Internship culture
Internship culture is also a part of the current debate in design, as many parts of Europe have brought in new internship laws within the past few years to protect against exploitation of the free labour market.
A 2015 report on European interns found that 46% of 18-35 year-olds had completed at least one internship, equating to 4.5 million students and graduates across Europe undertaking an internship each year. 59% of the internships were unpaid – and even among those who were paid, less than half (46%) said this was sufficient to cover basic living costs.
Currently, unpaid internships are legal in Germany only if the duration is less than 3 months and is connected to a study requirement. It is illegal to offer graduates unpaid work in Belgium, with campaigns such as JustPay! monitoring job ads and pressuring employers into following the law.
Within the design industries, the ethics of unpaid internships are a hot topic of discussion. Earlier this year, it was revealed that the Serpentine Pavilion, a high-profile commissioned work, was being made off free labour. After being initially called out, it seems now the studio is being asked to pay everyone who worked on the project fittingly.
Architect Adam Nathaniel Furman has instigated the ‘#archislavery’ campaign on social media, to raise awareness of the culture of unpaid internships in architecture and allow those affected to share their experiences with a wider audience.
In the design world, it remains understood that interning within the industry is an extremely valuable experience; however, often these roles are self-directed, are not protected by an HR department or project manager, and do not receive fair pay. Many interns have to use their own computers and mobile phones while being expected to work 10+ hours a day during peak times – or more during trade fairs or design festivals.
In some ways, the universities and the studios could be responsible for the rises in free labour – as the intensity of study programs mounts and the number of required internships needed to break into industry have increased. On the other hand, perhaps the current uprising among students and the current discussion about internship culture reflects the changes in what our society perceives as acceptable in the workplace.
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