Ten10 Academy: your FAQs answered

For over ten years, the Ten10 Academy has been transforming people’s lives and kickstarting their tech careers. Through our combination of impartial recruitment, expert training, and award-winning support, we’re proud of the impact we’re making as we help organisations bring new and innovative talent into their organisations. But if you’re considering joining the Ten10 Academy, you may have a few questions before you’re ready to fill in your application.

Here are your frequently asked questions about the Ten10 Academy, answered!

What tests do you have to complete as part of recruitment?

There are two exams that are part of the Ten10 Academy recruitment process: a non-calculator mathematics exam, a technical aptitude test, and a situational judgement exam.

• The non-calculator mathematics exam is a 30-minute test covering skills in analysing data, problem-solving, and approaching tasks methodically.
• The technical aptitude exam is a 40-minute test designed to identify the candidate’s competency for Academy training and gain insight into each candidate’s potential, regardless of educational background and experience level.

Through these tests, we look for a combination of drive, core knowledge, resilience, common sense and the underlying characteristics/behaviours to succeed.

Any further tests you complete will be part of your Ten10 Academy training and tailored to the course content you are studying. In many cases, these are group or solo projects you complete with guidance from a tutor and present to your fellow Academy cohort. However, you may also have the opportunity to complete industry-recognised certifications such as those through the ISTQB and ITIL schemes.

What tests do you complete as part of the Ten10 Academy training?

We have multiple choice exams at the end of every module to cement your knowledge of each topic, to help you think critically about the information you’re taught, and also as an indicator of your strengths and suitability for certain future roles and clients. Exam questions are worded similarly to industry certification exams and help prepare you for taking certifications in the near future.

If you’re worried about exams or don’t often have confidence in that kind of environment, don’t worry! They are only a component of our trainer’s overall assessment throughout the training. The overall ‘assessment’ is made through a combination of practical exercises (such as interacting with systems, testing, building applications etc.), group work, topic-based presentations, and soft skills observations.

What qualifications do you earn as part of training?

Training through the Ten10 Academy means completing two key stages: your core technical primer (‘Core Training’) and then a specialist training pathway based on the field of IT that you show an interest in and aptitude for.

There is no catch-all qualification for completing the Ten10 Academy. However, we do support and pay for you to pursue qualifications to improve your knowledge an employability in your specialist field. This could be a qualification such as ITIL Level 4 or a Foundation level of the ISTQB, to name just two examples.

We also support training based on what our clients are looking for from our Academy Consultants, so may present you with opportunities to gain platform-certifications, especially in realms such as DevOps, Cloud Computing, and Data Analysis.

What is the Learn It, Grow It, Live It model?

‘Learn It, Grow It, Live It’ is our three-stage model of how we ensure you make of the most of your training and continue your professional development while at Ten10.

You start at ‘Learn It’ – which includes the seven weeks of core training, one week of client readiness training, and three to six weeks of further specialist training at the Ten10 Academy. This gives you a broad understanding of how many forms of technology work, and a deep understanding of one specialised field such as RPA, DevOps, or Test Automation.

Afterwards, you enter the ‘Grow It’ stage – we sit down with you and determine what further training you might benefit from. This includes one-to-one training sessions and completing industry qualifications such as the ISTQB, all still funded by Ten10.

The final stage is ‘Live It’ – which is when we help determine what type of client placement suits you best. Our clients range from fashion brands to market-leading supermarkets, public sector departments, charities, law firms and financial institutions, across the entire UK. And when you’re placed on your client, you’ll still receive excellent support from Ten10 through a designated career mentor, our Academy Buddy scheme, a line manager, and our Award-winning Academy Wellbeing Team.

And that’s how the ‘Learn It, Grow It, Live It’ model takes you from a day one trainee into a fully-fledged technical consultant.

What benefits do you offer?

We have a great range of benefits that you’ll enjoy if you choose to become part of Ten10. These include:

• Health insurance covering medical, dental, optical and alternative therapy treatments
• Pension contribution matching up to 5%
• Subsidised gym memberships
• Bike to work and season ticket loan schemes
• Team socials and activities, sporting events, annual kick-off and Christmas parties
• Opportunities to give back to charities and causes close to you

When you include all that, and the expert training we give you to become a technical consultant, it’s easy to see why so many people choose to start their careers with the Ten10 Academy.

What happens after the two years?

After you’ve finished Academy training, you’ll be a Ten10 Academy Consultant working on client projects. Depending on your placement you may be asked to relocate to live closer to a client’s workspace, and you may be required to work in a client’s office – but you are still a Ten10 employee.

After two years, you may become eligible for client teams to hire you permanently. We have many people who work with their clients for a long time, they build up expert product knowledge, and their clients are so happy with their work, they want to hire them from Ten10.

Other people stay in Ten10 and join our permanent Consultancy team. We’re proud to say that many of our consultants started their tech careers with us, and some have even gone on to become trainers at the Academy themselves.

So what happens after two years? You’re able to continue progressing in your career, whether that’s staying in Ten10 or joining your client team permanently.