Salary and employment conditions as an apprentice

One of the big differences between a vocational education and a general education is that you earn money while you learn. When you are in training with an employer, you receive apprentice pay — not state education grant. Here we explain how pay and conditions typically fit together, so you know what you are getting into.

As an apprentice you receive wages from the workplace you are apprenticing at. A basic principle is that apprentice wages increase through the course: the further you have progressed and the more you can contribute the higher the rate. It starts lower at first and increases as you approach your journeyman's certificate. The specific rates are set in collective agreements in the field and are regulated continuously — ask your employer or union about the current rate rather than calculating a figure you have heard.

Pay and conditions in the field are typically based on an agreement negotiated between employers and a trade organisation. The agreement describes, among other things, pay scales, working hours, allowances, holidays and pensions. It is your guide to what you are entitled to — and it's a good reason to join a trade union that knows your field and can help if something doesn't add up.

If you don't get a training agreement with a company right away, your education doesn't have to stall. Schools have a scheme where you can continue your training in a school-based program and receive an allowance while you keep looking for a job. This way you can move forward in your education even if the agreement takes time.

With the journeyman's certificate in hand you are skilled and it changes your conditions. As a trained worker you are no longer on apprentice wages but on a skilled wage according to the collective agreement — and with a trade certificate you have proof that you know your trade. It typically gives better pay more responsibility and more job opportunities than unskilled work in the same field.

• 01You move from apprentice pay to skilled pay
• 02The trade certificate documents your competencies to employers
• 03The agreement also covers wages, holidays, pensions and working hours as a skilled worker
• 04You can build further with further and continuing education (see separate article)

Check your payslip and know your contract. Make sure you're getting the correct rate for the level you've reached, that allowances and pension are included, and that your hours match what was agreed. If in doubt, ask — your union representative or labor union is there to help you with this

“An apprenticeship is both an internship and a job — you have the rights that come with being employed.”

— Professional basic rule.