Frequently Asked Questions

The SVIP is funded entirely by the participating tech companies.

Yes, we have some flexibility in when participants can come to the US. The yearly program typically starts in September so we aim to have all participants join as close to then as possible.

No. The SVIP is a one year (or 18-month) long program beginning in September of each year. We’ve found that it takes a number of months for SVIP participants to learn the ropes and provide value to their company. Shorter term internships aren't feasible.

The majority of SVIP participant's day-to-day experience is in the trenches, working at their host startup, learning through professional coding and how people within these startups think about business decisions. Augmenting the day-to-day experience are regular Meet the Entrepreneur and Hackathon events. Meet the Entrepreneur events provide opportunities to meet and learn from the personal success stories of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. Our Hackathons are a sequential set of themed workshops which aim to take the SVIP participants through the company formation process from idea to Minimum Viable Product.

Applications for the 2024 cohort are currently closed.

The SVIP looks for technically strong candidates who will thrive in a fast paced work environment. Startups are a unique place to work, with each day hosting a variety of business and technical challenges which our SVIP interns will need to be able to solve through creative and entrepreneurial means.

The main focus of the SVIP is on Computer Science and Software Engineering/Data Science. There is a very specific need in Silicon Valley for people who are able to code and while we do always keep an eye out for people coming from other academic backgrounds, this skill set is a must.

We take applications from candidates outside Europe also.

The SVIP does not offer internships to those on 'sandwich' years.

All applications and resumes/CVs MUST be submitted in English. Applications and resumes submitted in any other language will not be considered.

If your degree or transcript is in a language other than English, you will need to have these documents officially translated. Many universities offer the option of translating your transcript to English. The SVIP will not cover the costs for translating your degree or transcript

The SVIP will organise US J-1 intern or trainee category visas for all SVIP participants. This process begins in May of each year, approximately 4 months before you are due to travel to the US.

Successful SVIP participants will be required to pay out-of-pocket for their US embassy J-1 visa appointment fee. This fee is typically ~$185 USD equivalent in your local currency. The SVIP reimburses each participant for this fee when the participant arrives in the US.

No, unfortunately the SVIP is unable to cover travel costs relating to attending your US embassy appointment.

Yes! SVIP participants receive a minimum salary of $80,000.

In addition to the full-time role in the company's engineering team, SVIP participants commit to one weekend a month for Meet the Entrepreneur and Hackathon events. There are also occasional social events as well as larger formal events such as The SVIP Xmas Party and The SVIP Summer Party.

The SVIP will provide each participant with accommodation for their first month in San Francisco. Additionally, the SVIP has a six bedroom house in the heart of San Francisco which accommodates some of the SVIP participants each year. Room allocations for the SVIP house are based on proximity to program participant's office location. Beyond the first month if you have not been allocated a room in the SVIP house, you will be assisted with finding your own accommodation for the duration of the program. The first month is a great opportunity to find your future housemates.

Some of our partner companies are based in Silicon Valley ‘proper’; that is the general area south of San Francisco around Menlo Park, Palo Alto and Mountain View. However, more and more startups are choosing to locate in the city of San Francisco itself.

We really hope this does not happen! However, in the exceptional case that it does, the SVIP participant will be responsible for reimbursing the SVIP for the 'hard costs' sunk into the participant's visa processing, flights and accommodation.

J1 visa categories are allocated to candidates based on certain graduation recency and work experience qualifications. A J1 intern visa is given to SVIP participants who are either currently enrolled in a degree-granting, third-level academic institution outside of the US or have graduated from such an institution in the 12 months prior to their internship program start date. A J1 trainee visa is given to any SVIP participant who has either a degree from a third-level academic institution and 1 year of relevant work experience, or 5 years of relevant work experience in the field in which they are applying for their traineeship.

Aside from the applicant having to meet different criteria to be considered for each type of J1 visa, the only difference between the visa categories is the maximum possible duration of a candidate's program. The max duration for the intern visa is 12 months while the max duration for the trainee visa is 18 months.