Frequently Asked Questions

Find the answers to the most common questions here

  • About SVIP

  • How is the Silicon Valley Internship Programme funded?

    The SVIP is funded entirely by the participating tech companies.

  • Can I come at a different time of year to September?

    No. The SVIP has one intake which happens in September of each year.

  • Do you offer a summer internship?

    No. The SVIP is a one year (or 18-month) long program. We’ve found that it takes a number of months for SVIP participants to learn the ropes and be of use to their company. This means that short term internships aren't feasible.

  • How does The SVIP teach entrepreneurship?

    The majority of the SVIP participant's day-to-day experience is in the trenches, working in their host company, learning about commercial coding and how people within these companies think about business. Augmenting the day-to-day experience are regular 'Meet the Entrepreneur' and 'Hackathon' events. 'Meet the Entrepreneur' is an opportunity to meet and learn from the personal success stories of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. 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.

  • Arrival to Silicon Valley

  • Is the internship paid?

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

  • How much time will the SVIP take up outside of working hours?

    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 and larger formal events such as The SVIP Xmas Party and The SVIP Summer Party.

  • Where will I live?

    The SVIP will provide each participant with accommodation for their first month in San Francisco. 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 the candidate'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 programme. The first month is a great opportunity to find your future house-mates!

  • Where are the SVIP partner companies located?

    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 springing up in the city of San Francisco itself.

  • What happens if I drop out of the program?

    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 candidate's visa processing, flights and accommodation.

Close