WASHINGTON — A stout competitor for high-tech professionals has emerged, rivaling Silicon Valley, “Silicon Alley,” “Silicon Prairie” and their ilk.
And this city has the beaches, mountains and brewpubs that code-crunching West Coast hipsters crave.
Coined “Silicon Welly,” Wellington, New Zealand, is making a very public move to land top-notch tech talent from around the globe.
As part of a program called LookSee Wellington, potential candidates are being invited to apply online for 100 open positions in such fields as iOS developer, systems administrator and digital strategist.
Interest has been so strong that as of Wednesday night, the website was “temporarily closed off” to new registrations. “We’re currently working on scaling up to handle the high volumes, so please check back in 24 hours,” the application page reads.
(See? They really do need the help.)
Applications will be accepted through March 20. The lucky hundred candidates will be flown out for “four days of pre-arranged job interviews, meet-ups and exploration, with all flights and accommodation paid for,” according to the program’s site.
The candidates who impress will leave for home with a job offer.
In addition to its ample outdoor activities and cultured nightlife, this capital city in the South Pacific is renowned for its reasonable cost of living and agreeable weather (2,100 hours of sunshine each year, reportedly).
There’s also the whole “Lord of the Rings” thing: Several scenes of the epic trilogy were filmed not far from town.
Tech professionals who want to embark on their own epic adventure can check out the LookSee Wellington page to get started.
