There's no matter in bringing up how difficult this year was. Many people lost their jobs and university students had a harder time finding a place to do their necessary internship hours, that is for sure. Personally, I had a really hard time doing this because even thou I had the chance to spend 6 weeks in one place (Romania, this time) I still needed the time for actually finding the job, and with all these expectations in the architecture industry (such as already completing your 4th or 5th year) I didn't get many responses. Not in Romania and not in Portugal either. It was a hassle because even if they hire us, most companies won't pay anything for your work or stay for that matter. Finally, I found one company who hired me based on my CV and Portfolio but it was still under the grotesque way of capitalism. By this I mean that not just they didn't pay me but I had to pay a fee of 180 euros to complete the 8 weeks working time. What can I say, I was desperate at this point because it needed to be completed by the second semester. Now, it is almost ending and I decided to do some reflecting on it. To be completely honest, I'm usually putting off things because I'm not quite a deadlines matter kinda gal. Not this time, I made it a priority and even if sometimes I only started working on a Sunday when the work had to be sent by Monday, I still made it quite alright. While, it is not like every internship, I didn't have to attend meetings and wasn't monitorized for the working hours, it was still a task that needed to be done. I had weekly tasks which varied from writing essays and reports on architectural topics to designing an exhibition area and even some merchandize.
Since I already had the experience of attending long courses and then still doing some work for that extra pocket money (I used to teach English) it wasn't too much. Especially since erasmus isn't about only partying these days with the corona around. As a conclusion, I think that working next to school, or even erasmus, can be manageable and even worth it whether it's about earning that extra cash or just doing your bare necessities. Of course, this very much depends on the kind of job you chose and the kind of lifestyle you have.