Is the course aligned with the Australian Curriculum Digital Technologies (F-10)?
Yes. Our K-10 (Foundation – Year 10) track aligns with both strands of the Australian Curriculum Digital Technologies — knowledge & understanding and processes & production skills. Computational thinking, data, algorithms, digital systems, project work — all covered, with real shipped Python projects on top.
Do you align to my state's specific Year-11/12 exam system?
Yes — all eight: NSW HSC (Software Design & Development / IPT), VIC VCE (Algorithmics HESS, Applied Computing), QLD QCE (Digital Solutions, ICT), WA WACE (Applied IT, Computer Science), SA SACE (Stage 1 & 2 IT, Digital Technologies), TAS TCE (Computer Science), ACT (Information Technology), NT NTCET. Tell us your state on the trial call.
Can you coach the Australian Informatics Olympiad (AIO)?
Yes. We coach AIO from beginner to invitation-level, the NCSS Challenge (National Computer Science School Challenge), Bebras Australia and CCC (the Canadian Computing Competition for some of our internationally-minded students). Several of our students have qualified for the AIO programming camp.
Can my student prepare for a Group of Eight university?
Yes. Our advanced track is built around what Melbourne, Sydney, ANU, UNSW, Monash, UQ, UWA and Adelaide CS / IT / Engineering programs evaluate in applicants — strong algorithmic depth, project portfolio, USACO / AIO results. We don't promise admission; we promise the foundation.
What time zones do mentors cover?
All three Australian time zones — AEDT / AEST (NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS, ACT), ACDT / ACST (SA, NT) and AWST (WA). Slot windows run 09:00 – 21:00 local. You pick two weekly slots in your own time zone.
What does it cost in Australian dollars?
Private 1:1 mentorship is USD 100 (about AUD 152) per month — 8 sessions, two per week. Small-group cohort is USD 40 (about AUD 61) per month. Billing is in USD via Stripe; your bank applies the live AUD conversion automatically.
Will my child build real AI, or just "use ChatGPT"?
Real AI engineering. Students build LLM-powered applications end-to-end — prompting, structured output, retrieval-augmented generation, tool-calling agents, evaluations and deployment. The same patterns shipped at Atlassian, Canva, SafetyCulture, REA Group, Seek, CSIRO Data61 and AIML.
How is AI safety handled for younger children?
Under-13s never operate raw LLM APIs against the open internet without a mentor present. Age-appropriate models, guardrailed prompts, content filters and a "sandbox-only" rule. Parents see every prompt and every output. We're stricter on this than most.
Are mentors used to Aussie private, public and selective schools?
Yes. We've supported students at Sydney Grammar, Scots, Knox, MLC, Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne Grammar, Scotch College, Carey, Brisbane Grammar, BBC, Christ Church Grammar, St Peter's Adelaide, Canberra Grammar, plus the NSW and VIC selective state schools (James Ruse, North Sydney Boys/Girls, Melbourne High, MacRob) and ordinary public high schools nationwide.
Can the mentor coach the SDD / VCE / QCE major project specifically?
Yes — major-project coaching is one of our most-requested deliverables. We help with topic scoping, technical implementation, written report structure, code-quality review and rehearsal of the spoken presentation. Many Year-12 students cite the mentor in their major-project acknowledgements.
Can the mentor write a reference for a UAC / VTAC / QTAC / TISC application?
For students who have been with us at least six months, mentors write a short factual reference describing the projects shipped and skills observed. This is often cited in UAC / VTAC / QTAC / TISC supplementary application sections (where allowed) as evidence of independent technical work.
Does the schedule pause for Aussie school holidays?
You decide. Most Australian families pause across the Christmas break, mid-year break and term holidays — and just resume after. Some families use the breaks for a focused project sprint instead. Pause any month with one message to your mentor — no fee, no awkward conversation.
How do we pay? Aussie cards OK?
Yes. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Amex (all issued in Australia), Apple Pay and Google Pay. Billing is in USD via Stripe; your card issuer applies the live AUD conversion — typically about AUD 152 for the 1:1 plan at current rates.
Can siblings share a slot?
Yes, when their levels are close. Two siblings can share a 1:1 slot at a small discount. We typically recommend separate slots when their ages are more than two years apart, so neither is held back.
Will my child get a certificate at the end?
Yes — we issue a Modern Age Coders certificate of completion at each curriculum milestone (typically every six months), signed by the mentor, listing the projects shipped and skills demonstrated. Useful for school CVs, scholarship applications and UAC supplementary forms.
What about FIRST Robotics Australia or the RACE / Mech Engineering scholarships?
We support FIRST Robotics Australia teams on the programming side (Java, Python, C++). Many of our students compete in FIRST and cite their teamwork in scholarship applications including the John Monash Scholarship and various Aussie defence-academy programs.
Can the mentor work during the HSC / VCE / QCE exam fortnight itself?
Yes — many families intensify mentor support during the exam-prep window. We can switch a normal weekly session to a focused past-paper drill, or schedule extra hours by the hour if helpful. There's no contract change; just message the mentor.
Do you offer girls-only mentorship (Women in STEM)?
Yes — we have a dedicated Special For Girls track with all-female mentor pairing. Many of our female Aussie students are paired with mentors from Atlassian, Canva, CSIRO Data61 and top Aussie AI labs.
What's the cancellation policy?
The first trial is always free. After that, you can cancel any time before the next billing cycle — no fee, no contract. If a month has just renewed and you'd like to stop, contact us within 7 days and we'll refund the unused portion. We'd rather you came back later than feel locked in.
How does this compare to Cluey Learning, Code Camp, Coder Academy or Cluey?
Cluey Learning, Code Camp and Coder Academy are legitimate Aussie options — broader market, larger classes, more variety. We're narrower and deeper: 1:1 year-round mentorship aimed at depth (HSC / VCE / QCE excellence, AIO promotion, Group of Eight CS, or a real career switch). Many Aussie families try one of those first and join us when they want more.
What devices do you teach with?
VS Code, the terminal, Git and GitHub, Python 3, Node, modern browsers and a deploy target (Vercel, GitHub Pages or Hugging Face Spaces). For AI work: OpenAI, Anthropic and Google AI SDKs, Chroma / Pinecone for retrieval, LangGraph / Inngest for agents — the same tools Aussie tech shops actually use.
Will the mentor handle setup on a school-issued laptop?
Yes. Many Aussie schools issue locked-down Windows or Chromebook laptops. We have a school-laptop setup path (VS Code in the browser via GitHub Codespaces, or a sandboxed Python environment when admin is locked). The mentor walks your student through the setup live in the first class.
Do you support FIRST Lego League and the Aussie STEM Awards?
Yes — many of our younger Australian students compete in FIRST Lego League Australia (FLL), and several of our older students enter the Australian STEM Awards, the BHP Foundation Science and Engineering Awards, and the Premier's Coding Challenge. Mentors help with project ideation and shipping.
Can the mentor write a Common App reference for a US university application?
Yes — a meaningful minority of our Aussie students apply to US universities (MIT, Stanford, CMU, Berkeley) via the Common App. For students who have been with us at least six months, mentors write a short factual reference describing the projects shipped and skills observed. We've supported Aussie students into top US CS programs.