ... but how about aiming some at your friend, who apparently is willing to work for that wage ... someone can't take advantage of a person in a situation like that without the victim's willing participation.
quizzical
that is true..they no longer work there. Being fresh out of school we all want to work for these hot-shit offices who dont pay so that we can say that we worked there...
not me, boy ... I wanted a paycheck to support my decadent life-style.
Thanks everyone for the input. Philarch (or anyone)...could you suggest a couple of those architecture/engineering firms located in Los Angeles? Also, not to be a prick but...I would like to make some money in this industry, what do you all think of design builders? And...how could I get into that industry?
-cheers
Arch/Engineering
Arup
DMJM They have an Arch. office in downtown LA, don't if they have engineering in that office.
Design Build
Bonura
Glynn Designbuild
Heyday
hypearc
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