Igniting new careers in remote software testing—with purpose and passion. One person at a time.

Testlio Ignite offers a unique program that provides resources to people who have faced challenges. Coming Soon: Applications for Ignite IV – Class of 2023.

Mission

To help small groups of people initiate careers in remote software testing via a 10-week scholarship-based program.

Vision

Graduates will grow from having little or no industry knowledge, to possessing the necessary QA skills to become a software tester at Testlio or any other tech company.

How does Testlio Ignite help program participants?

Scholarships

Earn while you learn. The program offers direct grants. We anticipate that these grants will be between $150 and $450 per week, based on participant locations and other factors. We expect the program commitment to be between 10 and 15 hours per week.

Resources

The Testlio Ignite program can provide connectivity, technology, and other resources to help participants begin their remote software testing journey.

Training

With Testlio Ignite, we assume participants are new to software testing. Through self-paced online sessions, video conference meetings, and other forms of training, we will provide participants with conceptual and practical knowledge.

Mentorship

Key to the program is 1-1 mentorship with a full-time Testlio Services employee. We believe that mentorship will be an important part of the journey through the Testlio Ignite program.

Connections

We anticipate that 10 people will participate in the program. We plan to create multiple, shared experiences so that participants can connect with each other.

Work

Through Testlio Ignite, you will have a chance to work on real software testing initiatives for one or more Testlio Clients. You will gain real work experience that will be directly applicable to your resume.

Training Areas

Our training will focus on remote software testing experiences, including:

Apps Manual Testing

Learn to evaluate system or user interface design, analyze devices, execute tests, and how to verify software features and bug fixes.

Desktop and Web Testing

Learn cross browser and cross platform testing to see what it takes to ensure a website looks good and behaves correctly no matter what device it is being used on.

Data Analytics Testing

Learn data preparation and analysis techniques, and how to use data visualization tools to demonstrate effective testing strategies.

Career Development and Skills

Immerse yourself in new skills for igniting your new career into the future, such as building a killer resume, eloquent interview techniques and engaging conversations to win the job.

Participant Considerations

Testlio Ignite is a social impact program designed for people who have experienced challenges. We are actively recruiting people who have identities and/or experiences that may make it harder to obtain work in the technology field.

  • Have you experienced violence or abuse?
  • Have you been forced to migrate to a country that is not yours due to war or political issues?
  • Have you been incarcerated?
  • Have you ever been racially or ethnically marginalized or discriminated against because of who you are?

You are not alone. Like you, millions of other people have felt the struggles of employment challenges because of who they are and/or experiences they have lived. Many of us at Testlio have personal experiences with life and career challenges. We understand that sometimes they create blockages.

Testlio Ignite is designed to open doors to new life and career opportunities. Our approach challenges discrimination so that all participants in our program can learn, grow and thrive while building a new future in remote software testing.

We welcome everyone to apply to Testlio Ignite. We especially urge you to consider the program if you connect with one or more of the following identities and/or experiences:

Possible Identity Characteristics
(May Include One or More)

  • Black
  • Latino
  • Indigenous
  • Mixed Abilities
  • Women
  • LGBTQIA

Possible Experiences
(May Include One or More)

  • Forced Migration
  • Health Challenges
  • Incarceration
  • Low Income
  • Violence/Abuse

Please understand that the list above is not meant to be fully representative, nor exhaustive. Any lists like these will inevitably fall short and miss certain concepts. We apologize for this.

We also apologize if we inadvertently use any terms or concepts that feel dated and/or non-inclusive. Our goal with this program is to create a highly inclusive experience for people who have experienced challenges with life and work.

Testlio Ignite allows you to work from your home—in a wide variety of locations. You can participate in countries that are between US Pacific and Eastern European/Central African Time Zones. This includes South, Central and North America; some of the Middle East; all of Europe; and much of Africa.

Unfortunately, at this moment we cannot offer the program in other areas. If you are not part of these Time Zones, we encourage you to stay in touch as we will explore additional (including APAC) opportunities in the future. Please also visit the Network section of our website to learn more about current freelance opportunities.

For example, we seek to address issues like:

  • Only 7% of US tech jobs are currently filled by Black people, less than 6% are filled by Latino people, and less than 1% are filled by Native Americans. Too often, People of Color are not being welcomed into the technology industry.
  • 77 million Americans have a criminal record. 600,000 people are released from prison each year. Too often, it is too hard for formerly incarcerated people to land meaningful, well-paying work.
  • There are approximately 26 million refugees globally. The number of refugees admitted into the US has been on a multi-year decline. Too often, the hurdles to work are too high for refugees.
  • Women hold only 26% of technology job, even though they make up 47% of the US workforce. Too often, women are forced to choose between compelling technology work and family care requirements
  • 20% of LGBTQ Americans have experienced discrimination when applying for jobs. 53% of LGBTQ employees have heard lesbian and gay jokes at work. Too often, workplaces are not inviting to all sexual orientations and gender identities.

Per above, these are a sample of the challenges that we see in the world. And we hold that each person’s journey is a unique one. Please don’t feel discouraged if the concepts above don’t exactly describe you—or your situation. If you are interested in Testlio Ignite, we encourage you to apply next year.

The 2023 Testlio Ignite IV Class will be a 10-week program, running from August 14th to October 20th, 2023. Applications will be open from May 1st through June 30th. Please visit us again during this time frame to submit your application.

To support Ignite or learn more beyond our FAQs below, please email ignite@testlio.com.

FAQ

The program is 10 weeks long. It runs from August 14th to October 20th, 2023.

  • Application intake: May 1st – June 30th, 2023.
  • Participant interviews: July 5th – July 18th, 2023.
  • Acceptance letter: July 19th – July 21st, 2023.
  • Program duration: 10 weeks from August 14th to October 20th, 2023.

Yes, Testlio Ignite is free. Participants are given scholarships (via grants) to participate.

Yes, you will get a weekly grant that will support some of your financial needs while going through the program.

It’s actually not an hourly wage. Rather, it’s a grant. Payments will vary by country and likely be flat in the US.

The weekly scholarship grant will be based on geographical location and other factors. We expect that it will range between $150 and $450 per week.

We do not provide healthcare or other benefits. However, we will work with you to ensure that you have the hardware, broadband connection, and other resources that you need to be a successful, remote software tester.

No. We intentionally will not perform background checks for this program. And per above, we are actively encouraging people with a criminal record to apply.

No. Testlio Ignite is 100% online. You can participate from anywhere in countries that are between US Pacific and Eastern European Time Zones (including the US).

These will vary. Most of the work will be self-paced. We anticipate a handful of hours per week will be scheduled, mostly in the morning US time.

This is not a job placement opportunity. But upon graduation you may be invited to join the Testlio Network as a freelancer—which can make you eligible for additional remote testing work. You will also have new skills to help you find a job at another company.

If you decide to leave before graduation you are free to leave. Testlio Ignite does not enforce students to stay for the duration of the program. However, scholarship grants will also stop at the moment of departure.

The process is as follow:

  • Applying to the Testlio Ignite program is a two-step process: (1) Apply through the Testlio website, and (2) participate in a 1-on-1 video conference interview if selected as a finalist. Once open, applications will be open through June 30th, 2023.
  • Once accepted into the Ignite program, participants commit to 10 weeks of training that includes being on-boarded to the Testlio platform and participating in weekly learning initiatives and meetings.
  • After passing all checkpoints leading up to the end of the 10 weeks training period, participants graduate from the program with a certificate of completion.
  • Post graduation, participants may have the opportunity to continue testing with Testlio as a freelance Network member or to seek-out roles at other companies with our continued support.

We will review all written applications. We will then select a group of finalists based on a combination of their specific challenges, their reasons for applying, and their potential for program success. We will interview all the finalists to better understand their backgrounds, circumstances, motivation, and potential Testlio Values alignment. After interviews, we will select 10 final program participants.

Yes. 18 years of age minimum.

The team at Testlio has been deeply moved by events in 2020. We believe it is time to organize our social impact and social justice work. We hold that we have a unique organizational structure, set of company values, and business model that equips us to provide this unique program. We are 100% funding this initiative with no expectations other than to do what feels right to us as a group of humans—and as a company.

Testlio is a venture capital funded, high-growth, software and services company. We launched in 2013, have 100+ full-time employees, and have built a global network of more than 10K freelance software testers who live and work in more than 150 countries around the world. We test apps for many of the companies that you may already know, like Amazon, CBS, Etsy, Hotels.com, Microsoft, NBA, Netflix, and USA Today. For more information, please visit: https://testlio.com/about-us/