Candidates
Find paid internships & graduate roles in tech.
Supporting juniors to kick-start their careers since 2006.
Develop and showcase your skills, learn from industry leaders and get a chance to work with top companies in New Zealand.
By joining the Summer of Tech programme, you can hunt for junior roles, connect with employers, attend free workshops & career panels to learn from industry leaders, and have our team support you as you search for your first career role.
The numbers
19 years And counting
3,507 Placements since 2006
470+ Employers
132 Placements in 2024
What is Summer of Tech?
At Summer of Tech, we bridge the gap between learning and earning. Our programme provides bootcamps, CV clinics and recruitment events to get students and graduates work-ready and connected with industry professionals and tech companies looking for fresh talent.
Landing your first tech role can be challenging, but our team of experts and super connectors are here to get you ready for a career in tech.
You’re eligible for our programme if you:
Are currently studying at a New Zealand tertiary institution, or;
Completed your study within the past 12 months
Regardless of what you're studying, or what stage of your qualification you are at, if you’re interested & excited about kick-starting your tech career, then Summer of Tech is for you.
We are not a placement service. We provide support, resources, connections and opportunties to apply for roles, when they’re available.
Types of roles
Employers use our platform to hire for:
Summer internships (usually 10-12 weeks from mid-November to mid-February)
Graduate roles
Short/fixed-term contracts
Part-time roles
Tech is broad! Here’s a list of some of types of roles you can expect to see on our platform:
Software development
Web development
Data analysis
Software engineering
DevOps
Digital design
Business analysis
Digital marketing
Testing & QA
App development
Security
User experience
Database administration
Project management
Computer Graphics/Animation
Mechanical engineering… and more
Platform
Our platform works like a job board - you’ll set up a profile for yourself, then research companies and apply for their available jobs.
Your Summer of Tech profile will have all the information employers want to know - your CV, academic transcript, your technical skills, an About Me section, as well as links to your Github, portfolio or LinkedIn if applicable. Nailing your profile is important if you want to stand out - and our team are here to help.
We have plenty of resources to get your profile looking awesome, and you can always reach out to us for help if you need it. You also have access to our bootcamps - read on to find out more!
Bootcamps
Through our programme, you have access to up to 100 free events each year to help prepare you for industry. Supported by our industry volunteers and sponsors, we run bootcamps, workshops, employer panels, CV review sessions, mock interviews, mentor groups and 1:1 sessions.
Bootcamp events are usually online, and usually between 60-90 minutes. These are designed to inform, inspire and upskill students on the stuff that the NZ tech sector wants you to know. They might be lecture style, or hands-on – it all depends on the presenters! They are industry-led and cover technical and core skills to help you develop personally and professionally. These events give you practical experience opportunities and a taste of real world work!
For our popular CV review and mock interview sessions, you’ll be allocated a short time to get 1:1 advice from an industry volunteer.
Recruitment Events
Every year, we run recruitment events to help you connect with employers. These events, which we call Meet & Greets, run in September and are the biggest events of the Summer of Tech programme - we highly recommend coming to these, so make sure you register early and get a spot!
These events are mostly geared towards summer intern recruitment, but our graduate employers are welcome, too.
Meet & Greet: Our version of a career fair event where you can network with employers casually, in a buzzing environment. This is a chance to do your research, and show up ready to ask employers specific questions about their roles, and connect with hiring managers.
Speed Interviews: Employers can use our Speed Interview process to hold short, 10 minute interviews with their top candidates.
FAQs
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We’ve got loads of resources to help you create a strong profile and a CV that will showcase your potential!
See our CV & Profile Support page here.
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It’s a full-time, paid summer job.
Usually from mid November - mid February (approximately 400 hours). It is mentored and supervised closely by the host employer, and the intern works on real tech projects.
There is an employment contract in place, and usually no expectation of ongoing work beyond the summer.
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Yes! Throughout the year employers can list all kinds of entry-level tech jobs. They could be part-time, short-term, mid-year internships, or full-time graduate roles.
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No. Summer of Tech is for students who are enrolled in a NZ tertiary institution.
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Yes. You're welcome to join our programme if you’re studying at, or have graduated within the last 12 months from, any recognised New Zealand Tertiary provider.
When creating your profile, please upload a copy of your ‘enrolment letter’ in place of your academic record.
During short courses/bootcamps, it’s recommended not to participate in Summer of Tech, as you won’t have enough time to commit to SoT AND your full-time study.Not sure if you are studying at an accredited New Zealand tertiary? See the full list of NZ institutions.
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Yes, as long as you graduated less than 12 months ago from an NZ tertiary institution.
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Yes. As long as you’re studying at an NZ tertiary institution and have a valid work visa for the length of the employment contract.
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No. Our charitable purpose is all about inclusive, accessible, free educational events for tech candidates.
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Usually, volunteers from the SoT community, our sponsors or the SoT team.
We often talk to the industry about the skill gaps they see in graduates. We try to work alongside tertiaries, supporting what they’re teaching, but we can move quickly to deploy short sharp lessons based on industry demand.
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We record our most important sessions; you can find previous recordings and slide decks by selecting “past events” in the events tab on the platform.
If you are registered for an event, but your plans change, and you can’t attend, it is really important to withdraw from the event at least 4 hours before it is due to start. This will give another student a chance to secure a spot. Candidates who register for an event and fail to withdraw risk being banned from attending future events, including Meet & Greet. If an emergency arises and the student is unable to withdraw, they must try to contact the Summer of Tech team as soon as they can.
If you’re running late to a SoT event, please inform the team via email or chat bubble, and we’ll hold your spot.
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Once your profile is approved, you can “Apply” for up to 15 roles from the job listing. This lets the employer know you’re interested in that role. You can change your application selections any time. SoT is not a formal application process; you may not get a response for every role you apply for. We do ask employers to give you feedback if you have an interview but are not offered the role, but it is up to them whether they have time for this.
You cannot contact employers directly about roles. They can access your contact information and will contact you if they want to invite you to the next step. Please remember there are thousands of students in the SoT programme, so the place to talk directly to employers is at our Meet & Greet event.
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SoT’s search means employers can find your profile, check out your skills, shortlist and offer you any role. We strongly encourage you to take every opportunity to learn more about a company and a role. You never know; it might be surprisingly awesome. It is a very good idea to take every interview opportunity. You can’t beat this experience!!
If, after your interview, you’re definitely not interested in the role, you should tell the company politely and professionally.
But remember, you won’t get a second chance, so make sure you’re sure!
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There are opportunities throughout the year to meet employers at our events. The main one for this is Meet & Greet, don’t miss it! We don’t give out employer contact information to candidates (there are too many of you!)
They will contact you if they want to arrange a job interview.
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Employers may contact you at any time. We have SoT-hosted “Speed Interviews” after Meet & Greet.
Employers may do follow-up interviews online or offline code tests, they may set a design challenge or invite you for a site visit. It’s totally up to them, just like a normal recruitment process: they will do whatever they need to do to be ready to offer you a job!
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For the summer recruitment season, you can receive an internship offer through our platform any time after our Meet & Greet sessions.
If you need to talk through a hard decision or are worried about a job offer, please contact us for support.
For graduate or short term roles during the year, there’s no offers timeline, employers will follow their own standard process.
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That depends on the employer. Many NZ businesses shut down between 25 December and 10 January. If you’ve already committed to being away for more than a week outside of that time, then we suggest you mention it to the employer at the end of your 2nd interview (or if they bring it up earlier).
Terms & Conditions
As a Summer of Tech candidate, I agree to abide by the following terms & conditions:
I am eligible as a candidate for Summer of Tech, because I have a current student ID from an Aotearoa New Zealand tertiary institution OR I finished study at an Aotearoa New Zealand tertiary institution less than 12 months ago.
I understand that Summer of Tech is to connect students and graduates to their first professional tech job. If I have been employed full time in a comparable role in the past 2 years, then I am not eligible.
I am legally able to work in Aotearoa New Zealand.
I agree to abide by the SoT Code of Conduct for events.
As much as possible, I will participate in the SoT bootcamp programme to get upskilled on professional and technical topics, and connected with potential employers.
I understand that if I register for events but fail to attend, this may result in me being banned from future event attendance. If my plans change and I am unable to attend an event I registered for, I will log in and withdraw my registration within 4 hours of the event start time. If an emergency arises and I’m unable to withdraw my registration I will contact the SoT team to let them know about my event no-show as soon as I am able to do so.
I will complete my profile including uploading accurate information to the SoT website, including my CV/portfolio, skills, academic record (we accept official or unofficial transcript, screenshots from academic portal, letter of enrollment, letter of graduation), and cover letter.
I understand that Summer of Tech respects the privacy of my personal information. I understand that Employers in the programmes I have opted into will be able to see the information on my profile (except for the statistical demographic information about gender & ethnicity, that is just for SoT anonymous reporting purposes).
I declare that all the information in my CV and portfolio is my own Intellectual Property, and that it is true, accurate, and not commercially sensitive.
I will participate in the recruitment process, by applying for roles on the SoT website, and attending the Meet and Greet session(s) for summer internship recruitment. I will make myself available and attend Speed Interviews if I am selected.
I understand that if I apply for roles in different locations, it is MY responsibility to pay for travel, relocation and accommodation costs. Neither SoT nor the employer are able to cover travel, relocation and accommodation costs.
If I receive an offer, I understand that the terms of employment are to be negotiated between me and my employer, and that the SoT team is available to support the process.
If I accept an offer, I understand that this is binding like a verbal acceptance, and that the employer will confirm details with an employment contract within 1 week.
I understand that renegging on an accepted offer may impact my future career, take the opportunity away from another candidate, and result in the employer having a poor experience with hiring juniors and their ongoing participation in Summer of Tech.
I understand and agree that having a completed profile on the SoT website means I am available for SoT roles. If my availability changes, I will immediately update it, and withdraw from SoT programmes if I am no longer available for work.
I understand that it is HIGHLY unprofessional to withdraw from the SoT Internship programme between Meet & Greet and Offers Day, because employers will be investing huge resources, time & energy in the shortlisting & interview process. If I am shortlisted after Meet & Greet, I will do everything in my power to remain available between then and Offers Day.
Throughout my participation in Summer of Tech, I will be a professional employee and ambassador for the SoT programme.
I acknowledge that Summer of Tech may video or photograph participants at events, and that my attendance may be documented and shared via online media channels (including the SoT website, Twitter and Facebook pages, and Youtube). As such, I hereby agree to relinquish any reasonable expectation of privacy and understand that the use of my image does not violate any right of privacy, law, regulation or agreement. Moreover, I hereby grant permission to Summer of Tech to use, or authorise others to use, any photograph, motion picture, image, recording, or any other record of my participation in activities during the Summer of Tech programme.
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Let's get you ready to kick start your career in tech!