Becoming an Intern

Finding employment as an intern is much like getting any other job. Internships can be found through ads placed in newspapers, online job banks, college and high school career centers and personal connections (through parents, instructors, etc). Read about one intern's systematic effort to find the right job.

Typically an intern must submit a portfolio of design work, a resume and be interviewed. Like any company, hiring firms are seeking individuals who have proper experience and will fit into their culture. Because internship is so important to the process of becoming an architect, it is commonplace for firms to hire those with little experience to give them a place to start (salaries are commensurate with experience). Here are some thoughts about how to prepare a portfolio from architects that have reviewed hundreds of them.

Beginning salaries for architecture interns fluctuate widely, depending in part on geographical location, demand due to building activity, availability of applicants, and, most important, the capability of the individual applicant. Data from the 2008 AIA Compensation Survey12 reports the following salary for interns, $45,400. This salary represents six percent increase from the previous survey in 2005. Since those seeking registration must work as an intern for three years and pass the registration exam, the salaries are for interns, not registered architects. Remember, your entire educational experience requires approximately eight to nine years of combined formal schooling and internship. Since those seeking registration must work as an intern for three years and pass the registration exam, the salaries are for interns, not registered architects. Remember, your entire educational experience requires approximately eight to nine years of combined formal schooling and internship.