With the first salary comes responsibility

At the end of the first month of your apprenticeship, the time has come: you have earned your first money and are tempted to buy something straight away. Having your own salary in your bank account means freedom and offers opportunities, but also comes with responsibility.

«The transition from school to an apprenticeship is a big step. Like all life transitions, it is associated with instability,» says Simone Reiser, project manager for debt prevention at the City of Zurich. Instability that harbours a risk of debt. This makes it all the more important to support young people during this phase and ensure stability.

The first recommendation from the Debt Prevention Centre is to open letters regularly. It sounds banal, but it's not. An invoice is quickly lost if it is not filed in a designated place. «With invoices arriving by post, emails, documents and contracts that need to be read through and filed away, there is a risk of quickly losing track of things,» says Reiser.

The specialist centre therefore recommends that the first thing young learners do is to develop a system of organisation. What exactly this looks like depends on the individual. The main thing is that the system creates an overview and organisation. For invoices sent by email, the project manager recommends setting up an additional email address. «If invoices get lost in spam, in the worst case scenario they can lead to debt collection.» This should be avoided.

The board money comes last

As a second step, the Debt Prevention Centre recommends drawing up a budget. What expenses need to be covered with the salary earned? «Lunch, use of public transport, health insurance, visits to the hairdresser, clothes,» Simone Reiser lists. «All everyday costs should be on the list. Young people learn how money has to be divided up. And - very importantly - what life actually costs.» Once all expenditure items have been defined, provisions can be made: For example, it is possible to pay for the public transport season ticket in the second year of the apprenticeship as an annual season ticket.

Simone Reiser also recommends making clear agreements: Which costs are covered by the parents and which by the students? According to Reiser, it is best to mark the expenses with two different colours. This not only makes the amount of money visible, but also increases mutual appreciation for the contributions made.

The declared aim is for learners to pay all their own expenses.

Simone Reiser, Project Manager Debt Prevention

Finally, there is the question of the so-called cost allowance, the money that learners can give for board and lodging - food and accommodation - at home. When does it make sense for learners to make a contribution? «The declared aim is for learners to be able to pay all their own expenses,» says Simone Reiser.

«The board money comes last. If everything can be paid out of your own pocket, it's nice if young people give a contribution at home - even a symbolic one if necessary. If this is deducted from the account by standing order, young people learn that fixed costs for living have to be factored in later.»

Learning from mistakes

Learners should be able to learn from their mistakes when it comes to money matters so that their financial skills are in place when they reach adulthood. If mistakes happen, the amounts of money are usually more manageable than after the training. «Of course it's annoying if you've signed up for a three-year mobile phone subscription because you didn't read the small print,» says Reiser. «But it's still better than leasing a car at the age of 25 with unbearable cost consequences. Children don't learn to ride a bike without falling over, but we make sure they wear a helmet.»

A system for organising invoices, a budget for running costs and clarification of the issue of board and lodging: once these points have been settled, the first salary can be paid.