Love Coding? Apply for Tuition-Free Learning at 42 Prague Coding School

42 Prague is a school offering a unique approach to world-class education in coding and IT. It operates in English and follows a peer-to-peer approach with a curriculum that does not include teachers or student textbooks.

Prague Morning spoke to the team of 42 Prague.

Located in Kolbenova 1021/9 in Prague 9, 42 Prague opened its doors on May 1st, 2022. It belongs to an international coding network called 42, which was founded in Paris in 2013 with the primary purpose of providing high-quality education in IT programming, free of charge.

42 Prague follows a non-traditional educational approach. There are no classrooms, teachers, or textbooks. The school’s curriculum is based on a peer-to-peer evaluation approach, where collaboration between students is not only highly encouraged but necessary.

“Students here are one big ecosystem. A community that’s helping each other in learning. Somebody knows something and the other person knows something else better. So, they help each other and learn from each other,” says Nicolas, Head of IT & Pedago.

The students are given documentation on the projects they need to develop. However, no teachers or textbooks are telling them how to do so. Students need to learn how to code through practice and collaboration with others. Mistakes are encouraged as they are a crucial part of practical learning. Indeed, practical learning is the foundation of the school’s
approach.

“At our school, it’s not like you are going for a class to hear about algorithms and what coding is. You do coding. I had an interview with our student from last year. He also goes to a different university where they teach coding. He told me that he worked with more actual codes in the first week at our school than in the three years at his university,” says David,
Marketing Lead at 42 Prague.

The students explore different programming languages, including C, C++, Unix, JavaScript, and Python. Their projects are checked and evaluated through a software tool designed to recognize mistakes in codes. Their success is measured in the points they collect to get to the next level of learning.

However, you do not need to know coding to apply. Around 50% of those who initially apply have no experience in programming, according to Eudald, Pedago Assistant at 42 Prague.

But, while the number of applicants counts in thousands (2050 in 2022; over 6000 in 2023), the school accepts 80-130 with each round of applications, and applicants need to go through several stages of application to be admitted to the curriculum.

First, you need to register. Then, you need to get through the first round: the logic games.

These are the games designed to evaluate which of the applicants thinks in a way suitable for the program. Once these games are passed, the applicant goes through an introductory meeting, followed by the step called “piscine”.

Piscine (French for “pool”) is a 4-week intense immersive camp, where the applicants spend 26 days learning the basics of coding through the programing language C – the basis for allthe other programming languages. Once the Piscine is over, the school chooses the final round of applicants who can enter the Curriculum. Due to the intensity, some students opt out themselves.

Included in the curriculum are the core, the specialization, and two paid internships.

Students can either find the internships themselves or apply to some of the companies the school partners with. Some of these workplaces include Škoda Auto, Trask, ČSOB, SAP, and Digiteq Automotive.

However, the school’s biggest financial provider and founding partner is Škoda Auto. It is Škoda that initially helped kickstart the whole project in the Czech Republic.

“Škoda Auto saw this project as an opportunity,” explains Peter, CEO of the institute. “They saw what the other 42 branches in Europe were doing and they know that the Czech IT market currently has around 30 000 job positions in demand. So, they found this school in Prague, because it will ultimately bring them educated developers and IT workers.”

Because of the financial help from Škoda and companies including Trask, ČSOB, and Microsoft, 42 Prague does not charge any tuition fees and ultimately offers education for free. And due to the level of professionalism these companies require from their future employees, the school makes sure to keep its curriculum up to date with the newest technology.

“For example, AI is a very big thing right now, so we want our students to experience working with that,” says Nicolas. “The main part of our curriculum is specialization. Our specializations include web development, game development, robotics, algorithm design, and much more. However, we do not stop there. We are focusing on the most up-to-date
solutions for the Czech Republic.”

The school is currently finalizing the new round of applicants, while the next round starts in September. Moreover, 42 Prague is going to have an open day on July 25th. If interested in visiting the school and learning more, you can register here.

The one thing the school is most proud of is its diversity and its community, according to Tetiana, Head of Non-profit Development.

“We are open to everyone, no matter their experience, education, or background. We have 19 different nationalities attending the current Piscine as of June 15th, and 36% of our attendees are women. It is really important to us to create a diverse community where everyone can come,” she concludes.