How do I get to know professions?

For some, it has long been clear which taster opportunities they want to take advantage of, while others struggle with the wide range of career options. Silas Peter belonged to the second group and really appreciated the visit to the Central Switzerland Education Fair with his second-year class. «This trip helped me a lot back then,» recalls the current apprentice, «I was able to get an overview of the different career opportunities and filter out which ones I wanted to take a closer look at.»

When tasting, it is crucial that you also find out what you don't want.

Information events such as careers fairs or the so-called Tun-Messen, organised by the Stiftung für Nachwuchsförderung in Technik und Naturwissenschaften (Foundation for the Promotion of Young Talent in Technology and Science), can be a guide. Some companies also organise information events and open days; it is worth taking advantage of these. «At the fair, I realised which professions appealed to me directly. I then focussed on these when looking for taster apprenticeships,» adds Silas Peter.

The subsequent taster programme gave him the opportunity to gain direct insights into different professional areas and see behind the scenes. «I had a taster as a bricklayer, cook, optician, care specialist and structural draughtsman. They were all professions that I could imagine.»

Taster apprenticeship: comparison with reality

The taster apprenticeship is often a turning point in choosing a career. Imaginations, brochures and internet videos become real impressions; you finally experience first-hand what it means to work as a chef, care specialist or optician. «The taster apprenticeship is the ultimate reality check,» says careers counsellor Sigrid Weber.

After the taster days, I was able to decide on three professions using a process of elimination.

Silas Peter

The fact that days at work can sometimes be unpleasant, that the work is not fun or that you realise that you had imagined the job to be completely different is part of it. In fact, finding out what you don't want is crucial to making the right career choice. This was the case for Silas Peter: «After the taster days, I was able to decide on three professions using a process of elimination.»

He applied for apprenticeships as a bricklayer, structural draughtsman and beverage technologist, and was successful with the latter. Trial apprenticeships are also important for the training companies. They make a selection based on the application dossiers.

Rejecting an apprenticeship contract is permitted

However, training companies usually only decide who they trust to do the apprenticeship and offer a contract to on the basis of the impression the candidates have made when taster sessions in the workshop, shop or clinic. It is advisable to make it clear from the outset where you stand in your career choice. However, it is also permissible to reject the apprenticeship contract offered after a successful taster apprenticeship.

Silas Peter also worked in the company for a fortnight for his current apprenticeship as an EFZ tinsmith and then even completed an internship before applying for the apprenticeship. «As I had dropped out of my apprenticeship as a beverage technologist due to the working conditions, I really wanted to be sure that it would be a good fit at the second attempt.»

His motivation certainly helped him to get the apprenticeship in the end. «At the time, I knew exactly what was required as a tinsmith. And my employer could see that I could fulfil them.»

Keeping a diary helps

Elsewhere, too, importance is attached to how a job candidate behaves in the workplace, for example at Zurich University Hospital. «In the taster apprenticeship, we see how a person deals with patients, how they cope in a new situation with an unfamiliar team, how resilient they are - exactly the things that are important in everyday training afterwards,» confirms Stephan Nabholz, Head of Vocational Training at the University Hospital Zurich.

It makes sense for young people to keep a diary during each taster apprenticeship in which they write down their impressions every day: what they liked, what was difficult or unpleasant. This helps them to realise which professional environment they want to spend the next few years in.