Summer 2022 Internship at Software Mansion

Edit: The application deadline has been extended until April 19th, 2022.

We are a company specializing in building great developer experiences. Through working on exciting projects with our partners, but also by building top-notch developer tools, we are fulfilling our mission: to improve the quality of work of software engineers — not only when it comes to effectiveness, but also considering work satisfaction.

This is the ninth time we invite you to join us for the Summer Internship Program (the 2021 edition was a great success with all 19 interns staying with us until today). We believe that this is not only a great opportunity to start your career in programming if this is your first job, but also a way to move forward if you are looking for more challenging work.

TL;DR

What: Software Engineer Summer Internship 2022
Where: Kraków, our office at ul. Zabłocie 43B
When: July 4th–September 30th, 2022
How much: 6500–13500 PLN gross monthly
Apply here: https://jobs.swmansion.com/o/software-engineer-summer-internship-20222/c/new
Extended application deadline: April 19th, 2022
Questions and contact: internship@swmansion.com

What criteria should I meet?

We are not looking for any particular skills. Instead, we are looking for smart, curious, and versatile people with an engineering mindset. In fact, it doesn’t really matter for us what technologies you have experience with — it helps if you do know the technologies we use, but if you don’t, you should have a pretty good knowledge of some by the end of the internship. It is however expected that you already know the core basics of programming — but if you survived two or three years of Computer Science or a similar major, you should know enough.

What do I need to know to apply?

The recruitment process is open to everyone, no matter the educational background or age. We don’t have any formal requirements on what you need to know to apply, but you will be expected to be able to perform basic programming tasks by yourself. We also require a solid knowledge of English (B2 or higher). Don’t worry about it too much though, if you are able to read this article without problems, you should do okay.

During the recruitment process you might be asked about the following basic topics:

• basic algorithms and data structures,
• basics of memory management (pointers, references, garbage collector, etc.),
• networking (protocols, routing, etc.),
• databases,
• basics of web applications (HTML, CSS, REST API, HTTP, etc.),
• basics of Linux or macOS usage,
• basic usage of GIT,
• basics of automatic testing.

It is not a requirement, but it will boost your chances if you know any one of the following advanced topics:

• basics of DevOps (Docker, Nginx, CI, etc.),
• basics of mobile development (either Android or iOS),
• basics of multimedia technologies (image, video and audio formats, streaming and processing),
• any of the major programming languages or technologies used in Software Mansion.

What will I be working on?

Unfortunately, at this stage, we are unable to tell what project exactly you will be working on, but it certainly won’t be brewing coffee. We want you to be productive and learn as much as possible from week one, and it is very important for us that the internship projects are real projects. On top of that, we are very invested in learning your preferences so that we can have a great fit of projects for everyone.

The teams you can possibly join can be categorized into a few main groups:

Developer tooling

Teams building developer tools at Software Mansion are, for example:

• React Native Open Source Team — we are developing and maintaining several important React Native open-source libraries, such as react-native-gesture-handler or react-native-reanimated.
• Membrane Team — we are building this multimedia streaming framework created in Software Mansion using Elixir, C and C++.
• Expo Team — this open-source platform makes developing mobile apps in React Native easy. The team is split between Software Mansion, the Silicon Valley HQ and several contributors working remotely.
• StarkWare Team — we are developing tools for the Starknet ecosystem. If you are interested in the technology behind Ethereum blockchain, this is probably the best project for you.
• Huawei R&D team — together with Huawei Technologies Oy (Finland) Co. Ltd we are working on developer tools for HarmonyOS. Currently we are working on the Proof of Concept (PoC) project, where we aim to demonstrate the Open Harmony’s capability of running typical React Native apps.

Mobile teams

Some of the teams building mobile applications are:

• Chime Team — working on the React Native mobile app of the challenger bank №1 in the USA with over 2.3 billion USD in funding. We have now been working with Chime for many years and more than a dozen engineers are involved at Software Mansion now.
• Mos Team — working on the React Native mobile app for a fin-tech company building a great banking solution for students, backed up by 57 million USD in funding. We have been building the app from scratch and the team at Software Mansion currently has eight people and is growing quickly.

Full-stack teams

Some examples of the full-stack teams here in Software Mansion:

• Comm Team — Comm is a distributed chat for web3 and an open-source platform for building distributed, E2E encrypted apps. This is not a project for the impatient — the technology is unique and complex.
• dscout Team — dscout is the world’s leading SaaS video research platform. We are working on both React frontend, Elixir backend and Membrane-based multimedia layer.
• Hairstory Team — Hairstory is a subscription based company selling high quality hair care products. The team counts currently eight people and is working on a plethora of different technologies and tools useful for e-commerce companies.
• Fave Team — Fave is a multimedia-rich social media platform for fandoms build in Flutter and Node.js.

While we cannot guarantee what technologies you will be using during your internship, the most used programming languages currently at Software Mansion are:

• JavaScript/TypeScript with Node.js, React and React Native
• Elixir with Phoenix and Membrane Framework
• Python with Django
• C/C++

How much will I earn?

Your salary during the internship will be:

• 6500–7500 PLN gross if this is your first job as a software engineer,
• 7500–10000 PLN gross if you have previous experience in a similar position (for example on another similar internship) and know some of the technologies we use,
• 10000–13500 PLN if you have finished at least two years of Computer Science or a similar program and you have at least a year of commercial experience as a software engineer in a similar position using similar technologies to ours.

How to apply?

To start your application process, just go here and register. The deadline for registration is 3rd April, 2022, but the sooner you do it, the better are your chances — it should not take you more than a minute, so register ASAP.

Before the interview:

1. Register: to enter the application process, fill out your basic data: name, email and, optionally, your phone number. You should receive an automatic confirmation by email.
2. Send your resume: you will be asked to fill out some details about yourself (like education or work history). We don’t require an actual CV, but if you would like to share it, of course, you can.
3. Tell us more about your motivation: we will ask you to answer some open questions on why you would like to join our internship program and what would you like to get from it.
4. Solve our recruitment tasks: you will be asked to solve some simple technical tasks. You can expect both an algorithmic task to write some code, and some questions verifying your knowledge and information-finding skills.
5. Wait for an invitation: after you complete those steps, our committee will decide if we want to invite you to the next step — the interview part. It should not take us more than two weeks from when you complete all the steps. If your application is rejected, you will be informed by email.

The interviews:

Your interviews will be conducted remotely and will consist of the following parts:

• Interview 1 — Introduction: first, you will have a short (10–20 minutes) chat with our recruiter. During this part, among others, you can expect a short English conversation, and you will have the opportunity to ask any questions regarding the process.
• Interview 2 and 3 — Technical interviews: after the introduction, you will have two separate interviews with software engineers working in Software Mansion. Each one of the interviewers will separately assess if you are a good candidate to join the internship program, so don’t be surprised if both interviews are similar. You will be also given the opportunity to ask the interviewer questions about their work. Each interview will take about 60 minutes.
• Interview 4 — Final interview: if you don’t fail the technical interviews, you will have a short chat with me (CEO of Software Mansion). I will ask you a few questions about who you are and what your motivation is. In return, you will also have the opportunity to ask questions about Software Mansion or the internship program. This should take 15 to 30 minutes and hopefully will not be stressful at all.

You will be able to select the time and date of each of the steps separately, and you will get the instruction on how to prepare for the interviews.

The offer:

We gather every week to decide on hiring, so you can expect our decision no later than the next week after the last interview. If you receive an offer, you will be given at least three days to respond, but if you need to extend those three days, just let us know. If you agree to our offer there will be a bit of paperwork to do, but your recruiter will help you get through it.

Project selection:

Unfortunately, we cannot be 100% sure before the start of the internship what project you will get to work on. We will consider your preferences obtained during interviews, but there are possible short follow-up calls to try to fit you in one of the projects. Some of the projects require internal interviews; in such a case, we will schedule an interview with the team members behind the project. You don’t have to stress about it though — no matter the result, you will not lose your internship.

Start!

We plan to start the internships on the 4th of July 2022. We will let you know what time you should arrive at the office. On the first day, expect to be given some introductions, a few hours to set up your workplace — and in most cases, your first tasks as a software engineer at Software Mansion.

If you have any problems at any step of the process, don’t be afraid to send us an email at internship@swmansion.com.

Good luck!

F.A.Q.

Q: I need to know your decision early. How long will I need to wait?

A: You will wait around two weeks to get the decision to invite you to the interview and another week to wait for an offer. If you are fast, you should be able to finish the whole process in around three weeks.

Q: Will I be able to continue working at Software Mansion after the internship?

A: In 2021, each intern received an offer and decided to stay. Historically, more than 2 out of 3 interns stayed at Software Mansion after the internship.

Q: Do I have to be a university student?

A: No. While most of our summer interns are students, this is not a requirement. However, if you are not a student, you can also apply for an internship or a full-time junior position at any time and avoid all that competition.

Q: Can I do the internship on other dates?

A: It depends. While we prefer if everyone starts at the same time, in most cases we should be able to shift the internship by a few weeks in either direction.

Q: How much vacation will I have?

A: By default, you will have 5 days of paid vacation (that is, one full week). In most cases, you should be able to take another 5 days of unpaid vacation.

Q: Can I do the internship remotely?

A: No. Unfortunately we do not offer remote internships.

Q: I need to relocate to Kraków. Could you help me with that?

A: We are offering a one-time bonus of 1000 PLN for relocation if you study and live outside Kraków. We should also be able to help you find nice accommodation for the time of the internship. We will also show you the best places to visit and party in Kraków :).

Q: Is it possible to work remotely after the internship?

A: Yes, if you need to continue your studies in a city other than Kraków, we will provide you with the possibility to work remotely.