Frequently Asked Questions

The application period is currently open! Apply from here.

Limited spots are available so you might not be able to take part in a Sprint straight away, but make sure to stay posted for new Selection Sprints to come!

The application period consists of two parts. First part is the Online Test. The best results in the Online Test will be invited to a 3-week intense (2 weeks on-site, 1 week online) Selection Sprint.

In-depth explanation of the application process

The Online Test is a game that will test your logical thinking skills. There is no preparation needed, just make sure that you have up to 1 hours of undivided attention and a good internet connection! You cannot pause the Online Test once you have started it and have to go through it with one go.

To see snapshots from the Test Environment, check out this post!

If your score is below the undisclosed threshold, you will get another go to do the test successfully. Log back into study.kood.tech and re-do your test!

The correct answers are not published online as that would give an unfair advantage to the candidates who have not done the test yet.

You can discuss your solutions with your peers at the Selection Sprint or when you start school.

Selection Sprint is a 3-week full-time test period for the candidates (3 weeks = 2 weeks on-site + 1 week remote). Students will work together on the platform which is the methodology for kood/Jõhvi. The students learning process will start with fulfilling different quests in the programme. Each week will end with an exam based on what you have learned during the week. During the weekend, there will be a teamwork exercise called the raid. The goal of this exercise is to strengthen the learnings from the previous week.

If you are accepted to the Selection Sprint, prepare for the most intense but also funnest 3 weeks of your life. You will make new friends, learn a lot and achieve more than you thought would be possible!

Read our blog posts about the Selection Sprint!

Once you have successfully completed the online test and registered for the Sprint, the next step is to attend our mandatory pre-Sprint check-in. This session is crucial to prepare you for the Selection Sprint and is required for all prospective students. During the session, you will:

• Receive a comprehensive overview of the sprint’s structure and objectives.
• Participate in a live demonstration on setting up your coding environment and basic programming tasks.
• Gain access to learning resources and support tools.
• Have the opportunity to ask any questions during our interactive Q&A.

Please note: Attendance at the pre-Sprint check-in info session is mandatory. Details regarding the schedule and how to join the session will be provided upon completion of your registration for the Selection Sprint (via email).

Each quest, raid and exam results will give you experience points during the Selection Sprint. The candidates with the highest number of experience points at the end of the Sprint will be accepted to the full programme.

If you successfully finished the Online Test, then you’ll see the next steps right from study.kood.tech. The next step is to take part in the Selection Sprint!

Accepted candidates who get an invite to start their educational journey at kood/Jõhvi, will be informed 2 weeks after their selected Selection Sprint.

The fifth batch of students started on September 13, 2024, and the sixth will start on March 13, 2025

You will follow a self-learning methodology in our study platform that will be your teacher and classes, you will also collaborate with other students, learning from their experience.

The study software has additional instructions and built in mechanism to teach you coding from the very beginning. Also, there are self-initiated study groups and chats with students to support each other, discuss tasks and work together towards completing the programme.

No, but we highly recommend visiting the school building during your studies as there is an immense value in being in the environment and learning together with your team members. It’s very motivating to work and learn together and you will create friendships that last a lifetime.

About 80% of the projects you need to complete in the programme are based on teamwork, which is easier and faster to do when being together in the same room. The building is open 24/7.

Also, the Jõhvi school building is built for your convenience to give you the best possible study atmosphere. There are multiple events with other students, partners and community planned throughout the year that you do not want to miss.

The study programme is very intense to ensure you reach the level of expertise and knowledge within 12 months, so your regular days are 8-10 hours long. Based on the experience of our and other schools with the same methodology, combining studies and work is almost impossible. So to make sure you are able to fully concentrate on your studies, we would say it is not possible to work on the side and do not recommend it.

Our student Georgi on his experience with working and studying full-time!

Can you study remotely? blog article

The study programme is conducted in English as the coding world works in English, but we offer support both in Estonian and Russian. Also, there are tutors present that can help you with the language, we will also have language learning groups for those of you that need it.  While doing your teamwork, you can choose which language to do it in.

You do not need expert level English to succeed in the programme, intermediate knowledge and understanding is enough. However, we feel that it is very important for you to develop your English language skills to succeed in the digital world and to think globally.

Oh, you wanted to know what coding languages we use? Check out the “What coding languages will I learn?” question.

Yes, you can. But we have events that take place physically in person, where you are highly recommended to be on-site.

kood/Jõhvi works on self-learning methodology and therefore we highly recommend you to be at the school building as much as possible. About 80% of the programme is teamwork with your colleagues which is so much easier to do together. Working on the same problems in the physical space creates amazing cooperation and will keep you motivated to achieve great results!

Our student Georgi on his experience with studying mostly remotely!

Can you study remotely? blog article

There is no tuition fee upfront. You can learn for free and pay only when you start working on a high paying job. This is where the Income Sharing Agreement comes into play. More info about that down below!

During the studies you will also get your own laptop, monitor, keyboard and mouse from the school.

Our goal is for the education to be accessible to everyone, irrespective of your previous education, experience or financial situation. You need to cover your daily food and beverage and other everyday essential costs.

You are able to work from home. But we recommend, if you have the opportunity, to be on-site in the school building, where you can be with others and complete different teamwork exercises, hackathons and so on during the year.

The most strict part is the Selection Sprint. During the 3-week onboarding period you will need to present the whole time. (2 weeks on-site and 3rd week remotely)

You have different assignments you need to fulfill in order to move to the next level in the programme. All these tasks have a certain time limit when they need to be completed. This means that everything is built upon your own time management skills.

You have no official breaks during the kood/Jõhvi programme but you can do assignments in advance to enjoy a planned vacation. You are your own time manager and we do not set boundaries in how you set up your time and when you complete some kind of quest or assignments as long as you manage to do them in the time window set for them. There are just some overall deadlines that you need to keep in mind to finish within designated timespan.

We have our awesome kood/Jõhvi team that will make sure you have a well organized and fun experience. This means there will be different events and occasions for all the students to get to know each other and have some fun. If you have some ideas on what you want to organize, let us know and we can try to make it happen.

Our student Margarita sharing her emotions and experiences.

During the Selection Sprint, you should take your own laptop with you. If you do not have one, then we will provide you with a computer.

All the students who are accepted to the school will get a laptop to use for their schoolwork during their studies.

Yes. Both the study and Selection Sprint is conducted in our Jõhvi building.

The address: 2 Tartu Põik 5, Jõhvi, Estonia.

During the study programme, you can be remote.

Yes! In kood/Jõhvi you will learn everything that is needed in today’s job market. This means that you will be constantly working with our partners to ensure you gain the skills and knowledge needed in the market. Our partners will give you real-world assignments so you have a chance to solve some of the main problems in the field of IT.

kood/Jõhvi is located in Jõhvi, eastern Estonia. The exact aadress: 2 Tartu põik 5, Jõhvi, Estonia.

The newly renovated school building has 5 floors. 3 floors dedicated to study areas and one floor for the dormitory.

You’re able to take part in the school remotely. But we do recommend coming on-site every now and then co take part in different events, workshops and work together with other students.

During your studies the accommodation opportunities will be communicated to you.

The main expenses you need to cover are food, transportation and other personal expenses.

Yes, you will share a room with 4-5 of your fellow students.

No, living on campus is not mandatory, however, we strongly recommend living in close proximity to the school. This ensures that you will be able to collaborate with other students, create meaningful bonds, and succeed in your studies.

kood/Jõhvi operates as an Non-Profit Assocation with the mission to help to reduce the lack of software engineers in Estonia, offer an innovative addition to regular schools and strengthen the current educational system. kood/Jõhvi (MTÜ Tuleviku Tehnoloogiaharidus) is a non-governmental organisation.

The school’s day-to-day life is operated by the kood/Jõhvi team. Meet them from here.

From 2021 the school operations have been financed thanks to donations from our partners and supporters! These are the companies / people that see kood/Jõhvi as something that is needed in the current education landscape and see the value behind it. They are also the companies offering future jobs to the alumni.

To further grow and make kood/Jõhvi financially sustainable, we’ve created a Income Sharing Agreement that gives the school a way to cover the study costs and welcome new students in the future.

The Income Sharing Agreement applies to all the students that join kood/Jõhvi from 2023 onwards. The purpose of the fee is to cover kood/Jõhvi’s study and operational costs and serves the purpose to make the school sustainable for years to come and educate even more students each year.

The Income Sharing Agreement comes into effect once the student starts to receive monthly gross income from their employer that is at least 1.3x the Estonian average income (based on the data from the statistics department on a 6-month average). The students starting their studies from 2023/24 shall reimburse a total of €4000. Once the agreement comes into effect, the payment is not less than €200/month until the total sum is paid.

The aim of the Income Sharing Fee is to cover the costs related to the kood/Jõhvi learning activities per student and ensure the financial sustainability of the school (NGO) for the upcoming years in order to continuously increase the admission of students. On the other hand, the idea of the Income Sharing Agreement is to obligate both the school and the student to put effort into the school programme, ensure up-to-date educational progress, and find opportunities for a career in tech.

All the students that join kood/Jõhvi from 2023 onwards have to sign an Income Sharing Agreement and reimburse a total of €4000 after they graduate or start working in a tech field while studying.

If a participant doesn’t find a job, they are not required to make any payments under the Income Sharing Agreement (ISA). However, they will need to provide salary statements every 6 months to demonstrate that they do not have a job or that their income is lower than the required threshold of 1.3 times the Estonian average income. The ISA remains valid for a duration of 10 years, during which time the participant’s job status and income will be periodically reviewed to ensure compliance with the agreement’s terms.

You do not need to work in partner company but they’re the most involved with the programme and know what are your skills and strengths.

You will receive a Diploma after graduation that is accompanied by different certificates dependent on if you finished more than the mandatory programme.

After you complete your studies, you do not receive an accredited degree as this educational model is new in Estonia and does not correspond to any traditional definitions. However, this is usually not a problem in the technology sector, given that companies tend to only care about what you can do, who you are, and how you work. This is also the spirit all our partner companies have.

We have created many partnerships with the best companies in Estonia who want to recruit you. During your studies, you have options to get to know more about these companies through different events, work with them solving challenges, and create relationships to make sure you have a great position waiting for you when you graduate.

Our Talent Managers are also here to help you get a job that values your skill-set!

You need a resident permit to study and live in Jõhvi. At this moment, we do not have an official education institution status in Estonia, so it is not possible to apply for a student visa. This might change in the future, so stay tuned.

The school will provide health insurance to all the students who need it through a private provider.