Summer Internship 2024 at Software Mansion

This year is the 11th year when we organize the Summer Internship Program at Software Mansion. For the last 9 years, close to 150 people joined us for the summer and most of them stayed with us until today. We hope that, like in previous years, this will be an opportunity for many of you to either start your career in Software Engineering or switch to a new, more challenging job.

TL;DR
What: Software Engineer Summer Internship 2024
Where: Kraków, our office at Zabłocie 43B
When: July–September 2024, earlier start is possible
Salary: 6500–13500 gross monthly
Application Deadline: April 14, 2024
Registration: HERE
Questions and contact: internship@swmansion.com

About us & what we do at Software Mansion

We are a company specializing in building great developer experiences and this is why a lot of our engineers stay with us for years! We fulfill our mission by working on exciting projects with our clients, by building top-notch developer tools, and by working hard on making sure that the efficient work is also satisfying. While we are a software development agency offering a broad spectrum of services, we have gained some notoriety in a couple of domains. We are React Native experts who contribute to its development as co-authors of Expo and widely used React Native libraries. We are also the author of Membrane, an easily understandable and customizable multimedia framework.

As you can see, at Software Mansion, you can either work on projects for our clients (most of whom are from the United States) or support our teams in developing useful open-source tools for other engineers.

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 to 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 their 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 and Polish (B2 or higher), because we use English to talk with clients, but our internal communication is conducted in Polish.

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

• basic algorithms and data structures,
• common programming paradigms and patterns,
• 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 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.

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 React, React Native, Node.js, and Next.js
• Elixir with Phoenix and Membrane Framework
• Python with Django
• C, C++ and Rust, mixed with other languages

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

Mobile development

We have a few teams of different sizes that work on mobile applications, mostly in React Native, for our clients. One of those is:

• 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.

Full-stack development

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, and Elixir backend.
• Global Study Team — Global Study is a platform connecting students looking for education opportunities abroad. This team builds a complete solution from the backend up to React Native mobile app.
• Moxie Team — this team builds a complete software solution for operating a MedSpa business. In this team, you will have an opportunity to see how a complete team builds a project, from UI design, through Python/Django backend, to React frontend.

Venture projects

We have several projects that we have invested in, or otherwise are working on for equity. One of those is:

• Campy Team — Campy is the most popular app for motorhome campers in Europe. We are responsible, among others, for the development of the mobile app.

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.
• Multimedia RTC Team — consists of a few subteams (Membrane Framework, Compositor, Jellyfish and Cloud) building real-time multimedia tools and solutions created in Software Mansion using Elixir, Rust, Python 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.
• StarkNet 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 Finland R&D, 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.

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 (equal to Junior Software Engineer — L1),
• 7500–10000 PLN gross — if you have prior relatable experience (for example on another similar internship), know some of the technologies we use, and will be able to join a project from day one (equivalent to Software Engineer I — L2),
• 10000–13500 PLN gross — if you have proven that you can work autonomously in a similar environment to Software Mansion. Usually, this will mean that you have at least 12 to 24 months of commercial experience as a software engineer in a relatable position using similar technologies to ours. This is equivalent to Software Engineer II — L3.

Recruitment process

How to apply?

To start your application process, just click HERE and register. The deadline for registration is April 14, 2024, but the sooner you apply and solve the recruitment tasks, the better your chances are. It should not take you more than a minute, so register ASAP.

Recruitment process — step by step

1. Before the interviews:

• 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.
• 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.
• Solve our recruitment tasks & tell us more about your motivation: 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. Also, 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. The deadline for completing these forms is the same for all candidates, regardless of when they apply, and is set for April 21, 2024.
• At this point, you will also be invited via mail to join our Discord server, where we will share all the important information about the recruitment process. You are, of course, welcome to ask any questions you may have there!
• Wait for feedback: 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.

2. The interviews:

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

• Interview 1 — Introduction — 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.
• Interviews 2 and 3 — Technical interviews — two separate technical 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 also be given the opportunity to ask the interviewer questions about their work. Each interview will take 60 minutes.
• Interview 4 — Final interview — a short chat with Marcin Skotniczny (CEO) or one of the board members of Software Mansion. They will ask 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 about 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 instructions on what you should prepare before the interview.

3. The offer

You can expect our decision no later than two weeks after the last interview, but we will try to provide it to you as soon as possible. In case of a delay, we will surely inform you about it.

4. 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 fit you into 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.

5. Start!

We expect to have a few available dates you can choose to start on. After we agree on a start date, we will let you know what time you should arrive at the office. On your first day, expect to be given several 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: How will I be informed about the progress in the recruitment process and important news about the internship?

A: You will be invited via mail to join our Discord server, and you will find all the announcements there. The crucial information will also be sent to you by mail.

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

A: You will wait up to two weeks to get the decision to invite you to the interview and up to two weeks to wait for an offer (but we will try to provide it to you as soon as we can). If you are fast, you should be able to finish the whole process in around 2–3 weeks. If you have any special constraints on timing, please let us know!

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

A: Of course! After the last edition of a summer internship almost every 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 interns are students, this is not a requirement.

Q: Can I do the internship on other dates?

A: We will have several starting dates for you to choose from. If you would like to start earlier, it should be possible, but please discuss that with your recruiter.

Q: I took part in the past recruitment process for an internship or Software Engineer position at Software Mansion, but I got rejected at some stage. Can I apply once again?

A: If you applied 12 months or more ago, feel free to reapply. If it has been less time, such cases will be considered separately, so give it a try as well. The recruiter will update you on our decision. There might be a chance to skip some steps if you have recently advanced far in the process. :)

Q: Can I do the internship remotely?

A: No. Unfortunately, we do not offer remote internships. However, it is not a problem to work remotely from time to time when there is a need to.

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.

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 :).