New York designer Karim Rashid has defended the use of unpaid internships, saying young designers can learn more working at a studio than studying at a fee-paying university.
"I believe some of the universities are far more exploiting than a small brilliant architecture firm that can inspire and be a catalyst for a student's budding career," said Rashid in a comment on Facebook, responding to Dezeen's post about unpaid internships at Chilean architecture studio Elemental.
"In a rigorous office with a respectful mentor, an intern can learn in three months more than a year or two of education, and education in USA is costing that student $60,000 to $100,000 a year," the designer wrote.
Rashid runs unpaid internship programme Rashid, who runs a studio that designs furniture, products and interiors, runs an unpaid internship programme. This consists of four months of unpaid work and is advertised on the studio's website.
"Our internship program is composed of: four solid months of full-time, unpaid, challenging and intense projects," Rashid's website states. "You'll be learning in a fast paced environment, multi-disciplinary studio where no two days are ever the same."
The website adds that candidates must possess "written and verbal communication skills, organisational and multi-tasking abilities, passion for design, computer skills, and a positive attitude."
In his Facebook comment Rashid wrote: "Just to add, in my offi...