Nurturing talent: from internship to full-time employee

At 1xINTERNET, we believe in the power of investing in local communities and fostering the growth of young talent. We strive to create a positive impact on the local workforce by offering meaningful opportunities for aspiring professionals. Through strategic partnerships with local education institutions, we have established a pathway for students and graduates to bridge the gap between education and industry, to step into the world of technology with real-world experience and mentorship.

This article puts a spotlight on the interns who have transitioned to full time employment with 1xINTERNET. Their stories reflect not only personal growth and achievement but also our commitment to support local education institutions and nurture emerging talent in the tech industry.

In Germany we have taken high school students for praktikum or work experience as part of their studies. These students worked directly from the Frankfurt office where they were supported to create their first web application and learn some Drupal basics. Inspiring and motivating young people to be engaged with the development of technology is something we take seriously so we try to provide them with a positive experience.

Our Spanish team has been growing from our office base in Conil de la Frontera, and we have established partnerships with Professional Formation courses in Andalucia, the University of Cadiz and the University of Sevilla. We have taken on students for work experience as part of their course and many of these students have gone on to become full time employees of 1xINTERNET, many of them are still with us today. 

What did you study and where?

I studied professional formation on Web Applications Development in CDP José Cabrera, Trebujena. At the same time, I was studying Computer Engineering at the University of Cadiz.

How was the experience of the internship at 1x? 

Very good, it was my first time doing development in a company and the experience was just great. I learned a lot and the helpful environment with the team and the company was magnificent for me as I was starting in the industry.

What support did you receive during your internship?

I started learning React,which I didn't know anything about, and also Drupal, which I had little previous knowledge of. I was the first intern from Spain and was mentored directly by the team I was working with. My first team included other people who were living in Spain which was good for me as I started. 

How did it help you develop your skills?

It helped to be working and talking as any other company member, directly with the clients and showing them what I had done during each sprint. It made me feel confident about my progress, my skills and the potential that I saw that I could have.

What do you do now? What is your job title?

Right now I'm a Frontend Developer. I do a lot of different things in different projects, as I have knowledge in React, Drupal Frontend, Design Systems, Web Components, Web Development and Drupal Site Building. 

What is your favourite thing about working for 1x?

The great working environment that we have at the company and the possibility to do so many different things, because we have multiple projects that we usually work on and each one of them have different solutions.

Did the internship change the way you now see your future? 

Of course, it helped me to see that I had a good opportunity to grow and become a good developer, not only talking about technical knowledge but also about being a good team member and developing my soft skills.

What did you study and where?

I studied web applications development at CDP José Cabrera, located in the beautiful town of Trebujena.

How was the experience of the internship at 1x? 

It was nice, I couldn’t ask for a better mentor to start with, the process was being polished by the time so I helped with that. Everything was new to me, the colleagues, the CMS… but the team helped me adapt to the circumstances and I felt comfortable, which was a boost to my development.

What support did you receive during your internship?

I was applying to the back-end developer role, so I got training about Drupal site building of course, Drupal module development, php, twig, etc. I also had support to set up projects using DDEV and docker on Linux.

How did it help you develop your skills?

Knowledge is a powerful tool, but the most important skill I´ve learned is autonomous problem solving. It works for every programming language and is the key to understanding how code works under the hood. It’s something I’ll take with me for the rest of my career.

What do you do now? What is your job title?

I’m a back-end developer, but I recently started switching to a full-stack developer role.

What is your favourite thing about working for 1x?

The good vibes, the fact that you can rely on most of your colleagues and my preferred one, the international environment we have, there is so much to learn from everyone, so many nationalities, cultures and ways of perceiving life, is something we must value, I personally have never got the opportunity to share work environment with people from all around the globe.

Did the internship change the way you now see your future?

It absolutely did. It’s a big step, the one you take from studying, to work on real projects and work with a team. I had to organise myself better, communicate a lot, adapt to sudden changes, etc. I feel more assertive now, my ideas are more clear now than they were when I started. Also, because I work for an international company, my English has improved and I have developed a great confidence when speaking face to face to other colleagues.

What did you study and where?

I studied computer engineering at Cadiz University.

How was the experience of the internship at 1x?

Before starting, I was a little worried since I was still working on my university's final project. However, by allowing me to work part-time (4h), I had plenty of time to finish.

I had a foundation in Symfony and PHP from my studies but I had never worked with Drupal. However, with the assistance I received during my internship, catching up with what was needed for the 1x projects wasn't a big issue for me.

What support did you receive during your internship?

Firstly I started with general Drupalize.Me courses. Once I had Drupal basic knowledge I continued with specific Drupal backend courses.

I learned the most when I started working on a real client project with real issues. This is when I found real blockers when coding when my mentor guided me a lot.

How did it help you develop your skills?

As I said before, before starting with 1x, I had never worked with Drupal. My internship prepared me to be able to solve problems with this technology and to have more employment opportunities in this area.

What do you do now? What is your job title?

I’m a junior backend developer and as the title describes it, I do backend work but I also do Drupal site building and sometimes a bit of frontend work too.

What is your favourite thing about working for 1x?

Being able to work from home it’s a big plus for me as it allows me to make better use of my time once I have finished working. The opportunity to meet everyone once a year is really nice.

I was a bit nervous about having to speak in English but my colleagues are very friendly. They create a relaxed atmosphere, making it easy to feel comfortable even on days when I make some mistakes.

Did the internship change the way you now see your future?

I didn't have a clear idea about what I wanted to do once I finished university but I definitely did not have in mind to work with Drupal because I didn't even know it existed! I’m really happy to have had the chance to work with this technology in 1x as I see it being part of my future. 

We have recently onboarded a UX intern who is embarking on a three month internship with us. This is the first time we have had a design intern and we are excited to see how it goes. They studied a Masters in UX design in Madrid and are currently working as support for our designers on client projects and on some internal marketing projects. 

If your institution is interested in forming a relationship with 1xINTERNET or if you are an aspiring intern based in Germany or Spain then please get in touch with us: jobs@1xinternet.de