Entry-Developer Roles
Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ covers all entry-level software development roles, apprenticeships and internships at Softwire. If you have questions that it doesn’t answer, please get in touch!

How do I apply for a role?

• Via the links on our careers pages only – we aren’t able to accept applications via email.

How many places do you have for entry-level developers?

• In 2024, we expect to take on around 25 graduate developers hired directly from previous internships, 10 career switchers/returners, 10 apprentices, and 40 summer interns.

What start dates are available?

• Entry-level developers will join in April, September or November.
• Apprentices will join in October.
• Summer interns will join in late June or Early July, for an 8-10 week internship programme.

Should I apply for a permanent role or an internship?

• If you are hoping to take up a permanent role within the next 12 months, you should apply directly for any suitable role. Otherwise, you are welcome to apply for an internship. Note that you can indicate your potential interest in an internship when you apply for a permanent role or vice versa.

Is an internship a good route into a permanent role at Softwire?

• Yes! In fact, an internship is the only route into the graduate developer role at Softwire. Approximately 50% of our interns go on to join us in a permanent role.

Am I eligible for a software development internship

• To be eligible for our internship, you need to be a UK citizen, or studying in the UK, or otherwise have permission to work in the UK. You do not need to be at university.
• You also need to be aiming to take up permanent employment 6-12 months after the internship finishes. As such, university students will usually be offered internships during the summer following their penultimate year of study. If you are not in your penultimate year, you should check with us before applying for an internship. We may be able to make exceptions, especially for those who aren’t certain which year they will leave university.

Are there any alternatives to a summer internship?

• Unfortunately not. We don’t offer internships at other times of year, and we don’t offer longer placements, for example to those seeking industrial placements or on gap years. Our only temporary role is the 8-10 week internship over the summer.
• Note that we have now stopped offering 2-week non-summer internships.

Which permanent role should I apply for?

• We don’t accept direct applications for our graduate developer role – these places are awarded to those who have previously attended our internship programme.
• If you are a career switcher or returner, you should apply for the role of Entry-level developer, career switchers and returners. If you have no degree or a non-STEM degree, our Apprentice Software Developer role may be the most appropriate.

Can I apply for more than one role?

• There is no need to apply for more than one role – you can simply indicate your interest in other roles when you apply. In any case, we consider people for all suitable roles so it isn’t critical which role(s) you specify on your application.

Can I work remotely?

• For your first 1-2 years of training we would expect you to be in the office 4-5 days per week. Beyond that there is greater flexibility, but most of our employees will be in three or more days per week on average.
• In practice we are often able to say “yes” to people who wish to work fully remotely for short periods, or have other flexible working needs – e.g. to accommodate caring responsibilities. But there will inevitably be certain projects or activities which require you to attend our offices, so we can’t guarantee that remote working will always be possible.
• We are an inclusive employer, so if you have a disability or other personal circumstances that make regular office working a challenge, please do get in touch to discuss further..

Can I work part-time?

• Unfortunately not. All of our software development roles are full-time roles, at least in the first instance. You may be able to move to part-time working once you have been with us for a while, by mutual agreement.

Do we offer visa sponsorship?

• For permanent roles, Softwire offers visa sponsorship for non-UK nationals and will cover application costs for a Skilled Worker visa or Indefinite Leave to Remain. For internships and apprenticeships, we are regrettably unable to offer visa sponsorship. Non-UK nationals applying for internships or apprenticeships must already have the right to work in the UK, for example by virtue of studying in the UK and thus holding a Student visa.

Are there any academic grade requirements?

• No. None of our roles require any particular academic grades (from school, university or any other institution), and all of our offers are unconditional.
• For apprenticeship positions we expect that candidates have a basic level of Mathematics. This might look like a ‘Level 2 Functional Skills’ qualification or ‘C’ grade at GCSE. We do not require candidates, for any roles, to have taken A levels.

Does Softwire offer careers specialising in particular areas, for example, Machine Learning or Artificial Intelligence?

• At present we aren’t able to offer highly specialised careers. Most of our developers are full-stack developers who become well-versed in a wide range of languages and technologies. If you’re hoping to specialise in a particular area, Softwire probably isn’t the right place for you.

Can I visit Softwire’s offices to see what they’re like?

• All those that receive an offer of employment from us are welcome to visit our offices before making their decision. Due to the volume of applicants, we are regrettably unable to offer earlier visits – apologies!

What salaries are offered? 

• In the UK, all permanent entry-level developer roles currently attract a salary of £45,000 per annum. Interns are paid £35,000 per annum (pro rata) and apprentices earn £24,000 per annum.

What does the application process look like?

• There are five stages: submission of the application form; online tests (typically lasting 2 hours); a 30-minute non-technical interview; a 90-minute technical interview and a final 45-minute soft skills interview . At each stage we aim to get back to you within two working days, the only exception being after the final interview when we might need more time to make a final decision on your application. All interviews are conducted remotely, with humans (not bots!) and you are able to choose your own time slots for the interview, using our online booking system.

What is the best preparation for the assessment process?

• Lots of coding practice! Hobby projects, academic projects, any coding at all. The aim should be to obtain good coding fluency – it’s not about knowing every corner of a language, but about being comfortable working with the basic concepts. Before taking our tests, you can check your skills on Code Signal Arcade.

How much coding experience do I need to apply?

• We are very much open to beginners applying but to assess you we do require you to have some coding experience, even if it’s only a little. (Without such experience, how would either of us know that coding is something you actually enjoy!) We recommend a minimum of around 25 hours or so before you take our online coding test. And the more experience you do have, the better your chances in our assessment.

How can I get started in coding?

• You can get started with any mainstream programming language, with the most common examples being: Python, Ruby, Javascript, Java or C#. (Knowledge of HTML/CSS is useful but they aren’t programming languages.) There are plenty of sites that will teach you the basics, for example, Codecademy, if you’d rather learn more formally, you can try a coding Bootcamp such as Softwire’s, Techswitch, or the Softwire Coding Bootcamp . Many of these Bootcamps accept candidates with little to no experience.

What training does Softwire provide for software developers?

• Our entry-level new starters spend their first 2-3 months working on a specially chosen introductory project along with other new starters, under the guidance of a dedicated mentor. This period provides a comprehensive introduction into full stack programming. Then our developers join one of our client teams and start contributing to a project and developing their skills on the job. For the next year or so, 10% of their time is allocated to off-project, more formal training.

What are the working hours?

• Our employees are contracted for a minimum of 37.5 hours per week. Long working hours are quite rare at Softwire, and few people regularly work much more than 40 hours per week. Employees need to be working during ‘core hours’, to overlap with their team mates. Core hours may vary per team but are typically 10am-4pm.