<p>My son, a Junior Aerospace Engineering major, was fortunate to receive two offers for this summer. One is with a large company where he would be working as a Systems Engineering Intern on a satelite project for $24 an hour. The second offer is from a smaller company which, as part of its business, designs and manufactures parts for airplane engines and turbines. He would be a Test Engineer Intern, paid $18.</p>
<p>After much thought, he has accepted the lower paying job because he feels it will be an all around better experience and closer to his interests. Yet he admits that he feels that he may have made a mistake by not "going for the big bucks" and that his classmates talk more about the money they plan to make more than they talk about the work they will be doing.</p>
<p>$18 dollars an hour sounds reasonable to us, especially since he will be able to live at home and save most of it. Can anyone who has had a kid that has worked as an engineering intern share the salry offers? Thanks.</p>
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<p>I think your son has a much more solid head on his shoulders than those classmates bragging about the money they are making. IMHO, the most valuable thing gained from summer internships is the actual experience. If your son chose what he thinks is close to his interests and what will help him build skills to launch himself into the “real” job market, then he did the right thing. (And his classmates? Kinda sound like jerks…)</p>
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<p>I’d be happy if any of mine HAD summer jobs at this point. I think this is a time to try out things you think you’re interested in, so sounds like he made a good choice. </p>
<p>My son is just finishing his freshman year, majoring in Mech Eng. He has an internship lined up with a small engineering firm near home. He will be making $15/hr and we (and he) are thrilled!</p>
<p>The salary sounds in line for engineering interns. It is far better to do something you love than just for the money. Besides living at home will say so much money. </p>
<p>Don’t listen to what other people are saying. Sometimes it’s true and sometimes it’s exaggerated (that’s what I choose to think 
)</p>
<p>DD is doing an IT project management internship in Atlanta and is getting $18. She got another offer from a Fortune 50 company and it was for the same amount. I have friends that are shocked that she is getting paid.</p>
<p>This summer we will be paying rent for her house at college plus we have to pay rent in ATL. :(</p>
<p>Most firms will take their first year full time salary and pro-rate it for the summer. It is not the case at my company. They are paying 65% of what they would pay a first year. I try to tell the interns that they shouldn’t use their summer offer as an indication if they should get offer a full time position. Your son should find out if that’s what they would pay a full timer. </p>
<p>Good heavens - I might as well be an intern considering my pay isn’t much more …</p>
<p>Thanks to all who replied. DS is really excited about the opportunity for some hands on work in an engine test lab. The company he chose to work for has a well designed intern program that will expose him and the other interns to many aspects of the business. </p>
<p>He’s getting paid? He’s getting paid!!! Who cares how much it is?</p>
<p>^^Seriously.^^ S1 starts his internship with a local TV station May 14. He’s getting paid absolutely nothing. And to add insult to injury, we have to pay for a three-hour class in order for him to get credit. I just got off the phone with the bank. </p>
<p>It seems to me that an engineering internship should be somewhat comparable to a CS internship. I’m sure there are those who will correct me if I’m in error. :)</p>
<p>My daughter was offered a CS internship at two household name tech titans. One pays $18.00 and the other $25.00 plus overtime. Both pay for round-trip air transportation or up to $1,700 in car relocation expenses should the student want to have their car on the West Coast. And both supply free company owned housing. </p>
<p>I don’t believe in free internship. D1 was a math major, so she had no problem in getting good paid internships. D2 is a philosophy major. She turned down a camp counselor job at minimum wage last summer because I told her I prefer to have sit at home to do nothing. This year she got a paid internship with housing. She is going to be working at a non-profit, but her school is paying for it.</p>
<p>My comp sci kid made $25 an hour in 2008 the summer after his freshman year and more than that every year after that. We are all jealous of him! My younger son worked for $10 an hour last summer, plus a free dorm room and one free meal a day at a campus job at Tufts.</p>
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<p>CS is usually higher than Engineering internships. </p>
<p>The problem here is that what a company pays interns is an indication of what they pay full timers, and a big plus in having an internship is that it can mean a guaranteed job offer right after the internship is over. It’s not all just about the experience. Generally companies pay about 50% more for full time new hires than for interns. That may not be the case exactly in the 2nd company but there is probably going to be a big difference in what the first company pays new hires and what the 2nd company pays new hires. </p>
<p>In engineering, $24 is about average, maybe a little above, and $18 is a bit below average. </p>
<p>You preferred your daughter to sit home to do nothing instead of contributing to the enjoyment and welfare of kids? Reason?</p>
<p>The camp wasn’t non-profit. They were charging huge amount of money from those working parents. So, why shouldn’t they pay their counselors for all the hours they were working? It was abusive and insulting. I wouldn’t treat my employees in such a manner. They wouldn’t pay for “parents night,” training hours, etc. Whereas for the non-profit work D2 is doing this summer, she is getting paid for weekly training, decent wage and housing. I do not want to contribute and enable employers who take advantage of young people. Yes, I would prefer to have my kid sit at home doing nothing than be an underpaid/no paid labor.</p>
<p>S is finishing junior year as MechE major. He will intern with a large transportation manufacturer earning $25 per hour, paid flight cross country and paid housing expenses.</p>
<p>I can sort of see your point, Oldfort, but in broadcast journalism, very few internships are paid, and most of those that are require a kid to move to another part of the country, with all the expenses that entails. S1 needs this to officially graduate, it’s 300 hours and he stands a good chance at being hired eventually. He can live at home or in his campus apartment through July. That’s about as good as it’s going to get for now. </p>
<p>^^I was also broadcast journalism major, and even though long time ago, in that area you couldn’t get credit and get paid. Journalism is so low paying to start with and hard to break into…worth working for free for a summer if it leads to job down the road. I think it’s the case in most majors that it is better to gain work experience than get paid but is nice to be able to earn some money during internship.</p>