How Stepan found an apprenticeship

Stepan, you fled to Switzerland from Ukraine when you were 14 years old. What were your biggest challenges?

It was a massive change for me in general. I had to get used to this new place and figure out where to shop or how to get from A to B. I also wanted to learn German quickly so that I could talk to other people. 

Things also work very differently on a professional level here in Switzerland: in Ukraine, you go to school for eleven years; there are no apprenticeships. That’s why I hadn’t thought about what profession I’d later like to train for before I left my homeland four years ago. But here, my peers were already in the middle of looking for an apprenticeship, so I was a long way behind.

You got help from the ROCK YOUR LIFE! mentoring programme. How did this come about?

At first, I tried to write my CV and applications on my own, but I really struggled. My advocate then told me about ROCK YOUR LIFE!, a mentoring programme that helps young people with applications, among other things. I was lucky enough to get one of the coveted spots. I actually wanted to be a graphic designer, but the odds weren’t in my favour. My plan B was to do an apprenticeship as a joiner. In Ukraine, my grandfather and I often worked with wood. I’m a creative person and I really like wood as a material.

Can you give some specific examples of how your mentor was able to help you?

For example, my mentor helped me find potential companies online that could host me as an apprentice. She also taught me how to use the phone properly. I then wrote applications that she corrected, and she taught me how to send applications by e-mail. That meant my German quickly improved. I learned to focus more and stay on track. I can 100% recommend the mentoring programme to everyone!

What was your general impression of looking for an apprenticeship here in Switzerland?

It was difficult to find an apprenticeship – it took me two years. In the first year, I looked on my own, then I looked alongside my mentor from ROCK YOUR LIFE!. I always did very well on all the technical tasks in the aptitude test, but when it came to maths, I found it hard to understand the written questions. Generally speaking, it’s much easier to find a job in Ukraine – sometimes it only takes two days. However, you never know whether you’ll actually be paid. That’s why you have to talk to people who already work there to find out whether a company is reputable.  

You’ll begin your apprenticeship in summer 2026. What does this step mean for you?

It makes me feel great. I have no doubt that I will finish my apprenticeship and then work in this profession. Down the line, I would like to open my own carpentry business, earn money and run my own projects. I need to do this and I will do it, I’m sure. 

Because I also know that I’ll stay in Switzerland. And if I have children of my own, they’ll feel safe here and have the best prospects for the future!