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Pay my dues? How about companies paying for a job performed. Regardless of your level you’re owed fair compensation. Get over yourself ACD1. I don’t want to hear any of your I had to walk to school 10 miles in the snow, and it was UPHILL both ways nonsense. You’re antiquated and I bet your ideas are too.
$15 an hour isn’t livable in California period. This is exactly one of the reasons why we can’t get more diversity of background in the industry. Only the rich kids that bank roll mom and Dad can afford these internships
@OP You ARE getting paid what you’re owed - you have zero experience. We all started there. Try putting in some years before you think you’re entitled to more money.
I know their internship program is offered to students graduating from portfolio school at a rate of $15 an hour which is laughable considering it’s in Santa Monica. Plus they pull the whole “you have to let me know now” b.s. to get kids to jump at the offer. Other than that, I love their work.
@JRCW I wasn't paid for any of my internships. Pay your dues. Get over it.
Jr.CW1, how much do you think interns should get paid? In my experience, the “job performed” by interns adds almost zero value to what we do in the agency. In fact, I’d say we invest far more resources in our interns than we get out of them. The best we can hope for is that we find someone worth hiring (and training further) after their internship is over.
Point being, don’t mistake “intern” as being the same as “junior.” And be grateful to be offered the equivalent of $30k/year for the opportunity to get your foot in the door at a reputable agency.
(I’m not at RPA, FYI)
And to clarify my first comment, the recruiter from RPA who approached me was one of the nicest and most understanding recruiters I’ve ever had the pleasure of dealing with. Doesn’t mean she’s not an absolute shark who has nailed down a strategy at finding good entry level creatives at a really cheap price.
@ACD3, During my first internship I took on all the email and social copy for two clients which allowed their upper level creatives to spend more of their time focusing on bigger projects. I also worked on new business and even had a few scripts of my own make it in the room for the final pitch. My partner during the time was a mid level AD who needed a CW so I was in the trenches with the creative team during my entire stay.
@ACD3/4, There’s nothing entitled about wanting to be paid for a job performed. If you’ve had bad experiences with interns then maybe you need to re-evaluate your review process for hiring them.
I happen to like the HR Dept.
@Jr. Copy - $15 is the minimum wage. That’s what interns were paid at my Santa Monica-based agency too. No matter the city, paying interns the state’s minimum wage is a pretty standard process
@Goodby1, that's not true. I grew up dirt poor. I worked extremely hard and took out a lot of loans to get where I am. I'll always be behind those rich kids that mommy and daddy bank rolled, but I did get where I am on my own, and it is possible.
literally no one in the history of the human species got where they are "on their own."
@jrcw1 lol. Defensive much? $15 is fair for an internship. Most agencies still pay nothing. You'll make a lot more as you move up the ranks.
For the record, they pay more than other agencies in the area. When I was an intern there, crispin was paying $12 to RPA’s $15. And you get real work. And everyone is nice.
@ACD1 great! Doesn’t mean that’s the way it should be lmao
When I interned there 6 years ago I got $10/hr. It was an amazing place to start my career. I was given opportunity and was treated with respect.
They're not known for being high paying, but they have a good work/life balance, nice people, and opportunity to do good creative.
@SC1, I’m happy it worked out for you. I wish it had for me. But to pack my bags, find a place to live, and move across the country with less than two weeks notice with no one supporting me financially but myself after taking on tons of debt from student loans - not possible.
Feel bad for the real OP though, this shit kind of got derailed fast.
Good people, lots of opportunities to do good work. Honda is a great client. Name could look better on a resume, but otherwise zero complaints.
I’ve only ever heard really great things about RPA. Great work, good work/life balance and they care about their people. No lip service like most other agencies.
I once worked there for 5 years. Great lifestyle. Great work. Great clients. A family-like culture and experience you won't find anywhere else. If you work there, all the other experiences afterwards will SUUUUUCK.
RPA is a fantastic place to start your career. They are fair, the people are (generally) kind, and the work-life balance is much healthier than at other agencies. I've met the nicest people in advertising there--willing to help me grow and navigate my first "real" agency experience. With that said, they do incremental pay bumps and if you're looking for a big raise, you're going to have to leave and come back. This is pretty much the general sentiment across the board/across all departments.
As for hourly internship rate, I was making $15 at the end but started off at $10. Granted, this was a few years ago when minimum wage was still much lower.