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yes i know. but its this difficult situation where you are dependant on the system, dont agree with it, but the alternative is much more difficult, and then by doing so, you keep the system intact, but have little other choice because you also need and want to work. i just did a postgrad internship through the leonardo funding system (and got a, albeit meagre, living wage) in berlin and of last week that landed me a job.
its just as a foreigner not that easy since you dont have the contacts through uni/previous work experience if you go somewhere abroad. and if there is a time when you want to go abroad, then it is when youve just graduated.the good news is though they explicitly advertise with searching for part ii architects for which she qualifies. ive just told her to let them tell what they search for and want to offer. it can only be better then an internship. but if they do offer that, it would be nice to know what to ask for
Rodolfo-
but if they do offer that, it would be nice to know what to ask for
There is no standard - so good to know what minimum means for her - livable wage or less than livable for a limited amount of time? She should decide beforehand and be clear on this if the question arises, or if she is offered less than that, counter it. If she is asked outright, go with livable wage. If she is offered something lower, respond with both livable wage and also the time she could afford to work at the lower wage (if at all). Is she already in London, or are you? So you have an idea of finances. Otherwise it is quite difficult for others to guess, mostly depends on rent. (In another thread someone did ask what is minimum livable wage for london, and the answers were highly varied... On phone but maybe you can search for it).
There really is no point taking work you cannot afford to do. It doesn't matter if the next person can afford to.
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of last week that landed me a job.
Congratulations! So you're stuck in Berlin for a while longer? Are you getting paid properly now?
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they explicitly advertise with searching for part ii architects for which she qualifies.
Having reread your post - why do you think they might offer her internship? If they are advertising for Part IIs, they presumably have the money for them. If they are concerned about her lack of UK experience they should be offering her lower end of a Part II or possibly Part I wage. But many London practices have a healthy number of foreigners.
hoefla
tbc
Easy to say from a distance, but the internship culture in architecture is relatively recent and completely awful. 15 years ago (my arbitrary benchmark) it barely existed - I recall us joking about Renzo Piano when we found out it didn't pay. These days it seems any old practice think they can get cheap labour, without even giving you a decent name for your CV. It should be resisted/challenged. Why should any graduate work for free or extremely low pay? At the same time there is always so much talk about 'widening access' to the profession. Such bullshit.
Anyway, apart from the rant. There is no 'reasonable salary' for an intern - the whole point is it's not a proper, livable wage. So if you have the means and you really want the 'job' it could be nothing at all. If you cannot afford that then cost up what you need to survive and have this figure in your head. Otherwise it does not seem to be sustainable. But why should she not ask for a real wage? Especially since she already has work experience (ie. the Berlin internship should be worth something).