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job search“Poorly paid internships are demotivating” – can you do without them?
Companies in Switzerland often require graduates to do an internship as a career starter. But why? And what does that mean for job seekers? Two students report.
Anyone looking for a permanent position often has to do an internship first.
20min/Michael Scherrer
These are mostly badly paid, although young people often work quite normally.
20min/Michael Scherrer
That’s what it’s regarding
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Three internships before you get a permanent job – that’s no longer a rarity these days.
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Despite a lot of responsibility, internships are often poorly paid, criticizes adult educator Silvia Stettler.
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She’s participating in the new job platform junior staff.ch, which reverses the application process.
Cramming, taking exams – and then into the professional world! This is the plan of many students in Switzerland. But it’s not that easy, as two students say to 20 minutes: Even a master’s degree doesn’t guarantee an easy job search, and it usually doesn’t work without an internship.
Three internships before permanent employment
Simon Baur completed an initial internship in investment banking between his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, before earning a master’s degree in economics from the University of Bern. This was followed by an internship at Swiss Re, which was scheduled to last six months and was extended to one year.
At the time, however, there were no vacancies at the reinsurer. After the second internship, it was a little faster to find a new job. But once more an internship. A position finally became vacant at Swiss Re, and he has had a permanent position with the reinsurer since November 2022.
“Many students believe that it’s easy to find a job with a master’s degree,” says Baur. But that’s not true. The competition on the job market is fierce and finding a job is anything but easy. After graduating, it took around 50 applications before he found a permanent job.
Lots of responsibility, bad pay
Silvia Stettler is also annoyed that young people often still need internships despite their high school diploma and studies. “They are usually badly paid, although the young people work normally and already have responsibilities,” says the president of the AareGäuer association, which offers learning coaching and private tuition.
New platform for junior staff reverses the application process
The new offspring.ch platform reverses the application process: anyone looking for a job fills out their profile – and the companies get in touch with the job seekers. 150 to 200 job seekers have already registered, and numerous well-known companies are also taking advantage of the offer.
If a company is interested in a profile, it contacts the junior manager. This can then unlock their data. If the parties were to be found, employment might follow, says adult educator Silvia Stettler, who is involved in the project. junior forces.ch is free, later a subscription model for companies is planned. It should cost between 300 and 2400 francs per year, depending on the number of employees.
The students’ frustration is palpable, says Stettler. Many would have told her that they would only do a master’s degree following completing their bachelor’s degree because they mightn’t find a suitable and fairly paid job. They would be happy to add the master if they already had some experience. “But once they have completed their master’s degree, they face exactly the same problem,” says the adult educator.
You can do it without an internship
“The job search turned out to be more difficult than expected,” agrees Yanick Schär, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. He applied for posts for college graduates. But there aren’t very many of these – “and I’ve often received a rejection or no answer”.
After 30 applications, it worked: Schär found a job for training to become a certified Chartered Accountant – without an internship. “Poorly paid internships are demotivating,” says Schär. He understands that following graduation you also have to learn a lot in the professional world. However, most of the graduates are ambitious and look forward to finally working following their studies.
“Many employers are looking for the perfect employee, who doesn’t exist,” says Schär. The companies are picky, even though they cannot afford it. And many hardly supported young people. “But my generation also has a different idea of work and demands things that not every employer is ready for.”
