Is an internship a kind of deal between employer and architecture student? After the interview with Mark Michaeli, architecture professor at the Technical University of Munich, Baumeister Academy winner Maxi Graber reports first-hand on his work experience as an architecture student.
Even if you can hardly use the term deal in the age of Trump, the question still arises: Is the internship an enriching life experience or pure exploitation? – After the interview with Mark Michaeli, architecture professor at the Technical University of Munich, Baumeister Academy winner Maximilian Graber reports first-hand on his work experience as an architecture student. Max is currently completing an internship at MVRDV in Rotterdam.
At the end of my fourth bachelor’s semester at the Technical University of Munich, I was gripped by curiosity: what does the everyday life of an architect look like? An internship like this certainly couldn’t hurt. But when the time came, I asked myself: Am I even ready for it? During the first few weeks of my previous internship at Renzo Piano, I couldn’t let go of this thought. But finally, in the third or fourth week, I realized that the work itself was making me more self-confident day by day. I settled into my new workplace, got used to new faces, languages and computer programs and grew with my tasks every day. And I quickly lost the shyness to ask questions. After all, that’s the deal that Mark Michaeli talked about in his interview with Baumeister Architekturmagazin last week: this form of employment is based on a certain reciprocity. So an internship is not only added value for the intern alone, but also a good opportunity for experienced architects to refresh their knowledge when they have to answer questions.
Give and take
Unfortunately, however, it is not uncommon for interns to be responsible for making coffee, drawing stupid plans or working through Excel sheets for days on end. And they are not even paid a decent wage for this. To the advantage of many offices, there are plenty of students who need to earn some extra money on the side – in the truest sense of the word – or want to gain professional experience. A qualified architect costs at least three times as much for the same work. And of course, I can see that these “tedious” activities are part of the job. But where is the learning effect, the second part of the deal? As an intern, I expect a certain challenge, a task I can grow with or a mentor I can learn from. Granted, as a student you may not necessarily have years of construction site experience or in-depth detailed knowledge, but what about a breath of fresh air, creativity, a feel for form, color, material and, above all, motivation? I am of the opinion that an internship should be worth the price you pay. As an intern, you’re allowed to have your expectations, right? My opinion: If both parties ultimately fulfill their contractual conditions, then nothing should stand in the way of a successful internship.
Click here for the interview with Mark Michaeli.
The Baumeister Academy is supported by GRAPHISOFT, BAU 2019 and Schöck Bauteile GmbH.
