This short story offers a glimpse into my experience as a Belgian intern abroad, a phase characterized by challenges, growth, and reflection. As a recent graduate, I was determined to broaden my horizons and explore different perspectives on the field of architecture. My previous foreign experience in Weimar, Germany, had already prepared me for the adjustments needed when working in a new cultural and professional environment, but nothing present at the beginning of this internship in my experience and environment could have prepared me for the complexity of my time in Portugal. In the second part, I reflect on what could be improved in the entire internship system because there is indeed a need for improvement.
Why did I choose an internship abroad?
My conviction is that exploring different perspectives is essential. How we work in Belgium is not necessarily the only or best way. An internship offers the opportunity to learn and experiment in the field. As an architect, I strive for a broad foundation, one that is flexible and varied. I don't want to be stuck in the practices that are common in Belgium, but rather be open to other methods and visions that can enrich my designs and keep my skills as an architect flexible and up-to-date. After two years of experience at a firm in Belgium, it seemed wise to me to explore what it means to be an architect abroad immediately after graduation. The Erasmus grant available within the first year after graduation was also a motivation.
How did I choose my destination?
Initially, my choice was intuitive and influenced by available opportunities. In hindsight, I realized that I was looking for a place where I could learn a lot. I was looking for a location and culture that was not exactly the same as my Belgian background but still within a Western framework, as I was still in the early stages of my internship and wanted to strengthen my foundation. I chose Portugal. Although it is a country with a more relaxed Southern European mentality, it still offered a certain degree of familiarity that resonated with my background.
When choosing my internship placement, I consciously looked for a firm that matched my interests. Given my passion for public projects and heritage, as evidenced by my thesis, it was essential for me to find a firm focused on these areas. Therefore, I chose Rosmaninho+ Azevedo Arquitectos in Porto, Portugal. This firm specializes in heritage, public projects—albeit not on a large scale—and museum projects. With my background in art and scenography, this seemed like the perfect match for my interests and ambitions. Moreover, this experience provided me with an ideal start for my further internship in Belgium, where I hoped to join a firm working on larger public projects.
The Experience
In reality, the learning process turned out to be more complex and nuanced than expected. A first challenge was the language barrier. Although I was convinced that everything would be conducted in English after the initial job interview, this turned out not to be the case. This led to additional challenges when working with documents in a language I did not master and initially caused some frustration and extra fatigue. With the necessary flexibility and perseverance, however, I gradually learned a basis of 'architecture-Portuguese' to communicate more effectively.
Communication is essential in any internship. As a foreign intern, you are largely on your own, with little to no support from professional organizations such as the architects' association. In my experience, there was no contact between the architects' association and my internship placement to guide or monitor my internship. As a foreign intern, this makes you extra vulnerable because you are the only one defending your interests, despite being forced into a lower status where control by a third party is implied but in fact lacking. An example of the consequences during my internship was my experience with site visits. Although I had emphasized their importance since the beginning, their frequency decreased after only 2 months. Eventually, halfway through the internship period, I initiated a conversation, expressed my concerns. This led to a temporary solution, but I remained vulnerable to the situation and increasingly faced my challenges alone, both literally and figuratively.
The internship certainly offered valuable learning moments. Although I did not gain all the technical knowledge I had expected, I grew as an architect. The internship helped me develop my own identity as an architect and taught me how to have difficult conversations and better understand what I needed to grow. In terms of entrepreneurship, often an overlooked topic, I have learned about a new model that has given me certain perspectives. I have seen how to deal differently with clients in a small-scale firm, engage in poorly paid competitions with their consequences, and have interns. The latter is in the form of modern exploitation by not remunerating interns and the moral justification that there is an Erasmus+ grant that would make it all right. In reality, we know that this grant barely covers the rent. That this situation is related to the competition culture and a certain type of client seems undisputed. Just as it is the architect's choice to collaborate with this type of client and engage in these competitions for a certain reputation rather than a correct compensation.
What makes an internship good?
In my opinion, during the best internship, you get the following three things:
Financial compensation that allows the intern to exercise their profession in all dignity in accordance with Belgian law. In other words, sufficient fees so that the intern can lead an independent life and is not refused by utility companies to sign a contract because of a 'too low salary' when they want to live alone.
Knowledge to eventually be able to perform the profession of architect completely independently. This includes technical, legal, social, and economic knowledge. An internship by definition is for learning, experimenting, and pushing the boundaries of the field within a safe and semi-controlled environment. An intern is not there to make visualizations or models day in and day out. Do you, as an internship supervisor, want to drive the next generation of architects off the stage with a Bore-out?
The underdog: recognition for the work done. Nothing suppresses passion and ambition like ignoring the brain behind the design. Nothing stimulates a person like recognition and appreciation for the work done. Mentioning the name to a client, under images on a website, during a meeting with stakeholders, ... Appreciation is important. We are all human, not robots. As a senior architect and owner of a firm, you are proud to see your name/brand everywhere, but claiming work that is not yours fearfully harms more than just your reputation when it comes out.
Of course, this is not a one-sided story; as an internship supervisor, you should also get something in return. Internship is not charity. As an intern, you give back by creating qualitative designs, taking initiative, bringing passion and innovation.
In conclusion, I can say that I have had a eventful first semester of my internship abroad. I cannot unequivocally say that it was a good internship, but also not that it was a bad internship. It was a rewarding internship in ways other than the paper pushers ticking off the boxes. An internship is an opportunity to learn and grow, both technically, as a person, as an entrepreneur, but the current system falls short in several ways. The architects' association is there to protect the client. By representing the interests of interns and ensuring a safe and supportive environment for professional growth, they create an environment where quality architects emerge. It is clear that reforms are needed to better guide interns and protect them from exploitation in the field. But the association is certainly not the only factor in this chess game. In the second part of this series, I will share my concerns and, from my position as an intern architect, propose some possible solutions to improve the situation of the new generation of architects.
~ Kimberly Wouters, Architect.
Info: My foreign internship lasted for 6 months from November 16, 2023, to April 16, 2024. I was employed at the firm Rosmaninho+ Azevedo Arquitectos in Porto, Portugal.
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