In sum: this is a Berlin-based version of Hacker School NYC, with a few twists: it's EU-based; part-time involvement is possible; and we'll incorporate some quantified-self hacks to measure progress (exactly what and how, TBD).

If you want to come hone your skills in one of the great cities of the world alongside a small, friendly group of committed coders, be sure to apply. Berlin has world-class culture, a blooming startup scene, high quality-of-life, great public transit - and it's all quite affordable.

If you know of great coders who love teaching and sharing, please let us know - we definitely want to get in touch with them as residents/mentors. Travel and living expenses will be covered, of course. Thanks HN!

>As any other placement service, we take 1/3 of the first year salary (paid by the employer).

Wait, what? I don't know what the average salary is for junior-to-senior programmers in Germany, but 1/3th of it can't be a little...

Nice move guys! Once i've heard of Hacker School, i also dreamed about creating something like it here in Brazil.. (at least, after bootstraping my project, the one im stuck at right now)

So i know how you guys feel!

I hope more Hacker Schools like this start to pop all over the world..

We need to understand(and practice) education as something not monopolized only by the academy, but shared all over, and continuously happening over the lifespan of a human being

Knowledge wants to be free!

Kudos to you guys!

Let me add that we're prepared to do a little handholding for those who feel daunted by the prospect of moving to Berlin for three months. Berlin is a really laid-back city (where they turned the airport into a public garden and forgot to build a new one ...), and short-term integration is pretty straightforward.

Just a quick note with more details...

- The starting date is Oct 1st.

- We have some incredible residents already, and are looking for more.

- Please contact us if you want to be a student or a resident, or know someone who is a perfect match.

The story: This is inspired by Hacker School NY. When I saw they got Peter Norvig as a resident, I almost jumped into a plane straight. But I have a girlfriend, a dog, and a baby, so I cannot leave Berlin.

So, in the most unadulterated hacker spirit... I made my own :)

Berlin has some serious advantages over NY:

- It's dirt cheap to live here. Maybe 1/3 of NY prices

- There are plenty of talented people, and user groups.

- There are some desirable startups, and a shortage of hires (as anywhere else, really).

Edit: formatting

I just met with one of the people behind this and I can heartily recommend it, very impressive and extremely nice. If you're in or around Berlin be sure to make contact with them, you won't regret it.

Do you plan to have batch 2 by early next year? I would absolutely love to attend! I'm a grad student in Singapore, focussing on machine learning and signal processing. I've long wanted to attend the NYC version, but american visas are a biatch!:p.

From confirmation page:

"On tweeter, we are @hackerretreat, would be great if you could follow us there."

- Did you mean "twitter" ? - The 't' at the end is out of the tag - <a ..>@hackerretrea</a>t

Konstantin Haase of Sinatra/Ruby fame is based in Berlin and I would recommend him for a mentor.

https://github.com/rkh

Sounds Cool! Who are the residents so far?

Nice idea. Good luck! ;)