Summer internship program | 2026 grad program
Summer internships are a great opportunity to do valuable paid work and see what life’s like at Xero.
Develop your skills over summer
With the Xero internship program, you’ll spend the summer learning new skills and experiencing what life is like in a bustling tech company. By the end of the internship, you’ll hopefully have a good idea of where you want your career to go.
The Xero intern program is for students in their penultimate year of study. For students in their final year, check out the roles we’ve got available in our graduate program.
During the internship, you'll:
- start with a close-knit group of interns, giving you instant connections around the business
- be hooked up with a buddy
- work closely with your manager to plan your experience
- be placed in a team that's aligned to the area you have applied for
- be involved in our daily work
- have the opportunity to make real meaningful contributions
- develop your technical skills and your soft skills
- gain valuable experience
Our paid internships run over the summer for three months from November 2025 to mid-February 2026.
Note that we also offer 12-month full-time engineering internships through the Xcelerate program.
Software engineering interns
Our software engineering interns are involved in everything from designing, discovering, developing and testing solutions. Engineering interns work in our product teams to develop the core Xero product, and in our technology teams writing software to support the Xero product behind the scenes. Our teams are made up of full-stack engineers, front-end and back-end specialists, and quality engineers. You’ll work with technologies like AWS, C#, React, Swift, and SQL.
As an intern engineer you’ll have the opportunity to work in one of our Xero teams, innovating new features, fixing bugs and enhancing functionality.
Our previous interns have been involved with:
- working in a fast-paced environment that applies the agile methodology of software development, with frequent releases and continuous planning and improvement
- writing code for new features or bug fixes, to be deployed to a production environment
- learning about architectural concerns within a large enterprise stack
When internships run
Our paid internships run over the summer for three months from November 2025 to mid-February 2026.
What an internship looks like
These are paid internships where you’ll join a team and do real work alongside other Xero employees. Unlike technical roles in the grad program, internships don’t rotate. Instead, you’ll stay with one team for the duration of your internship.
Why do an internship with Xero
You’ll learn heaps and meet some awesome people. It could also be a great way to start your career at Xero. A lot of interns end up joining the Xero grad program once they’ve finished studying.
Get the inside story at a grad event
Come along to one of our virtual or face-to-face events to meet some past grads and our grad team, and get a true understanding of life at Xero.
Grad and intern program application process
Applicants for the grad program must have fewer than 12 months professional working experience in relevant industries, either have the right to work full-time in Australia or will be eligible to work full-time after graduating, and be able to start full-time in February 2026. If you’re a current or past university student applying for a role in your field of study, you’ll need to provide a copy of your transcript. You’ll also need to send your CV but only so we can use it to verify your eligibility. If you’re applying for an internship, you must be in your penultimate year of study in your chosen field and be available for full-time work from November 2025 through to February 2026.
Applicants for the grad program must have fewer than 12 months professional working experience in relevant industries, either have the right to work full-time in Australia or will be eligible to work full-time after graduating, and be able to start full-time in February 2026. If you’re a current or past university student applying for a role in your field of study, you’ll need to provide a copy of your transcript. You’ll also need to send your CV but only so we can use it to verify your eligibility. If you’re applying for an internship, you must be in your penultimate year of study in your chosen field and be available for full-time work from November 2025 through to February 2026.
You’ll be invited to complete both a behavioural and a technical assessment. For roles in the technical program, the technical assessment is a HackerRank test which helps us understand your current range and level of skills – you can practise the test beforehand. For the design program, there’s a multiple-choice skills test to help us understand your level of technical knowledge.
Practise the HackerRank testYou’ll be invited to complete both a behavioural and a technical assessment. For roles in the technical program, the technical assessment is a HackerRank test which helps us understand your current range and level of skills – you can practise the test beforehand. For the design program, there’s a multiple-choice skills test to help us understand your level of technical knowledge.
Practise the HackerRank testNext, you’ll be invited to pre-record a video interview for our team. If your video interview is successful, you’ll be invited to attend a grad day. We’ll review all applications before making a decision, so you can expect to hear from us with an outcome, regardless of the decision.
Next, you’ll be invited to pre-record a video interview for our team. If your video interview is successful, you’ll be invited to attend a grad day. We’ll review all applications before making a decision, so you can expect to hear from us with an outcome, regardless of the decision.
The grad day is a half-day virtual event where you’ll be assessed across different activities. You’ll also have an opportunity to learn more about Xero and the grad program.
The grad day is a half-day virtual event where you’ll be assessed across different activities. You’ll also have an opportunity to learn more about Xero and the grad program.
Application basics and tips
It’s not all about your grades – we want to know who you are and what you’re passionate about. We live by our values, so show us if and how you resonate with those.
See our valuesIt’s not all about your grades – we want to know who you are and what you’re passionate about. We live by our values, so show us if and how you resonate with those.
See our valuesIt makes no difference when you send in your application as long as it’s before the closing date. Every eligible applicant is given the same opportunity to go through the assessment process and we’ll process all applications once the application date has closed.
It makes no difference when you send in your application as long as it’s before the closing date. Every eligible applicant is given the same opportunity to go through the assessment process and we’ll process all applications once the application date has closed.
To keep our process fair for everyone who applies, we can’t accept any applications past the application close date.
To keep our process fair for everyone who applies, we can’t accept any applications past the application close date.
Cover letters are not a part of Xero’s graduate recruitment process. We’ll find out everything we need through the application process.
Cover letters are not a part of Xero’s graduate recruitment process. We’ll find out everything we need through the application process.
If you’re applying from overseas, please get in touch with the grad team to discuss your options in more detail.
Email usIf you’re applying from overseas, please get in touch with the grad team to discuss your options in more detail.
Email usThe entire Xero grad recruitment process is online, with a virtual assessment centre as the last stage, so you won’t need to travel.
The entire Xero grad recruitment process is online, with a virtual assessment centre as the last stage, so you won’t need to travel.
Want to know more?
Check out the FAQ page for details about the internship programs, the application process, and answers to some other common questions.
“The internship was cool because we had a whole week of workshops before we started doing anything. It was like being at uni but with more focused, hands-on collaborative learning in a small group.”
Kaia Costanza-Van Den Belt | Graduate engineer
Kaia Costanza-Van Den Belt | Graduate engineer