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If you want to pursue an interior design career, then an internship is crucial to your success.As a prospective designer, an Internship in interior Design is essential to your career.
My first internship was at a small residential firm in Austin. The first 14 days were spent doing rounds to sample fabrics and ordering coffee.The first two weeks were spent sampling fabrics and running several trips to Starbucks. I was starting to attend client walk-throughs and taking notes on material information for a renovation of 3200 sq. ft. by month 3.
The truth about an interior design internship. Initially, not glamorous. It’s where the real learning does occur, however.
Interior design internships are a great way to gain experience if you’re a design student or a career changer, and this guide explains the process of what an internship entails, where you can find them, how much they pay, and how to make you stand out in the crowd when you apply. We’ve chatted with the narrative of dozens of interns and firm owners in New York, Texas, California, and Florida in order to set this up, so you’re getting the real story from us and not the salesman version.
So, what exactly does an interior designer intern do?
People usually imagine some kind of an intern going from one paint color to another and creating mood boards throughout the day. That’s part of it. But everyday work is more diverse, and, quite honestly, more useful.
During the average week, you could be creating sample boards for building materials, updating floor plans in AutoCAD or SketchUp, and going on furniture shopping sprees with clients, like looking for a budget-friendly deal with Wayfair or Ashley Furniture. You will probably attend vendor meetings as well. It may be necessary to accompany a job site to take measurements of a room before a kitchen remodel.
Some companies give interns authentic design projects as early as they can. Some even begin for you with administrative tasks, such as arranging for contractors or invoices. It is dependent on the size of the company. A small three-person studio in Chicago will prepare you to work differently from a big commercial company preparing for an office buildout.
The truth is, the more that you ask for to be included, the more that you will get out of it. Interns who wait around for assignments tend to become trapped in filing throughout the internship.
Interior Design Internships in the USA: Where to Find?
Job boards are a good place to begin, but these are not the only options available. The real placements occur here.
University career centers. Most likely if you are attending a CIDA accredited design course you have direct links to local companies. This is typically the quickest route to a career.
ASID / IIDA chapters. Internship listings are posted by region on the website of the American Society of Interior Designers and by the International Interior Design Association. There are also networking functions generally organized by many local chapters, at which firm owners actively seek interns.
Firm websites directly. Check out career or join our team elements on firm sites that you appreciate. Smaller studios don’t bother to post on large job sites because they don’t have to, they receive enough applicants via their site or Instagram.
LinkedIn and Indeed. Filter with care, as it can be useful for volume. You can narrow down the results by searching for “interior design internship” plus your city, for instance, “interior design internship Los Angeles” or “interior design internship Miami.
Cold outreach. This one is easily forgotten. A brief email to a company you are interested in, referencing a project of theirs that you’ve found interesting, might beat out the general application. Companies keep in mind sincere interest.
Yes, interior design internships are paid!Yes, interior design internships are paid internships!
This is the question that everyone really wants answered, so let’s get straight to the point.
There may be paid internships, but it’s not common. Most recent surveys in the industry indicate rates of $15 to $22 per hour for design interns in the USA; often higher in larger markets such as New York City and Los Angeles. There are companies out there that pay higher wages – around $18 to $25 per hour – for students in their senior year at a larger business.
There are still unpaid internships, typically at smaller residential studios or as a substitute for academic credit. If the company has an unpaid opportunity, inquire specifically about what you’ll receive: training in certain software, samples of your work, a letter of recommendation, etc. If they are unable to articulate it clearly, then it’s a red flag.
Caution: There are differences in unpaid internships with for-profit businesses in some states. Just to be safe, it’s a good idea to run it by the school’s career service office before you take one.
What Skills are required for an Application?
No need to be an expert. However, there are some fundamentals you can do to make yourself a better applicant.
Knowing what software to use is most important. Employers require some experience with AutoCAD, SketchUp or Revit. A frequent request for presentation boards and client materials is Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Photoshop and InDesign.
A portfolio – even a small one – goes a long way. Fifteen rushed projects were defeated by three to five strong projects. Show your sketches, not just your renders – firms want to see how you think, not so much what you produce.
Here, soft skills are overlooked. Organisation, punctuality, clarity of communication with contractors and vendors will have more impact than talent. Experience has shown us that the interns who do the best job are the last to be asked about questions and lack of follow-up.
How Much Time Allocated For Interior Design Internships?
The academic-term internships last anywhere from 10 to 16 weeks, or for a semester. Summer internships are usually longer, 8-12 weeks, and typically more rigorous, as you will be working full time during the period.
Others may provide internships of 6 months to a year, especially if you’re working part time in school. This is sometimes the case for the longer placements and particularly where the company is expanding and is not looking to train the next person.
If no indication of length is given on a listing, please inquire before applying. It will impact the way you should spend your semester or your budget, if it is unpaid.
Remote and Hybrid Internship Options
There are full-time interior design internships that are fully remote, but they are limited in scope. Most of the work will be in the realm of renderings, research, mood boards and vendor sourcing, not site visits or client meetings.
This is more typical today with firms that serve several markets, particularly with hybrid setups. Design development may be done remotely and travel to install days or client walkthroughs may be required. This is great when you don’t live in a big design city and just want project exposure.
There is one warning to be considered: Internships that are fully remote can cause you to lack that “in-person” skill that you will need later in life, such as reading a room, or controlling a conversation on a job site. If you’re aiming to be a full-time designer, try to find some face-to-face time before you’re done with school.
How to make your application stand out when applying
A lot of firms receive identical applications! Here are a few tips that can make you stand out.
Reflect the firm’s actual work on your portfolio. If they mostly do residential kitchens and bathrooms, don’t pitch your one commercial kitchen and bathroom. Compare your samples with what they are looking for.
In your cover letter, talk about a particular aspect of their portfolio in detail. A Boston firm owner told us that she recalls the name of each applicant who mentioned a certain project; it demonstrates that you did more than apply blindly everywhere.
Send a brief, polite email follow up, approximately 7 days after application. It’s not pushy. It demonstrates that you’re organized and really interested, and that’s more important than you think.
FAQs
Is an interior design internship a degree requirement? While not always, most companies like to hire a candidate who is either a student or has recently graduated from a design program. For smaller studios, a solid self-taught portfolio may be taken into account, particularly for part-time or project-based jobs.
What is the difference between an internship, and an apprenticeship? An internship typically is a brief one, during a school term, and is designed for exposure and learning. An apprenticeship is more intensive and may be structured around a particular certification or licensing path and last for one year or longer.
Do I need to have experience with AutoCAD to take an interior design internship? Yes, some companies will provide training on their preferred software during the onboarding process. However, if you have some basic AutoCAD and/or SketchUp experience before you apply, you’ll be instantly more competitive.
What is the average number of hours per week that interior design interns work? The typical part-time internship takes place during the school year for 10-20 hours per week. Full-time summer internships normally involve 35 to 40 hours of work per week, which is the same work schedule as a full-time position.
Will they automatically be offered a position at the end of an internship? No, but it really enhances the odds. To reduce the ramp up time, firms might hire an intern they’ve trained as opposed to a candidate who’s not from their firm.
