Software engineer, intern
Bending Spoons · Romania
- Hybrid
- Internship
- £85,797 / year
- Romania
Job highlights
- Build impactful software for millions.
- Own projects from idea to production.
- Leverage AI in development workflow.
- Work across diverse technology stacks.
- Join ambitious, talented teams.
About the role
About Bending Spoons
At Bending Spoons, we are driven by the ambition to build one of the greatest companies of all time. Our goal is to create a company that not only serves a massive customer base but also fosters the full potential of its team members. We operate with exceptional effectiveness and efficiency, generating extraordinary value for shareholders while upholding high ethical standards. We achieve this by acquiring and long-term operating digital businesses, transforming them to accelerate innovation, enhance customer value, and boost business performance. Our organizational structure is intentionally lean, with small, talent-dense teams. We approach established products with the dynamism, agility, and urgency characteristic of a startup, deeply integrating AI into our workflows to harmonize human judgment with machine intelligence.
Your Role as a Software Engineer Intern
As a Software Engineer Intern at Bending Spoons, you will have the opportunity to learn, make a significant impact, and accelerate your career. This role is designed for talented, driven, and collaborative individuals seeking an exceptional growth trajectory. You will be instrumental in building impactful software, taking ownership from conceptualization to production. You will craft systems utilized by millions, evolving them into large-scale products. By integrating cutting-edge AI tools into your development process—spanning design, implementation, testing, and documentation—you'll enhance speed and maintain rigorous standards for correctness, reliability, and maintainability. You will work across diverse technology stacks, embracing end-to-end ownership and selecting the optimal technologies for each challenge. Whether it's monoliths or microservices, gRPC or REST, Kubernetes or Docker, Python or Rust, your focus will be on applying technologies thoughtfully, emphasizing depth and purpose over fleeting trends. A core part of your role will be to relentlessly simplify, questioning complexity at every level and improving architectures, pipelines, and codebases to create systems that are simpler, more scalable, and easier to maintain.
What We Look For
- Reasoning Ability: You possess the capacity to solve complex problems given the necessary knowledge, thinking from first principles with sharply structured ideas. You are adept at resisting biases and identifying and addressing critical details.
- Drive: Extreme ambition fuels your initiative, effort, and tenacity. You feel a deep sense of responsibility for your work and consistently uphold a high standard for yourself.
- Team Spirit: You are a generous team member, offering support without expectation of return. You champion the best idea, not necessarily your own, and are always ready to contribute wherever needed to help your team succeed. Reliability, honesty, and transparency are key.
- English Proficiency: You possess strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
What We Offer
- Talented Teams: Work within small, results-oriented, autonomous teams alongside exceptionally bright individuals.
- Growth Opportunity: Experience unparalleled career progression. Spooners in their 20s manage products worth hundreds of millions. With demonstrated capability, you'll quickly assume critical roles in major projects.
- Competitive Compensation: We offer competitive pay and the opportunity for equity participation. For early-career professionals, typical annual salaries range from £85,797 in London to €66,065 elsewhere in Europe. For those with considerable experience, salaries typically range from £112,189 to £250,512 in London and €107,837 to €188,848 elsewhere in Europe. Compensation is tailored to location, expected impact, and grows with experience. Equity participation via discounted share purchase is available for permanent contracts. A 50% tax cut is available for those relocating to Italy.
- Comprehensive Benefits: Enjoy flexible hours, remote work options, unlimited learning and training support, top-tier health insurance, a generous relocation package, substantial parental support, and an annual retreat. We are committed to providing the optimal conditions for you to perform your best work.
- Flexible Start: We offer flexible start dates and part-time options, allowing you to join even before graduation and transition to full-time as you complete your studies. Many have successfully integrated their roles with their education.
Commitment & Contract
Permanent or fixed-term. Full-time.
Location
Milan (Italy), Madrid (Spain), Warsaw (Poland), London (UK) or remote in selected countries.
The Selection Process
Our screening process emphasizes verifiable signals of excellence, irrespective of seniority. We encourage individuals who may feel they lack experience or have unconventional CVs not to self-reject if they are enthusiastic about the role and believe they can excel. Successful candidates will undergo challenging tests that may cover unfamiliar problems and require several hours to complete. We maintain high standards and only extend offers when confident in the candidate's fit, which may lead to roles remaining open or being reposted.
Before You Apply
If you have applied previously without receiving an offer, we recommend reapplying after at least one year. Bending Spoons is a demanding environment with high expectations for ambition and performance, leading to significant learning and growth but also requiring substantial commitment. To facilitate a rapid ramp-up and ensure success, we suggest an initial period working from our Milan office, regardless of your long-term work location, to immerse yourself in the company culture and build team rapport. We provide support for travel and accommodation. Post-initial period, you may work from our Milan or London offices, or remotely from approved countries, as agreed upon during the offer stage.
Key skills/competency
Software Engineer Intern, AI Integration, Scalable Systems, Full-Stack Development, Problem Solving, Ambitious, Teamwork, Agile Methodologies, Technology Selection, Code Optimization
Skills & topics
- Software Engineer
- Intern
- Computer Science
- Software Development
- AI
- Machine Learning
- Full Stack
- Backend
- Frontend
- Engineering
- Python
- Rust
- Kubernetes
- Docker
- gRPC
- REST
- Agile
- Problem Solving
- Teamwork
- Ambition
How to get hired
- Tailor Your Resume: Highlight projects demonstrating problem-solving, ambition, and teamwork, aligning with Bending Spoons' values.
- Showcase Your Drive: Emphasize initiative, end-to-end ownership, and a commitment to high standards in your application and interviews.
- Ace the Tests: Prepare for challenging technical assessments that may involve unfamiliar problems; dedicate ample time.
- Demonstrate Team Spirit: Articulate how you support ideas, contribute generously, and foster transparency in team environments.
- Highlight AI Enthusiasm: Showcase any experience or interest in integrating AI tools into development workflows.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- What is the typical timeline for the Software Engineer Intern hiring process at Bending Spoons?
- The selection process at Bending Spoons prioritizes verifiable signals of excellence. After an initial screening, candidates typically undergo challenging technical tests that may take several hours. The entire process can be lengthy as they ensure they find the right fit, sometimes leading to roles remaining open for months or being reposted.
- What kind of technical challenges can a Software Engineer Intern expect at Bending Spoons?
- As a Software Engineer Intern, you can expect to build software that matters, taking ownership from idea to production for systems used by millions. You'll integrate AI tools into your workflow, work across diverse tech stacks (monoliths, microservices, gRPC, REST, Kubernetes, Docker, Python, Rust), and focus on simplifying complex systems for scalability and maintainability.
- Does Bending Spoons offer remote work for interns?
- Yes, Bending Spoons offers remote work options in selected countries for Software Engineer Interns. However, they recommend spending the first few months in their Milan office to quickly absorb the company culture and build team rapport, with support for travel and accommodation provided.
- What are the key qualities Bending Spoons looks for in a Software Engineer Intern?
- Bending Spoons looks for strong reasoning ability, demonstrated through problem-solving from first principles and attention to detail. They also highly value drive, characterized by extreme ambition, initiative, and a deep sense of responsibility. Team spirit, involving generosity, supporting the best idea, and reliability, is also crucial, along with proficient English skills.
- Can I apply for the Software Engineer Intern role if I haven't graduated yet?
- Absolutely. Bending Spoons offers flexible start dates and part-time options, allowing you to apply and begin even before graduation. You can transition to full-time as you complete your degree, with arrangements designed to support your education alongside your growing responsibilities.
- What is the compensation for a Software Engineer Intern at Bending Spoons?
- Bending Spoons offers competitive pay. For individuals at the start of their career, the typical annual salary is approximately £85,797 in London and €66,065 elsewhere in Europe. Compensation varies by location and expected impact, and includes the potential for equity participation.