Zug,24.07.2017

Secondary school pupils enjoy the opportunity to work in the holidays

Not all teenagers go off travelling to further climes or other parts of Switzerland in their holidays. Some stay here and work and derive much benefit from it, too.
 
Just before the holidays, Cantonal School teacher Andreas Pfister asked his pupils how many had got a holiday job, whereupon a number between one-third and one-half put up their hands up.
 
“What I did notice among those who have got holiday jobs is that most are those who have already completed their compulsory period of secondary education and also that they come from parents of professional backgrounds,” he said. “I think they want to let their children know that in the future they will have to earn their own keep.”
 
Actually, there are jobs, such as cleaning, which have been possible at the Cantonal School itself.
 
Someone else who thinks working in school holidays is a good thing is Urs Brütsch, who heads the Zug Cantonal Careers Advisory Service. “They are good not just for the pupils but the companies they work for, too. Such holiday jobs are better than just trial periods of work experience as the pupils get the chance to earn some money and take on some responsibilities, too. I just wished more companies would get involved in offering pupils a holiday job,” though he admitted that all his office could do was to send out a list of companies offering jobs and relevant websites.
 
One of the major employers of pupils on holiday jobs is the household appliance manufacturing company of V-Zug. As Christian Roth, the head of personnel development there, explained, some 50 jobs were on offer there this year, a number which varies from year to year. “Much depends which department has appropriate vacancies and whether the pupils can be well supervised,” he said, as he went on to explain that, this year, pupils had been taken on in the logistics, incoming goods, spare parts warehousing, administration, customer service and quality control departments, to mention just a few. The photograph shows 16-year-old Cantonal School pupil Charlotte Brügger there.
 
He also went on to say what a good experience the company had had with its temporary and highly motivated pupil employees. “They are all very willing to learn and gain experience,” he said. “To those who have not made up their minds about what they want to do as a career, the experience can be very helpful.” As to pay, he said this was in accordance with age and experience, and did not wish to elaborate further.
 
Roche Diagnostics of Rotkreuz also offers summer jobs to school pupils. Not all such large companies, do so. For example, UBS does not offer any.
 
Any pupil still on the look-out for a job could go to www.ferienjobs.ch, though at the time this article was written, last week, there had been only one job available in Zug and that had already been taken. The Asvito AG company had been looking for someone to undertake general duties in the office and warehouse. As the company’s managing director, Roberto Carollo, said, there had been much demand and, in the end, it was given to a pupil from the Cantonal School. What was important for him was that those who work there in this way are not over-concerned with pay, at CHF 15 per hour. “Applicants should also demonstrate they have an interest in the energy sector we work in,” he said.
 
It is only to be expected that holiday jobs at lidos are popular. In fact there are three Cantonal School pupils currently working at the Seelikon lido. Some come repeatedly over the years, and then, perhaps when their younger brother is old enough, they bring him along, too.
 
For those who would like to combine working with the outdoors, there is always the Agriviva organisation, which allocates young people to work on farms. They get board and lodging free, as well as some pocket money. Last year, as many as 20 young people from the canton took part, with 10 farms in the canton offering places for them to live and work. According to Ueli Bracher, the managing director of the company, this year it is around the same.