<p>I am seeking some opinions on internship opportunities my daughter has for this coming summer. She is currently a junior in a BA Architecture program. For the coming summer, she was hoping to work abroad. She has heard back from two internships, one working with an Architectural firm in Beijing, China and the other with the Royal Institute of British Architects in London. The duties at the Beijing firm are unspecified, but would most likely involve assisting on some design projects. The London position involves assisting curator to produce an outreach and education program on Le Corbusier; in this, she will have access to original materials, sketches, etc. and will select materials and design educational modules among other duties.</p>
<p>Here is her dilema. She must respond to the London program by Monday. She is a finalist for the Beijing position, but will not know for sure until later next week if she is accepted. So she must decide on the London position without knowing if she really has the other one. </p>
<p>So I am curious. Is there any value in the London position? Would it be considered a worthwhile experience or is it better to try to hold out for the internship that is more hands on? Are international internships even taken into consideration? Since she is just at the BA level, will any of this matter in the long run?</p>
<p>I would appreciate your thoughts, comments and suggestions. Thanks.</p>
<p>the RIBA offer sounds very interesting. le corbusier is perhaps one of the most influential architects of the 20th century and there is a lot to learn from him. if your daughter is more interested in getting work experience though, the summer internship at beijing is probably better...though internship experiences can vary a lot. but i can imagine now is a better time for learning rather than working...</p>
<p>Lp, difficult position. Prestige and future value aside, is the Beijing position your daughter's first choice? Is that where she most wants to spend her summer? Bear in mind that Summer 08 will be anything but a normal year there, which might be plus, might be a minus. If the firm that's recruiting is involved in the Olympics then she'd be in a very exciting position, but daily life will be greatly disrupted.</p>
<p>If that's the case and she prefers Beijing to London then she might have her advisor call the Beijing firm and tactfully ask what her chances are. She might also ask the London people to grant her a few more days. She could say that it's a financial issue or something vague.</p>
<p>I'm hardly in a position to judge which would be more beneficial down the road. I have an ancillary involvement because my son is an architecture hopeful and I live in in Asia -- From my perspective I'd say that the Beijing position would be higher profile, just because the area is so hot right now.</p>
<p>Having said that, the London position would also be highly valuable to her future as no architect can have too much exposure to the "greats." And a summer in London is certainly not a hardship.</p>
<p>Conclusion: If London's her first choice, take it and don't look back. If Beijing's her first choice, try to get an extension, ask someone in her department to intercede, and if neither help, take a deep breath and wait it out.</p>
<p>There are no wrong answers on this one, but i will give you my bias. I know Beijing is hot as far as amount of construction, but London is hot as far as architectural culture goes. Personally I would take London. There would be an opportunity to attend lectures, exhibitions, and be exposed to some really interesting people, Real wold experience will come soon enough.</p>
<p>Congratulations, it sounds like she has found some great opportunities.</p>
<p>Thank you for your comments. I do think she has been leaning toward the Beijing internship since she will be volunteering at the Olympics there in August anyway and this will give her some added time to both explore China and familiarize herself with the city and the language (she does not speak Chinese and will have had only basic language studies prior to her travel). She is also concerned that so many of her peers have had "real world" training and that this may put her behind them. On the other hand, she realizes that the London opportunity is perhaps a very unique one. She has inquired about an extension, but has been told that it is not possible. If she does not take it, they have to move on to the next candidate.</p>
<p>I realize they are both wonderful opportunities and that is why it is so difficult for her to decide to leave one behind.</p>
<p>She chose London. I think Rick12's post really helped her put it in perspective. While she really did want the design experience, the RIBA position was a once in lifetime opportunity. The rest will come. Thanks so much.</p>