Internships @ Atlassian - Everything you need to know

Are you looking to kick-start your career with Atlassian? Wondering whether you should apply to Atlassian or not? ?? Well, read on to find out all the important information you need to know about the internship which can help you make up your mind. This blog will give a quick overview of all the important information you need to know about the internships such as the work, compensation & benefits etc. at Atlassian.

Note: I was part of the cybersecurity team and the experience has a big overlap with most of the other interns I have spoken to. Some of the aspects might slightly vary from team to team.

What will you do?

During the internship, you will have the opportunity to learn and explore different facets of the domain. The main things you will get to work on during your internship is:

• Your own project
• Learn about the day-to-day tasks/responsibilities of your team

Your team will usually provide you with a wide range of projects to choose from. Based on your team you will either have one big project or a collection of sub-tasks to complete throughout the internship. The nature of the project depends on the team you in. If you would like to know about the different cybersecurity teams and the work they, check out my blog: Preparing for Atlassian's Cybersecurity internships & grad roles

Your project can largely determine what type of skills you will learn and you will have the time to explore which project interests you the most. The project is also one of the key metrics you will be evaluated during the internship. However, my manager has emphasized that having a good attitude and the ability to learn quickly would be more important than delivering at perfection a trivial project. In my experience, at Atlassian, the projects are not ‘toy’ projects and they can make a meaningful contribution to the team ??

Aside from the project, you will have plenty of opportunities to get involved with different operational tasks of the team. The team will facilitate some of them but you will also need to be proactive in reaching out to people and asking to shadow them. Everyone at Atlassian is very welcoming so they actively try to involve you in the team’s actual work as well. Depending on how you’re going with your project you can even pick up some additional smaller tasks with the team. During my internship, I did a lot of security reviews, bug bounty triaging with my team and it was one of the most rewarding aspects of my internship.

Compensation and benefits ??

During your internship, some of the lucrative benefits will receive is your:

1. Hourly wage (38 hours max every week)
2. Work laptop (For the duration of your internship)
3. WFH Reimbursement**

Atlassian’s hourly wage is very fair, competitive, and on-par with most other technology companies (FAANG). Even though the rate is lower than some trading firms, it’s significantly higher than traditional companies, consulting firms, and many technology companies.

** The WFH reimbursement was given this year because internships are moved virtually. Depending on circumstances this might change. However, the sum was significant so I thought I should mention it. I personally managed to buy a very nice monitor, keyboard, mouse, power station, cables and a pair of Yubikeys using it so you can guess it’s very generous ?? . You also get to keep all the things you have bought with the WFH budget even after the internship. Furthermore, there additional support to ensure your work from home environment is safe and ergonomic.

Note: Before COVID, the internship was based in the Sydney office, and interns located outside of Sydney were provided with a relocation lump sum to help them settle into Sydney for the summer. After-tax, as per my calculation, this sum was enough to cover 2 months rent in Sydney. However, since things moved virtually it was not paid this year and I am not sure whether it will be paid in the future.

Apart from these, you will receive various swags and gifts during the internship. Atlassian showered the interns with various gifts and merch during the internship. If things go back in-person in the future and you get to go to the office, then you also get free breakfast and lunch ??.

There were some other additional benefits and subscriptions in the company too which I enjoyed a lot, for example, 1-year Headspace meditation subscription.

Team & Culture

One of the best aspects of Atlassian was its workspace environment and team culture. Everyone at the company is very nice and welcoming. I personally think it comes from the fact that the organizational structure and growth model is designed in a way that you do not have to ‘compete’ with your peers from your promotion and growth. This shift from competition to collaboration makes the whole environment really enjoyable to work in.

There were a plethora of different social and team bonding events such as team lunch, team social games event ?? , virtual treasure hunts, etc which allows you to bond with your team. Further, the campus recruitment team was very proactive in making sure that the internship felt connected even though we’re working from home. There was an optional social or educational activity almost every week for interns. I personally tried to attend as many as I could they were certainly a highlight of my internship. Even though it was 100% virtual, I managed to make some really good friends throughout my internship.

(Picture: some of the team and myself having lunch together to celebrate colleague's work anniversary.)

Evaluation & Conversion

The evaluation and conversion process to a grad role is very transparent in Atlassian. There are two major performance reviews that will happen during your internship (in week 6 and week 11). The main three factors you will be evaluated on are:

• Living the values
• Delivering on role expectations
• Team contribution

The criteria and metrics of the performance reviews are shared with the interns quite early on and it’s easy to follow. Apart from your manager, you will also be assigned a buddy who will be regularly checking in with you and give you feedback. At Atlassian, there is a big push on transparency so none of the things in your performance reviews should come as a surprise, your manager and peers will regularly be communicating with you to ensure you are having a smooth journey and enjoy your time at Atlassian.

The grad position offer is based on the intern's performance throughout the internship. If we have many awesome interns (as we always do) but a limited number of positions Atlassian conducts a calibration session. This is aimed to pick the best candidates for the role. Throughout the internship, the managers are very upfront about the process and they try their best to make sure each and every intern achieves the best possible result during the calibration session. ??

There may also be an opportunity to continue working part-time at Atlassian after the internship ends, depending on business need and on a case-by-case basis. To my knowledge, very few companies in Australia (and in New Zealand) allow you to do this so it makes Atlassian even more lucrative and beneficial to students.

Hope this article helped you. If this excites you and you’re interested to know about the application process and how to prepare, then see my other blogs:

• Preparing for Atlassian's Cybersecurity internships & grad roles
• Internship interview process @ Atlassian

Please feel free to reach out and ask any further questions you have. All the best ??

Limitation of Use: This article is intended solely for informational purposes only and does not solely represent the immediate entity (Atlassian). The following article is not intended to be and should be considered factual. No other person or entity is entitled to rely on, in any manner, or for any purpose of this article. For further information on the Atlassian internship and hiring process, please go to https://www.atlassian.com/company/careers/students.