Alternatives to apprenticeships and grammar school

The vast majority of young people opt for an apprenticeship or secondary school. However, there are other educational options that you should be aware of before making your choice.

Career choice year/ 10th school year

«Tenth form», as the young people call it, does not have a good reputation and is seen by many as a sign of failure in their career choice. After all, they wanted to finally leave school behind them. Yet it offers those who have not found an apprenticeship time to work on what they have been missing. These could be deficits at school, their performance in the application process or simply a little more personal maturity to realise their own interests and strengths.

Social year

The care and health professions are popular, and not everyone finds an apprenticeship after the 3rd secondary school year. At the same time, at the age of 15 you are still very young for this mentally demanding work. The social year, consisting of two six-month internships and one day of school per week, prepares young people for further training and work in care and nursing. The social year shows all those who complete it whether they really want to and can work in this field. The chances of finding an apprenticeship are much better afterwards - because you have gained experience and proved that you are serious about working with people who need to be looked after or cared for.

Internship

Internships for young people after compulsory schooling are an opportunity to gain professional experience if you are not yet sure which direction to take or if you have not found an apprenticeship in your chosen profession. Young people who speak other languages can improve their German language skills, which are essential for any apprenticeship, and at the same time put their practical skills to the test. Internships - in both skilled and unskilled trades - can be found through placement organisations or directly through the companies offering them. It is worth looking for a solution that includes a few lessons at school each week: It is much easier to start vocational school afterwards than if you haven't seen the inside of a classroom for a year.

Preliminary design course

If you are looking for an apprenticeship in the design field, for example as a graphic designer, polygraph, advertising technician or 3D designer, it is a good idea to attend a preliminary design course after the 3rd secondary school year. Here you learn various techniques, from hand drawing and painting to modelling, photography and filming, as well as how to use graphics software. Creativity and the ability to talk about creative work and ideas are also encouraged. The preliminary design course is not compulsory, but given the competition for apprenticeships in this field, it is considered practically hopeless to start such an apprenticeship without this prior training. You usually have to pass an entrance examination in order to complete the basic creative training programme. There are also preparatory courses for this examination. A special form is the creative preparatory course, which is aimed at those who wish to study design at university.

Art and sports school

They are the first choice for those who are not only good at school, but also particularly talented in sport or music. Art and sports schools make it possible to harmonise training or practice and school lessons so that young talents can develop optimally during this crucial age period. Whether a career in sport, music or art then works out is another matter. It is therefore all the more important that the talented youngsters have a school-leaving certificate or a secondary school leaving certificate in their pockets.

Language study trip

Spending a year in French-speaking Switzerland as an au pair, i.e. nanny and domestic help, has been a classic for decades, especially for young women. The language skills are improved many times over. The time away from home and away from the familiar is hard for many, but instructive - a lesson for life. A wide variety of language stays are now on offer, including for young men. Au pairs are paid by the host family for their work. If you only want to attend school during your language stay, you have to cover the costs yourself.
A gap year as an au pair - a possible stage on the way to deciding on a career.

Read more:

  • Career choice - nothing is forever
  • What influence do school grades have on career choices?
  • Ask the careers counsellor!
  • I want to go to grammar school
  • The apprenticeship - a model for success
  • Teaching is just the beginning
  • The career after the apprenticeship
  • Changing professions
  • Tips for choosing a career
  • Questions about career choices that help