What it does: The Sparks Foundation (India) helps students through a ‘knowledge sharing concept for equal learning opportunities.
Vision: A world of enabled and connected little minds, building future.
Mission: To inspire students, help them innovate, and let them integrate to build the next generation of humankind.
Best known for: operating globally from its India and Singapore offices
Staff stats: approximately 200 employees
The good bits: The non-profit organization values a person’s expertise and skills more than their academic background. This makes it easier for freshers to join the group regardless of their degrees.
The not-so-good bits: The Sparks Foundation (India) won’t be a good fit for those who dislike a startup culture.
Priyesh Kumar and Tanwi Kaushik founded The Sparks Foundation in 2016. Aside from its India center, the non-profit organization also operates from its Singapore office. The group has five flagship education programs:
Corporate
Student Externships
Student Mentorship
Student SOS Program
Student Scholarship
The group connects students with expert teachers based on a ‘knowledge sharing concept. It embraces the philosophy that equal learning opportunities for young minds don’t rely on their financial background.
The Sparks Foundation (India) has a workplace culture that aligns with its ‘knowledge-sharing philosophy. The organization defines the workplace environment as diverse and multicultural, which contributes to a productive atmosphere.
Most employees are friendly and helpful, but freshers shouldn’t expect too much guidance. As a startup, the workload can be overwhelming with tight schedules.
The organization desires a ‘world of enabled and connected little minds’. Its objectives focus on three aspects: inspire, innovate, and integrate.
The Sparks Foundation (India) believes that big results can still happen with little to no spending at all. The group partly achieves this by organizing several educational workshops:
Career Choices
Glimpses for Kids
Global Education Choices
LINKS App
Resume Writing
Freshers should take a hard and close look at their credentials before wanting to join The Sparks Foundation (India). They may have only one chance to impress the organization when job interviews are deemed unnecessary.
Freshers should then prepare to stand out by acquiring the sought-after skills for their target roles. After all, their abilities would be useful in navigating the organization’s startup culture.
The Sparks Foundation (India) doesn’t focus on academic background during the hiring process. Instead, the organization evaluates a person’s expertise and skills. Applicants express their interest by completing an online form for job vacancies.
The organization may not require interviews for internships. Freshers should still prepare for possible questions:
What are your career goals?
Why do you want to join us?
How would you describe your qualifications?
A successful candidate usually joins The Sparks Foundation (India) within 30 days of being selected for the role
Freshers have plenty of choices to be a part of the organization. The non-profit group allows them to choose among five roles:
Freshers would take care of logistics as events volunteers. The role is a good fit for those who like to work off-site and improve their organizational skills.
Mentors work with students from all walks of life, imparting their knowledge via offline and online sessions (eg webinars, workshops).
The three-month Graduate Rotational Internship Program (GRIP) provides freshers with eight areas of interest:
Computer vision and IoT
Content development
Data science and business analytics
Digital marketing
Mobile app development
On-campus brand ambassador
Talent acquisition
Web development and design
Freshers can take charge of projects for The Sparks Foundation (India) to hone their leadership skills. Management volunteers handle partnerships with different organizations.
The Sparks Foundation (India) actively searches for interns, so freshers will have more luck with finding open roles for GRIP.
Unlike a typical non-profit group, The Sparks Foundation (India) offers paid internships for freshers. The average monthly salary for interns ranges from INR2,000 to INR7,000. The actual internship pay will depend on a fresher’s role:
Content writers and journalists (up to INR11,000)
Data scientist interns (up to INR29,000)
Software development interns (up to INR42,000)
Web development interns (up to INR17,000)
Salary appraisals for employees usually happen twice every year. Supervisors evaluate work performance based on established goals from the start of a calendar year.
Not much is known about the benefits package of The Sparks Foundation (India). Some employees, though, enjoy a work-from-home arrangement