Kiwi graduate lands Google internship

Boris Pfahringer has snared a 14-week internship at the global search giant's offices in New York.

Search giant Google, which provides quality food for employees, subsidised massages and colourful offices complete with basketball courts and slides, is possibly the coolest place to work.

A young New Zealander will get a taste of it and will see what really goes on behind the scenes at the company after securing an internship.

Boris Pfahringer, of Hamilton, will spend 14 weeks at Google's New York office.

Mr Pfahringer - who has just graduated with a bachelor of computing and mathematical sciences, with honours, from the University of Waikato - knows how big a deal it is.

"I'm looking forward to working in the Google environment and also having the opportunity to explore the city. It's my first time in New York," he said.

Photographs of Google's Chelsea, Manhattan offices show an interactive space with fixtures not usually seen in an office.

There is a ladder chute to get between some floors. Some walls are covered in graffiti-style artwork and people move around on scooters.

The library is also full of tricks, having secret wall shelves installed.

Mr Pfahringer is a former student of Hamilton Boys' High School. In 2009, as a Year 13 student, he was chosen to go to the International Olympiad for Informatics in Bulgaria.

The competition is regarded as the world's top programming contest for secondary school students and attracts hundreds of competitors.

Mr Pfahringer and fellow Kiwi Jamie McCloskey came away with the bronze medal that year.

The Internship, a comedy, was released last year and follows two men who get internships at Google.

The film featured much of what the search giant is known for - its gourmet quality food for its workers, bright offices and flexible work hours.

Mr Pfahringer, in his early 20s, will work with the Google search team. "I will get good practical experience working with big systems as part of a large group."