If you’re thinking about starting your career with an apprenticeship – congratulations, this is an amazing step towards finding your dream job!
There are lots of apprenticeship schemes out there, with different subjects, companies, and training approaches on offer. It’s a big decision to make, and before you start applying for opportunities, there are a few important questions that can help you find the right apprenticeship for you.
1. Is the Job Role a Good Match for You?
You should carefully think about which kind of role you would like to go into. You will get much more out of your job if you enjoy it! Where possible, try to align your choice of career with your interests and passions. Think about your strengths and the areas where you’d like to challenge yourself and develop new skills.
For example, if you are interested in troubleshooting technology, you might be suited to a career as an IT Support Technician. Or, if you’re interested in creating digital platforms, a Software Development apprenticeship could be more your style.
When looking at the details of apprenticeship vacancies, take a good look at the role description. What would a typical day in the job be like? Is it something you could see yourself enjoying?
2. Can You Travel Easily to Your Apprenticeship?
An important factor in finding the right opportunity for you is the travel time. One of the most common reasons some people don’t finish their apprenticeship is a long and expensive commute to their workplace.
Think about how you’ll travel. Could you walk or cycle safely, even in the winter? Are there reliable public transport options available, and how long will you be travelling each way? Is there a connection you’ll need to catch between trains or buses to make it on time? If you’re a driver, could you comfortably budget for fuel and parking from your apprenticeship wage?
For an exciting opportunity, travel can seem like a low priority – but a tricky travel situation can affect your wellbeing, workplace performance, and personal finances. It’s always a good idea to factor this in and keep your search radius realistic.
3. Would The Apprenticeship Wage Work For You?
At Baltic Apprenticeships, we’ve signed up to the Apprentice Decent Wage Pledge, and actively encourage our employers to offer living wages for their apprentices.
All our vacancies have the wage listed as part of the job description, which can be useful in helping you make your decision.
For 2024, the minimum wage for an apprentice is £6.40 per hour (as of April 2024), and it’s worth noting that many apprenticeships you may see advertised nationally will offer this wage. To work out whether this is a viable option, you may want to consider whether this could cover any financial responsibilities that you have before applying.
4. Does Your CV Do You Justice?
As part of your application for a Baltic apprenticeship, you will need to submit your CV and a cover letter.
This is a way for you to showcase your skills, experiences, and qualities to potential employers, so take the time to customise your CV to the apprenticeship role you’re interested in. Even you don’t have much work experience, your relevant interests, hobbies, independent learning, and achievements can all count!
Don’t worry if you don’t have a CV ready, check out our top tips for writing an apprenticeship CV.
5. How Will Your Apprenticeship Fit into Your Long Term Career Goals?
An apprenticeship is a full time commitment which can last between 15 months and two years for Level 3 and 4 programmes. This means that you will need to be able to firmly commit to spending this amount of time on your professional development journey.
It can also be helpful to think about where you’d like your apprenticeship to take you in the future. Do some research around typical career progression routes in your sector, and read around case studies and success stories from apprentices who have already completed their training to get a better idea of what the future could hold for you.
Read more: What are the benefits of doing an apprenticeship?
5. Next Steps
If you’ve asked yourself these five questions, you’ll hopefully be even more excited about your apprenticeship journey than you were when you started reading!
To take things further, why not learn more about our apprenticeship programmes or start your search for opportunities in your area?