How does it work?

MIP Internship

How does MIP’s Internship Work?

The Internship begins with an open and transparent process where anyone is welcome to apply. It is a 5-step process.

Step 1: Aptitude Tests

We carefully test all applicants to find the raw talent, the Aptitude, to understand and solve problems. Over the past few years, we have tested an average of more than 4,000 applicants per month. This testing process is designed to be accessible to everyone, without exception, even to people who have never been exposed to software development, and who might not have realised that they have the natural talent required to be a software developer.

Step 2: Interviews

All applicants who successfully complete the testing phase are interviewed by MIP’s recruitment team. The purpose of the Interview is to help us identify who has the “MIP Attitude” – who appears to show the desire to work hard, continue to learn, to support their personal, family and community empowerment, and to do so with integrity and good ethics.

Applicants who are selected for their Attitude and Aptitude are offered an internship contract. The contract includes a period of training and a period of employment, totalling 3 years. This is a commitment from MIP to employ and train you for 3 years while you continue to demonstrate the MIP Attitude and Aptitude, and it is a commitment from you to work for MIP for 3 years.

Over the past few years, MIP has offered Internship Contracts to around 50 applicants but some years it has been much higher, or lower, depending on our recruitment needs.

Step 3: Internship Training

The Internship Training period is the first 3 months of the Internship. The first two weeks of training are conducted at MIP in Bryanston, and the next 10 weeks are done either in Bryanston or from our office in Cape Town, by MIP’s own training department. This is an intensive period, and Interns will work hard to learn many of the basic skills that software developers need. Interns will learn how to use their unique problem-solving talent to create software that solves business challenges.

Step 4: Internship Mentorship

The Internship Mentorship period is the rest of the 3 years. Interns are placed within MIP into one of our Software Product Teams. This is a period of mentorship, during which our Interns continue to learn while doing real work on our software systems. Our Interns are exposed to over 600 MIP employees, with a wide variety of experience, skills, job roles and responsibilities. Naturally, many of these colleagues are also interns, from previous classes. Many have been working for MIP for many years and now have senior and leadership roles within MIP.

Step 5: Ongoing Employment

It is important to understand that MIP is not just an educational institution, and so we do not want to say ‘goodbye’ to you once the Internship contract is complete. Your internship contract will automatically become a normal employment contract once you pass the 3-year mark, provided you demonstrate the skill and dedication we require from our permanent employees. We hope that you will become one of the very many interns who are still working at MIP to this day, many years after their initial internship period was completed.

Are You Ready to Start?

So, what are you waiting for? If this sounds like where you want to be, then jump on board – take the tests! We look forward to welcoming you to MIP!

You need to succeed in three tests before you reach the Interview step. This is how the tests work:

Test 1: Online Test – A Problem-Solving Game

You can use the link provided below to complete the first test. It is in the form of a computer game. You can do this at home, or wherever you feel comfortable.

But it’s just a game! Is this really a test?

Yes, it really is a test. Many people have commented that this is a strange way to apply for a job, and even that MIP is not a serious company if this is how we test our employees.

So, let us explain. As we described above, we are looking for all people who have the natural ability, the aptitude, to be software developers (or computer programmers). This means we want to be able to test people who might never have learned anything about programming before. To achieve that, we had to create a test that is equally accessible to all people, regardless of previous experience. The format of a “simple” online game makes this accessible to everyone.

It may seem like it is just a game, but it is a game that requires the problem-solving skills that we are looking for. There are 25 levels. The first levels are very easy, as they are there to let you become familiar with how to play. But the levels will become more challenging as you progress. You may be surprised to hear that some people, who have had software training previously, battled with this game. This shows that despite their training, they lacked the natural ability we are looking for. Others, who had never done any programming, really enjoyed the game, and aced it! So, if you manage to finish it, and if you have fun doing it, then we want you! We are confident that you will enjoy being a software developer at MIP!

And, yes, even if you have a computer science degree, we need you to start here!

We allow you three hours. For people who have the right natural aptitude, you will find that three hours is plenty of time. To avoid disappointment, please only start the game when you can arrange to be online, with no interruptions, for the full three hours required.

When you start, we will ask you for your contact information. If you are successful, we will use this information to contact you to carry on to the following tests.

PLEASE NOTE

All official communication from MIP will only come from thandik@mip.co.za.

If you receive messages from other email addresses or SMS claiming to represent us, they are not genuine.

If you suspect fraud or have any concerns, please contact us directly at the above email.

Are you ready to start your internship journey?

Start the Challenge

Test 2: Aptitude Test at MIP

If you are successful on Test 1, we will invite you to participate in Test 2. You will need to come to MIP for a set of written challenges.

Like Test 1, these challenges are designed to test your logical problem-solving ability. They also test some additional important skills for software developers. These are basic but important skills, like reading carefully, understanding the problem, and following instructions and working accurately. Like Test 1, these challenges do not require any previous experience, so we do not expect you to know any specific programming language or have any other computer skills.

You only need to understand, read, and write English well. This is also of practical value because most business in South Africa, and internationally, is conducted in English.

Test 3: The Final Aptitude Test

If you are successful on Test 2, we will invite you to participate in Test 3. You will need to come to a testing facility in the Rosebank area for another set of written challenges.

Again, this test seeks to identify your aptitude for software development. And, again, you do not need any previous computer experience. This test is administered by an independent company that MIP has worked with for many years.

When you have completed test 3 successfully, MIP will invite you for an interview at MIP.

What about the Salary?
Once again, MIP recognises that not all people have financial support while studying. Therefore, MIP pays Interns a salary every month throughout the 3-year internship period, both during the Internship Training period, and the Internship Mentorship period. The starting salary is at least R10,000 per month. Interns who do have prior additional software-related education or experience are offered a higher starting salary.

During the 3-year Internship, we expect to see each interns grow individually according to their unique abilities, and so there is a Performance Review every 3 months. The Performance Review may result in a salary adjustment. As a result, most interns complete their 3-year internship at a salary level that has grown much faster than simple inflationary growth, often earning 50% more than their starting salary, or even higher.

Once the intern becomes a regular employee, their ongoing career growth continues as it does for all employees.

We need to talk about Cheating!

Unfortunately, there are dishonest people. We have found previous versions of our tests posted online, with answers provided. We have identified and excluded individuals who used these to try to cheat the tests and find employment at MIP.

But we would like to explain why cheating is not a good idea.

MIP needs ethical people. Our business involves systems that process money, that contain private information, that look after people’s Pensions and Healthcare. MIP has the highest moral and ethical standards, and we need our staff to live by the same high moral and ethical standards. We cannot employ people who cheat.

Giving people answers does not help them! There is a well-known saying that goes: Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. If you are someone who has given test solutions to others, will you be there to help them when they are on the job and need your help to solve fresh problems as part of their daily work? If not, then you really are not helping anyone by giving them test answers to cheat their way to a job that they will not be able to do.

Using someone else’s answers will not help you! It might get you through a test if the other person knows the questions and answers. But what will you do when you get the job, and there are fresh challenges every day, and there is no one to give you the answers? When you are a software developer you need to be the person who can figure out the answers for problems you never saw before, by yourself! If you are unable to do that, you will find yourself struggling terribly, feeling stressed, and not enjoying your job at all. Ultimately, you will be looking for another job.

Still, cheating continues to happen. MIP takes various steps to minimise cheating, and to exclude people who are caught cheating. We change our tests periodically, and we take precautions against applicants copying our tests to share with others. People who get a job at MIP by cheating will not last long. The inability to cope with the high level work and pressure will create problems of their own: depression, poor self-esteem, and the constant fear of being dismissed for poor performance. If you want to cheat to get through, please save yourself and MIP a lot of unnecessary trouble, and rather look for a job somewhere else.