The apprentice's view of apprenticeship

What are the conditions for becoming an apprentice?

Admission to training

Admission to training is a prerequisite for apprenticeship. Indicate your intention to become an apprentice when you apply.

Maximum age

To become an apprentice, you must be under 30 (30 minus 1 day) at the start of your apprenticeship contract.

There are exceptions, however, where the apprentice can be over 30:

  • Apprentice recognized as a disabled worker with RQTH status
  • Apprentice planning to set up or take over a business requiring a diploma
  • Apprentice registered as a top-level athlete

Foreign nationals from outside the European Union must provide a residence permit authorizing them to work in France (salaried status).

Who can help you?

Various services are available to help you:

How do I find a host company?

Finding a company is an essential step in the process of becoming an apprentice. It's a good idea to start your search early to build and consolidate your apprenticeship project.

Generally speaking, it is preferable for candidates to find their own host company. However, the CFA EnSup-LR, in association with each course leader, can advise or help you in this process, once you have been admitted to the course.

Most courses only offer apprenticeships for the final year(s) (e.g. M2 BUT 2~3). If you are currently in your first year, don't hesitate to contact your academic supervisor to complete your apprenticeship.

What steps do I need to take?

Don't wait until the last minute, start your application 1 year to 6 months before the start of your course. First of all, clarify your career plans and find out about the specific conditions of access to apprenticeship training.

Application and admission to the course

From the start of the 2021 academic year, the procedure will be entirely paperless. Candidates selected by the pedagogical teams will receive a link to register on the CFA portal. Once they have registered, employers will also receive a link to enter their information online on the employer platform.

To help you get started, the CFA ENSUPLR has created an explanatory video for future apprentices.

In some courses - all of which are apprenticeships - the signing of an employment contract may also be a prerequisite for enrolment.

Contract signature

The apprenticeship contract is an employment contract requiring agreement between the company and the apprentice on recruitment and working conditions.

Once the employer has completed the online data entry and filled in the tasks to be assigned to the apprentice, the training manager validates the tasks.

The apprenticeship contract can be signed no earlier than three months before the start of training, and no later than three months afterwards. It includes a trial period of 45 consecutive or non-consecutive days from the 1st day on the job.

For further information, please consult the Apprenticeship contract section of the service.public.fr website.

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