FAQs

WHAT’S A TYPICAL DAY ON THE FULL TIME BOOTCAMP LIKE?

During the 9 week Bootcamp immersion you’ll be required to be on campus (virtual campus, for our online students!) every day during core programme hours, which are 8.45am to 5:30pm Monday-Friday. Most students also work into the evenings and on weekends. Although it will vary cohort to cohort and week to week, your work during core hours will be broken down into pair programming, group projects, and individual work.

An example schedule might look something like this:

8.45am: Students connect with their peers and settle in for the day.
Morning: A 40-60 minute lecture, followed by a pair programming challenge focused on the topic of the lecture.
12:30 - 2pm: Free time, or continue coding (Note: we offer yoga on Tuesdays and Thursdays or, for online students, extra time to spend on a wellbeing activity that suits you).
Afternoon: Another lecture, followed by pairing until about 5pm when everyone meets for a standup (a short check-in).
From about 5:15pm on is free time. Many students will stay working after this — sometimes late into the evening. The campus is open to students at all hours, so they can come and go as they please.

Students will have projects to work on outside of class time, and most students decide to code for one or two full days every weekend, depending on other commitments (family, etc).

Later in the programme, challenges become multi-day projects, mirroring the flow of software development teams. Lectures become less common, and teachers will engage with you one on one to help solve project-specific problems.

CAN I WORK AND STUDY AT THE SAME TIME?

Due to the intense nature of Bootcamp, you won’t be able to work while studying with us full time. You will be learning and coding for around 60 hours per week, with most students also working into the evenings and on weekends. We encourage you to discuss this with your support network before applying for the programme. Alternatively, you could consider the Part time Course.

Our Part time Course has been designed for our busiest students. If you are a parent, caregiver or simply can't stop working to meet the Bootcamp time commitment, that option is for you.

HOW MUCH TIME DO I NEED TO DEDICATE IN AND OUT OF THE CLASSROOM?

Our full time Bootcamp is designed to be intense – the amount of time spent varies from person to person, but everyone works incredibly hard. The structure and time varies depending on which phase of the course you are in. The programme is split into two main phases:

Foundations: Our preparation course, completed remotely in 6 weeks full time, at approximately 40 hours per week.

Bootcamp: 9 weeks, about 60 hours per week of intensive learning. It’s important to note that while ‘classes’ run 40 hours per week, you will probably want to spend extra time getting the work done. Most students work on their code for up to 60 hours a week during Bootcamp.

For our Part time course, those hours look like this:

Foundations: Our preparation course, completed remotely in 10 weeks, at approximately 21 hours per week.

Main course: 18 weeks, about 30 hours per week of learning. You will probably want to spend extra time getting the work done. You will also have breaks that align with school holidays.

CAN I DO BOOTCAMP IF I HAVE KIDS OR OTHER DEPENDANTS?

If you have young children or other high-needs dependants, you will need another adult(s) who can do most of the work of caring for them while you are on Bootcamp, even if they attend daycare during working hours. This is so that you have time to focus on your learning for around 60 hours per week, without burning out. We encourage you to discuss this with your support network before applying for the programme.

Alternatively, our Part time course has been designed with parents and caregivers in mind! The reduced intensity course will give you the same learning hours and teaching support, on your terms. You'll also get public holidays and school holidays off.

WHAT SORT OF OFFICE SETUP DO I NEED?

Because of the long hours you will be at your computer during Bootcamp, it is important to have your desk and workspace set up well so that you can work effectively and avoid occupational overuse syndrome (back pain, wrist pain, eye strain, etc.). Consider where you will work — do you have a dedicated desk/office space that is relatively free from distractions? Do you need to buy a second screen or an external keyboard? A footstool or a better chair? Noise-cancelling headphones? New glasses? We recognise that some of these items can be expensive, but perhaps second-hand is an option for you, or borrowing them for the duration of Bootcamp.

I HAVE A PROGRAMMING BACKGROUND, IS DEV ACADEMY FOR ME?

Absolutely. Many university graduates with Computer Science degrees choose to do our course to gain the practical skills and teamwork experience needed to enter the workforce. We teach modern technologies and methodologies that align with current industry practice so you get the education you need to hit the ground running in a web development job. You also graduate with a portfolio of project examples, which shows employers what you’ve worked on, how you think and how you code. This portfolio is crucial for employers, and is something many university graduates aren’t yet equipped with.

WHAT TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS DO I NEED TO DO THIS COURSE?

None – although you should have explored programming enough to know that you want to do it full time! While we teach you from scratch, most successful students have been introduced to programming by writing some code independently or by working through courses on e-learning platforms such as Codecademy or freeCodeCamp. If you haven’t written any code yet, you will be given a list of resources when you apply. If you study from those resources for a few hours a day, you’ll be equipped to hit the ground running into Foundations.

WHAT WILL I GET FROM THE COURSE?

You will be exposed to a variety of modern technologies for full stack web programming. Full stack means you can work in the back end of a web application (on the server and database), and the front end (that users see). You will learn to build small applications or prototypes without supervision. We primarily focus on JavaScript and TypeScript, using Node on the server side and React (with Redux) as our preferred front-end framework. These tools will enable you to build a good looking website or web application, with client-side functionality that enables flexible, fast and responsive behaviour, data input and validation and other features of a modern single-page application. These are the same technologies that TradeMe, Xero, and Facebook use.

You will learn the principles of test driven development (TDD) using a variety of testing libraries to ensure your code is well-written and maintainable.

You will become well practised in working in teams, using Git (an industry source-code management tool), facilitating simple Agile processes, and delivering technical and non-technical presentations. This is essential for launching your career – our classroom simulates real world experience, which is of great value to employers.

Our NZQA accredited programme will also gain you 80 credits at level 6.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER BOOTCAMP?

Our 2 week Careers Skills curriculum will help you to launch into the job market. We’ll support you in preparing for technical interviews, identifying potential job opportunities and getting your online profile up to speed. We remain committed to supporting you during your job search and many students continue to come into the space while they are searching for work or building personal projects.

AM I GUARANTEED A JOB?

Though this programme gives you a tremendous leg-up in the job market and our goal is to see all of our students succeed, finding a job is ultimately up to you. Through the Careers Weeks and with ongoing guidance, we will support you right through to landing your first web dev job.

We see about 84% employment in tech within 18 months of graduation. Some graduates find work directly after graduating, but generally it takes at least a few months for you to find a role and go through an employer's hiring process. 

CAN I REALLY BECOME A WEB DEVELOPER IN SUCH A SHORT SPACE OF TIME?

Software engineering is a craft that takes years of deliberate practice and learning to master. Our goal is to graduate junior developers, and jumpstart your journey towards becoming an elite coder. You will graduate from our program with enough knowledge and technical skill to start contributing to your team in an entry level developer job, but you’ll be constantly learning more while you work.

During the 9 week bootcamp you will be working full time, 50+ hour weeks, while in a university degree you might get 12 hours of lectures and tutorials a week. We simply pack the job-relevant education into a tighter space of time.

During the 18 week reduced intensity course, you will have the same workload and learning time, but across a longer period. 

HOW SHOULD I PREPARE?

Be sure to have done enough coding to know that you are serious about committing to this course. It is a big investment in your time and money, but the return is massive. To do this course, you need to have tasted enough code to know that it is something that excites you. We recommend checking out Codecademy or freeCodeCamp to try your hand at JavaScript, html and CSS. We’re looking for people with passion and enthusiasm for learning, specifically learning to code!

Equally important are your drive and tenacity, self-awareness and ability to relate to others. In the application and follow-up conversation we’ll ask about your professional, educational or community experience.

We also assess competency with written and spoken English as well as basic numeracy and literacy.

WHEN DO APPLICATIONS CLOSE?

You can submit an application on our website at any time. Set aside a decent chunk of time for this as there are a few sections to complete! Applications for each intake will close the week before Foundations begins. 

WHAT IS THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS LIKE?

After we receive your application, you’ll be asked to book a time for a follow-up conversation, to be conducted via Zoom or a phone call. We speak with applicants every week. These are an opportunity for us to meet each other, and for you to ask questions. You can expect to find out whether your application has been successful within a few days of that call.

Above all we are looking for people who can commit to the intensive programme and do well here. We also aim to create balanced cohorts — equity is important to us, as is ensuring students have a challenging but well-supported and rewarding experience.

GUIDELINES FOR A STRONG APPLICATION

• Where open questions are asked, include as much relevant information as possible in your answers
• Use bullet points or paragraphs to give detailed answers
• Include your motivation for studying with us
• We look at community and volunteer experience too, not just education or employment
• An indication of whether you’ve done any coding or have basic html / CSS knowledge is a bonus

WHAT IS THE FOLLOW-UP CALL LIKE?
We'll send you a brief video to watch in advance. It's ok if you don't get to it, but we find it answers a lot of questions applicants have. When the time comes for your appointment with us, we'll ask about your aspirations and goals, as well as your experience with coding, so far.

We endeavour to make this a safe and welcoming space for everyone, and encourage you to prepare any questions but also just be open to connection with our team. If you request a Zoom meeting, you will need to have a microphone, webcam and decent internet connection. Dress comfortably!

HOW DO I FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION BEFORE APPLYING?

Check out our blog for industry and alumni stories, and follow us or search for mentions on LinkedIn. Our graduates often write about their experiences as they're going through the programme!

WHEN SHOULD I APPLY?

NOTE: For the Part time Course, we only offer intakes early in the year, with the first starting in February.

You should apply as soon as you're keen to be considered.

For our Full time Bootcamp, you can apply for any intake across the year. If your circumstances change we can easily move you to a different cohort. Speaking with us sooner gives us all more flexibility to make sure you're studying at the right time. Applications for each intake close about two weeks before Foundations begins. We have 4 intakes throughout the year and you can see a full list of course dates on the Course Details page. If you are weighing up two different cohorts, it’s a good idea to apply for the earlier one or as soon as possible, and our team can talk to you about your options.

DO YOU TAKE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS?

Unfortunately we can only take students with a New Zealand residency or citizenship or Australian citizenship at this time. 

However, we are expecting to start accepting International students in 2025. If you would like to be notified with updates about our programme for International students, you can sign up here.

WHAT SAFETY MEASURES ARE IN PLACE ON CAMPUS?

Both our campuses have best practice ventilation in place — in Wellington the air is cycled through every 15 minutes and in Auckland all outside doors are kept open as often as possible.

We strongly recommend wearing a mask (KN95, P2 or surgical underneath a well fitting cloth mask) unless eating or drinking, at least 1m from others.

Currently all teaching staff are fully vaccinated and we strongly recommend vaccination as a preventative measure.

Anyone who is immunocompromised or feels uncomfortable studying in person will still have the option of remote study in our Online bootcamp.

This is subject to change, and will be explained fully to anyone based on-campus during routine health and safety updates.

ARE YOU DELIVERING THE COURSE REMOTELY?

In light of no current government settings we will adhere to our own policies around safety for each cohort. We know things can change quickly with COVID, and we want to maintain our smooth process for transitioning online in the event of high rates of community transmission. 

We have a good process in place for moving all staff and students to working and studying remotely to ensure their safety.

Students will be set up with user-friendly tools like Discord, Zoom and Miro for online delivery and will still have the same intensive, hands-on learning experience. Studying online still includes pair programming, live teacher support and plenty of connection with each other.

These students can also expect their daily routines to stay the same, with mindfulness and yoga, and their final project presentation and graduation ceremony will always go ahead as scheduled, albeit virtually. Read about two students’ experiences with the Online bootcamp here.

HOW MUCH DOES TUITION COST?

Tuition is NZD$11,790. This covers the low student-to-teacher ratio, a high amount of contact time and teaching support, coaching, mentoring, and career services.

CAN I GET A STUDENT LOAN?

Full time Dev Academy students are eligible for a Student Loan, Living Costs and Course-Related Costs, and may be eligible for a Student Allowance as well. Head over to www.studylink.govt.nz to start an application — it’s a good idea to start this early as it can take some time.

To find out what you can access through Student Allowance, use the StudyLink calculator here.

CAN I USE THE "FEES FREE" TERTIARY STUDY YEAR FOR DEV ACADEMY?

Yes, if you’re eligible as a student you can study with us fees free. For full FAQs or to check your eligibility go to www.feesfree.govt.nz.

WHEN SHOULD I APPLY TO STUDYLINK?

It’s important that you start the Studylink application as soon as possible. It can take a while for Studylink to process your application, and we need confirmation from Studylink before you can start the course. Head over to www.studylink.govt.nz and begin your application.

Our focus is on creating an industry-led approach to learning. That means we surround our small cohorts of coding bootcamp students with a community of exciting startups, freelancers, educators, and entrepreneurs who all work out of our co-working space.

If you’re interested in renting a desk, read more here. Our working space offers a healthy, vibrant, creative place to make real connections and get some serious work done! Enjoy fresh organic fruit, free yoga sessions twice a week, and networking lunches.

WHAT’S THE CONNECTION TO ENSPIRAL?

You may have known us when we went by “Enspiral Dev Academy”, or more commonly “EDA”. Established in 2010, Enspiral is a collaborative network focused on helping people do meaningful work. For pioneering social entrepreneurs and scrappy small tech-based businesses, this network meant access to potential collaborators, service providers, mentors and funders. The one thing they shared was a drive to create value for society as part of their core operations – from enabling local food distribution to collaborative decision-making and reinventing education. Dev Academy is one of those startups and while our relationship with Enspiral has changed over the years, several founding members – and the drive for social good – still remain.

SEE OUR LATEST PASTORAL CARE SELF-REVIEW

The Pastoral Care Code governs all NZQA-accredited providers. Read our Pastoral Care Self-Review Report for 2023.