A startup “design collective” offers “invaluable experience” to unpaid architecture undergrads in exchange for their labour.
FO Take · Score 10
This is not an “opportunity”, it is exploitation, plain and simple. Offering “rigorous architectural production” as a substitute for fair pay is an indictment of an industry that normalises precarity. These students deserve compensation for their skills, not empty promises of exposure. When will we abolish this exploitative practice?
The strongest counter
Unpaid internships offer crucial experience and networking for aspiring architects keen to enter a competitive field. The learning opportunity outweighs immediate financial gain.
