Frequently Asked Questions

The SVIP is funded entirely by the participating tech companies.

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

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.

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.

Applications for the 2023 cohort will remain open throughout February, 2023.

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 normally 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 different language, you will need to have these documents officially translated. Many universities offer the option of translating your transcript to another language. The SVIP will not cover the costs for translating your degree or transcript

The SVIP will organise J-1 intern or trainee 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.

There are two fees associated with the J-1 visa application process. These are the SEVIS I-901 fee and the embassy appointment fee. Each SVIP participant is responsible for paying both fees during their visa process. The SVIP reimburses each participant for these costs when the participant arrives in the US.

No, unfortunately the SVIP is unable to cover these costs.

Yes! SVIP participants receive a 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 and 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. 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!

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.

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.

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 programme 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 the programme. The max duration for the intern visa is 12-months while the max duration for the trainee visa is 18-months.