How long should an apprenticeship letter be?

One page, and rather less than more — three short paragraphs is plenty. The company wants to know who you are and why this trade, not to assess your prose.

What if I have not done trial days yet?

Ask for them in the letter; that is a perfectly good reason to write. And replace the experience with what you have actually done elsewhere — a repair at home, a holiday job, a commitment at a club.

Can my parents help me write it?

To proofread, yes. To write, no — and it is spotted immediately. A letter visibly drafted by an adult reads as a bad sign about independence, which is the opposite of the intended effect.

Should I put my grades in the letter?

No, they are in the enclosed school reports. Naming the subject that helps in this trade — geometry for an installer, German for a commercial apprenticeship — does show you have made the connection.

When should I apply for an August start?

From the previous autumn in most trades, and earlier again in banking, insurance and IT. A spring application arrives for the places that are left.

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Apprenticeship application

An apprenticeship application has no career to describe. It rests on school, the trial days, and what you genuinely want to learn — and that is enough, because it is exactly what the training company is looking for.

The example below is written the way a fifteen-year-old actually writes: short sentences, concrete facts, no phrases borrowed from an adult.

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Give the trade and the company: the generator writes a first draft in plain language, which you then rework in your own words and with your own trial days.

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Example — written out in full

Application for an apprenticeship as Sanitary Installer EFZ, starting August 2027

Dear Mr Wyss,

I spent three trial days with you last May, with Mr Favre on the Steffisburg site. I would like to start my apprenticeship as a sanitary installer with you in August 2027.

During those days I was allowed to fit pipes myself on the second day, after Mr Favre showed me how to measure and cut. In the evening I could see what I had done, and that is what I liked most. I also noticed you have to think before you drill, because a mistake stays visible for a long time.

At school my best subjects are maths and geometry, which helps with measuring. I have played ice hockey at SC Bern for six years, so I know how to get up early and stick to something even when it is hard. At home I fix things: I replaced my grandmother's sink trap last year, with my father.

I would be very glad to come and introduce myself and to do another trial. You can reach me on 078 000 00 00, or through my parents.

Best regards,

Liam Berger

What matters here

Name the trial days (Schnupperlehre) and what you did with your hands — that is the part they really read.
Say why this trade rather than another. "I like working with people" distinguishes nothing.
Grades do not go in the letter; they are in the school report you enclose.
Have someone check the spelling, but do not let anyone rewrite it for you.
Give a phone number you actually answer.

What training companies actually read

A training company is not expecting a polished letter from a fifteen-year-old. It is expecting one they wrote themselves. And that shows immediately: when a letter says "I possess a pronounced capacity for teamwork" or "a high degree of personal initiative", an adult has been through it, and that reads as a warning sign rather than as diligence.

Write the way you speak, only tidier. "On the second day I was allowed to fit pipes myself, and in the evening I could see what I had done" is a sentence only you could write. That is precisely why it works.

A spelling mistake costs less than a borrowed voice. Have it proofread; do not have it rewritten.

The timetable most people miss — and how the Swiss system works

Apprenticeships starting in August are decided in many trades from the previous autumn, and earlier still in banking, insurance and IT. Starting the search in spring means applying for what is left.

The sequence that works: trial days first, then the application. In Switzerland the Schnupperlehre is not an extra — it is effectively the first round of selection, and many companies decide on that basis. So the letter has to exist *before*, because it is what you use to ask for the trial.

For families new to Switzerland, the part worth knowing: an apprenticeship is not a lesser route here. Around two thirds of Swiss school leavers take it, it leads to a federal qualification (EFZ) that employers rank alongside academic ones, and it stays open — the Berufsmatura and the universities of applied sciences continue from it. A letter that treats the apprenticeship as a fallback misreads the system it is applying to.

And after the trial days: a short thank-you email the same or next day, with one sentence on what you specifically liked. It costs five minutes and reminds the company who you were when they decide three weeks later.

FAQ

How long should an apprenticeship letter be?: One page, and rather less than more — three short paragraphs is plenty. The company wants to know who you are and why this trade, not to assess your prose.
What if I have not done trial days yet?: Ask for them in the letter; that is a perfectly good reason to write. And replace the experience with what you have actually done elsewhere — a repair at home, a holiday job, a commitment at a club.
Can my parents help me write it?: To proofread, yes. To write, no — and it is spotted immediately. A letter visibly drafted by an adult reads as a bad sign about independence, which is the opposite of the intended effect.
Should I put my grades in the letter?: No, they are in the enclosed school reports. Naming the subject that helps in this trade — geometry for an installer, German for a commercial apprenticeship — does show you have made the connection.
When should I apply for an August start?: From the previous autumn in most trades, and earlier again in banking, insurance and IT. A spring application arrives for the places that are left.

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