Company Summary
iLAB is one of South Africa’s leading independent software testing and quality assurance companies, headquartered in Sandton, Johannesburg. Founded with a focus on helping organisations deliver high-quality software, iLAB provides end-to-end software testing services — including functional testing, test automation, performance testing, security testing, and quality consulting — to clients across financial services, telecommunications, retail, and the public sector. iLAB operates at the intersection of software engineering and quality assurance, working with some of South Africa’s largest enterprises to ensure that the technology they deliver to their customers is reliable, secure, and fit for purpose.
As a specialist testing company, iLAB is one of the best possible environments in which to start a career in Software Quality Assurance. You will not be a peripheral graduate sitting in a large corporate rotation — you will be working inside a company where software testing is the entire business, surrounded by experienced QA professionals who have made this discipline their career. For a graduate looking to build genuine, deep expertise in software quality, there are very few better entry points in South Africa.
This specific intake is part of iLAB’s 2025/2026 SQA Internship Programme, with a deliberate and meaningful focus on creating opportunity for graduates living with disabilities — reflecting iLAB’s commitment to inclusive employment and the belief that talent exists across all communities and circumstances.
Opportunity Overview
iLAB is inviting applications from graduates living with disabilities to join its Software Quality Assurance Internship Programme for the 2025/2026 cycle. The company has already begun shortlisting for this intake and is specifically extending an invitation to candidates with disabilities who may not yet have applied, encouraging them to take their first step toward a career in software quality assurance.
Position: Software Quality Assurance Intern Company: iLAB Location: Sandton, Johannesburg, Gauteng Contract Type: Fixed-term internship, full-time Programme: iLAB 2025/2026 SQA Internship Programme Target Candidates: Graduates living with disabilities Employment Equity: EE/AA position Status: Shortlisting in progress — apply immediately
Key Requirements
Matric:
- Mathematics — minimum Level C (Level 4, 50% or above)
- English — minimum Level C (Level 4, 50% or above)
Qualification:
- BSc in Computer Science, or
- Degree or Diploma in Information Technology, or
- An equivalent qualification in a related computing or technology field
Academic Content:
- You must have completed Programming as part of your tertiary modules — this is essential. The specific language does not matter as much as the fact that you have been exposed to programming logic, code structure, and software development principles during your studies
Disability:
- This specific intake is designated for graduates living with disabilities — candidates are encouraged to disclose their disability status as part of their application
What You Will Be Doing
As a Software Quality Assurance intern at iLAB, you will be introduced to the full discipline of software testing in a professional consulting environment. Depending on project placement, your work may include:
- Learning and applying software testing fundamentals — understanding the software development lifecycle and where quality assurance fits within it
- Executing manual test cases against software applications — identifying defects, logging them accurately, and tracking them through to resolution
- Writing test cases and test scripts based on business requirements and functional specifications
- Participating in test planning activities — understanding what needs to be tested, why, and in what sequence
- Introduction to test automation concepts — learning how automated testing tools can improve the speed and coverage of software quality processes
- Bug tracking and defect management using industry-standard tools such as JIRA
- Reviewing and analysing software requirements to identify gaps, ambiguities, or testability concerns before development begins
- Collaborating with software developers, business analysts, and project managers in an Agile delivery team
- Learning how to produce clear, professional test reports and quality metrics that communicate testing status to stakeholders
- Exposure to performance testing, security testing, and other specialised testing disciplines depending on project needs
What You Will Learn
iLAB’s internship is not a passive observation programme — it is a structured, hands-on introduction to professional software quality assurance:
- The ISTQB Foundation Level body of knowledge — the internationally recognised standard for software testing theory and practice. Many iLAB interns work toward their ISTQB Foundation certification during or after the programme, which is a globally recognised credential that immediately strengthens any QA CV
- Manual testing methodology — how to design, execute, and report on test cases in a structured, repeatable, and professional manner
- Defect lifecycle management — how a bug is identified, logged, prioritised, assigned, fixed, and verified in a real software delivery environment
- Agile and Scrum delivery — how software teams work in sprints, what happens in daily stand-ups and sprint reviews, and how QA fits into iterative software development
- Test automation fundamentals — an introduction to automation tools and scripting, which is the direction the industry is moving and where the strongest career opportunities lie
- Professional documentation and communication — how to write test plans, test reports, and defect reports that are clear, accurate, and actionable for technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Corporate professionalism — how to operate in a professional consulting environment, manage your time, meet deadlines, and represent yourself and iLAB in client-facing situations
- A professional reference from iLAB — one of South Africa’s most respected software testing organisations. A reference from iLAB carries specific weight in the QA and technology job market
Possible Interview Questions
Prepare for a combination of technical and personal questions:
- What do you understand about Software Quality Assurance and why do you think it is important in the software development process?
- What programming languages did you study during your qualification, and can you walk us through a simple programme you wrote and what it did?
- What is the difference between a bug and a feature — and how would you decide which one you are looking at when testing software?
- Have you heard of the ISTQB? What do you know about it and would you be interested in pursuing the certification?
- Describe a situation — from your studies or personal life — where you had to check something very carefully for errors. How did you approach it and what did you find?
- What does Agile software development mean to you, and have you been exposed to any Agile concepts during your studies?
- How do you feel about working in a client-facing consulting environment where you may be placed at different client sites?
- Tell us about your disability and how you manage it in a working or studying environment — what accommodations or support do you find most helpful?
- Why do you want to start your career in software quality assurance specifically, rather than software development or another IT discipline?
- What does inclusive employment mean to you, and why is it important that companies like iLAB actively create opportunities for graduates with disabilities?
Tip: iLAB is a professional services company — presentation, communication, and professionalism matter enormously in your interview. At the same time, this intake was created because iLAB genuinely believes in unlocking potential in graduates who may have faced additional barriers to entry. Be yourself, be honest about your background and your disability, and demonstrate your passion for technology and your eagerness to learn. That combination is exactly what they are looking for.
Career Advice
- Apply immediately — shortlisting is already underway. iLAB has explicitly stated that they have begun shortlisting for this intake. Every day you wait is a day closer to the positions being filled. Gather your CV, certified copy of your Matric certificate, your degree or diploma, and your university transcripts, and email them without delay.
- Disclosing your disability is an act of empowerment in this context, not a vulnerability. This intake was created specifically to ensure that graduates living with disabilities are included and given a genuine opportunity to enter the technology sector. iLAB has designed this programme with inclusion in mind. Being open about your disability allows iLAB to put the right support structures in place for you to succeed — and succeeding is the entire point.
- Software Quality Assurance is one of the most stable and fastest-growing career paths in South African technology. Every piece of software that any company deploys — banking apps, insurance systems, retail platforms, government services — must be tested before it reaches users. QA professionals are needed across every industry, making this one of the most recession-resistant technology careers available. Starting at iLAB, a specialist testing company, gives you a depth of QA expertise that generalist IT roles simply cannot match.
- Get ISTQB certified as soon as possible. The International Software Testing Qualifications Board Foundation Level certification is the globally recognised standard for software testing professionals. It is affordable, achievable within weeks of focused study, and immediately recognised by employers across South Africa, the UK, Australia, Europe, and beyond. Many iLAB interns pursue this certification during their programme — treat it as a priority from your first week.
- Test automation is where the industry is heading and where the best salaries are. Manual testing gets you in the door — and it is a genuinely important skill — but learning automation tools such as Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, or Appium, combined with scripting in Python or JavaScript, will dramatically accelerate your career trajectory and your earning potential within two to three years of starting out. Use your programming background from your studies as the foundation and build on it deliberately.
- iLAB’s client base is your professional network. As a consulting company, iLAB places its people at client sites across industries. Every client you work with during your internship is a potential future employer, reference, or professional contact. Conduct yourself impeccably at every client engagement — you are representing iLAB and building your own professional reputation simultaneously.
- Your programming background is a genuine advantage in QA. Many software testers come from non-technical backgrounds and struggle with automation and technical testing concepts. Because your qualification required programming modules, you already have a foundation in logical thinking, code structure, and software behaviour that will make you a faster learner in automation testing and technical QA roles. Use that advantage actively and deliberately.
- Sandton is South Africa’s technology and financial services hub. The professional environment, the colleagues, and the client network you encounter through an iLAB internship in Sandton will open doors that extend well beyond the duration of the programme. Build relationships intentionally, maintain them professionally, and approach every interaction as an investment in your long-term career.
- You belong in this industry. The South African technology sector — like many others — has historically not been inclusive enough of people with disabilities. iLAB’s deliberate decision to create this intake is part of changing that. The talent, the intellect, and the capability required to succeed in software quality assurance are not determined by disability status. If you have the qualification, the programming background, and the passion for technology — you have what it takes. Apply.
Software quality assurance is the discipline that stands between broken software and the millions of South Africans who depend on technology every day to bank, communicate, work, and live. Starting your career at iLAB — a company that does nothing else — is one of the most focused and purposeful ways to enter this field. And doing so as part of a cohort that proves, by existing, that the technology sector is stronger when it is inclusive — that is something to be proud of from day one.