FAQ

A Berlin-based education startup on a mission to build a global community of well-rounded, creative software engineers.

Please refer to our About Us section to learn more about us!

We are based in the center of the city, close to shops, restaurants, bars and many Berlin startups. We are easily accessible by public transportation or bike.

Our focus is to give you the skills you need to become a creative, well-rounded software engineer — skills in design thinking, empathy, effective communication and career development. Throughout the 18-week program, you will work on real-world practical projects, you will learn to interact successfully with fellow software engineers, designers, product and project managers from different backgrounds, you will receive in-depth career coaching that will empower you with life skills and you will learn the importance of design-thinking in all the work you will do in your career.

Our curriculum is based on many months of research — talking to many industry experts, especially lead software engineers and other hiring managers across diverse fields. It is important to remember that our curriculum will evolve in order to adapt to the needs of the industry.

Each course consists of approx. 60 hours of online prep work on your own followed by an 18-week program onsite in Berlin. The 18 weeks is split into 13 weeks of instruction and multiple real-world projects, followed by 5 weeks of work on a final capstone project and demo day.

• 9:00 am – Office Hours — Instructors are available to answer questions
• 9:30 am – Day starts with a brief exercise to review the previous day’s material
• 10:15 am – Classroom instruction and lab work
• 12:30 pm – Lunch
• 1:30 pm – Classroom instruction and lab work
• 3:30 pm – Students work individually or in groups on projects and assignments. Instructors are available to answer questions.
• 5:00pm – 6:00 pm – Students go home, do evening reading, and get ready for the next day

Our CTO / Head Coach is David Friedman. David is a web developer with over 18 years experience at some of the leading technology companies in San Francisco and New York, including Klout, Yelp, Digg, and Razorfish. He has worked with a wide variety of tools over the years but has always maintained a deep focus on Javascript. Prior to becoming a web developer, David studied Classics at the City University of New York and taught many different courses on related topics. He is excited to combine his interests in teaching and web development at SPICED Academy.

We teach a suite of languages that will help you become a full-stack web developer or data scientist. Please request our curriculum to learn more.

When you graduate from our program, you will be a junior full-stack web developer or data scientist. In addition, you will know how to:

• Collaborate with team members who are very different from you in background to achieve a common goal
• Understand and apply the concept of design-thinking when building products
• Learn critical personal and professional development skills in self-awareness and career development

There is no such thing as a typical student — our students come from a variety of backgrounds, demographics and cities.

• Know why you want to become a software engineer and what you’d like to do with your programming skills.
• Make sure you have enough money to afford the program fees.
• If you’re moving from another country to Berlin, start the visa application process at least 3 months in advance.
• Explore SPICED Academy and the city of Berlin to explore if it is a right fit for you.
• Find out about the job market in Berlin, Europe or the city you eventually want work.
• Do some research on the types of jobs and whether a software engineer is the right requirement for the job.

No, we not require any coding experience. We do like to see that you have a genuine interest and motivation to learn how to program. Perhaps you have tinkered with online classes or read a book or follow blogs — anything that demonstrates a strong desire to learn how to code.

Our students come from different cities around the world, are usually in the age range of 25 to 40 years, have at least 2 years of work experience and are not software engineers.

• You should be able to answer why you want to become a software engineer — and what you want to do with it. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t sure or if you have a million ideas in your head. We want to hear your motivations for learning how to code.
• You should be able to demonstrate your desire to become a software engineer — have you tried your hand at any online classes? Read any books? Dabbled with code in a previous job?
• You should be able to describe your experience as a team member; what was the project about, what was your role and what was the outcome.

Yes, there is an application fee of EUR 800,- which is due within three days of signing the Student Agreement. It is refundable if you pay the entire tuition amount for the course 10 days prior to the start of the program.

You can apply as far as in advance as you would like. Be sure to check application deadlines on our website or in your inbox (if you sign up for our newsletter).

Once you submit your application via our website, you will attend a one hour interview with a member of the SPICED team. The purpose of the interview is to get to know you, your background, your goals and give you a chance to ask us questions.

While we can’t guarantee acceptance into the academy, there are things you can do to increase your chances of being accepted. See above for “How can I increase my chances of being accepted into the program?” for more.

We don’t have a certain percentage that we accept or decline — it varies by cohort.

We offer two tracks for our onsite program — Full Stack Web Development and Data Science. We recommend that you research both fields to learn which one is right for you. Read about the fields especially on professional organization websites, look up job descriptions to see what type of work appeals to you, reach out to people on LinkedIn to understand a day in the life, learn what skills are required to be a good software engineer or data scientist. Ultimately, your choice lies in what problem you want to solve in life and what skills you’ll need to get you there. And we’re always around to chat if you’re confused!

If you decide to leave within the first week of the onsite program, you will be refunded the entire tuition amount minus the EUR 800,- registration fee. However, if you decide to leave after the first week, you will not receive a refund. Of course, we understand special circumstances and we’ll do our best to work it out!

Please look up our website to learn the price structure for our different cohorts.

The entire tuition amount is due 10 days prior to starting the onsite program. Financing options however are available. Get in touch to learn more.

Yes, we do offer financing options. Get in touch to learn more.

Unfortunately no, we do not currently offer scholarships. Maybe in the not-so-distant future, so keep an eye out on our website or subscribe to our newsletter.

Yes, we do offer financing options. Get in touch to learn more.

We accept bank transfers – instructions will be sent to you once you sign the Student Agreement. In the future, we might offer additional payment methods.

On your own time, you will take online tutorials to learn the basics of web development — HTML, CSS, jQuery, Javascript, SQL, Command Line and Git. At the end of prep course, you will take an online assessment to make sure you have understood the material. The prep course and assessment will ensure that you and your classmates are on the same footing when you start the onsite course. The SPICED team will support you throughout this phase.

Our teachers and staff will be available to guide you throughout the prep course — Skype sessions, online chats, emails, phone calls or even in-person meetups if needed.

At SPICED Demo Day, you will have the opportunity to meet several SPICED partners, including startup, businesses and agencies. This is a great opportunity for you to network with these partners to find a role you’ll love.

There is no one answer to this — a lot depends on how much you network with our partners throughout the program and utilize all the career development skills you’ll have learned at SPICED. Of course, we’ll be there throughout your journey to support you and set you up to be career ready!

Our graduates typically end up across many different industries, roles and cities. One popular role is Junior Software Engineer at a startup or established company.

A one day event at the SPICED offices in Berlin where students demo their final capstone projects to an audience of SPICED partners, hiring managers and startups and get an opportunity to network with each other.

The answer to this depends on a variety of factors such as the industry you’ll work in, your background and experiences, the city you end up working in and the list goes on. There are online resources that can give you some idea of salaries to expect for a junior software engineer, such as Payscale or Glassdoor.

As an alumni, you get to be a valued member of our SPICED global community. You’ll get invited to our events, be notified of partner events or you may be invited to do a guest lecture for our students or even mentor or teach if you’re interested!

At SPICED Academy, you’ll not only learn to become a software engineer, you’ll also learn indispensable career and professional development skills that will help you become a more well-rounded, creative software engineer.

LEARN BY BUILDING REAL-WORLD APPS
Create multiple working apps and portfolio projects in real development environments

SEASONED MENTORS & PROFESSIONALS
Receive one-on-one mentoring from professionals with years of tech industry experience

INTERNATIONAL NETWORK
Benefit from our international network of hiring businesses and startups

We’d love to meet you in person and show you around our offices! Get in touch with our Director of Programs & Community, Shilpa Melissa Rodrigues at shilpa@spiced-academy.com.

No, we do not provide accommodation or food. We do have a pretty awesome Moving to Berlin guide to navigate the process of finding a place to live. And as always, you can reach out to us with questions anytime.