Apprenticeship with a CFA in France: how training and employment are shared

An employment contract with a qualification at the end

Apprenticeship rests on a simple principle: you are a full employee of a company and you prepare a qualification or professional title at an apprentice training centre, the CFA. The contract alternates periods at the company with periods in class, and it aims at one specific certification, from a vocational certificate (CAP) up to engineering or master's degrees.

This status differs from an internship, which is a training period under an agreement with no employment contract. It also differs from the professionalisation contract, which is more geared towards getting people into work. In an apprenticeship, the training timetable and the job timetable are designed together.

Three players, three roles

The triangle of apprentice, employer and CFA only works if each knows their part.

• The employer signs the contract, pays the salary, gives tasks related to the qualification and appoints an apprenticeship master.
• The CFA delivers the teaching, follows your progress, organises the assessments and helps with the search for a company when needed.
• The apprentice attends classes, carries out the tasks assigned and follows the company's rules like any other employee.

A good habit is to ask from the start how the CFA and the company communicate: a progress logbook, a visit to the workplace, a quarterly review. These moments make it easier to adjust tasks when a course moves on to a new topic.

Age, length and training time

In principle, the contract is for people aged 16 to 29 inclusive. Exceptions exist, in particular from age 15 for young people who have finished the last year of lower secondary school, beyond 29 in certain cases, and with no age limit for workers with disabilities.

The contract can be fixed-term, from six months to three years, or open-ended with an apprenticeship period at the start. Its length matches the training cycle being prepared. The apprentice must start at the CFA within three months of the start of the contract, and teaching makes up at least a quarter of the total length of the contract.

The pattern of alternation depends on the qualification and on how the CFA is organised: one week in two, two days in class and three at work, or blocks of several weeks. Ask for the calendar before signing, because it affects housing, transport and working hours.

The apprenticeship master, cornerstone of the course

This is a volunteer employee of the company, of legal age, whose job is to pass on the skills of the trade and to liaise with the CFA. They must hold a qualification in the same field plus one year of experience, or failing that two years of practice. An apprenticeship master can supervise two apprentices at most, plus one who is repeating a year.

This framework guarantees a minimum of availability. Ask concrete questions at the interview: how much time each week will they give you, who stands in when they are absent, how will your skills be signed off?

Signs of good mentoring

• Tasks that grow more difficult over the months.
• Regular feedback on your work, not just at the end of the year.
• A real knowledge of the qualification framework.

Pay: how it is calculated

Pay is set as a percentage of the French minimum wage (the Smic), according to age and year of the contract, or at the collective-agreement wage if that is more favourable. Under the rules applying in 2026, the first year is for example 27% of the Smic for a 16 or 17 year old, 43% for ages 18 to 20 and 53% for ages 21 to 25. From age 26, the minimum is 100% of the Smic.

The percentage rises with each year of the contract and may receive an increase in some cases where contracts follow one another. Because the Smic changes, check the exact amount before signing with the employer, the CFA or a careers adviser.

A practical tip: work out your net budget including rent, your transport pass and the meals you eat during class weeks, which are sometimes far from home.

Signing, filing and the first days

The contract is in writing and drawn up on the official form provided for the purpose. It is signed by the employer and the apprentice, together with a legal representative if the apprentice is a minor. The employer then sends it to its skills operator (OPCO) within five working days of the start of the contract, together with the training agreement. Sending it is free and the body has twenty days to rule on it.

During the first forty-five days of practical training at the company, the contract can be ended in writing, at the initiative of either the employer or the apprentice. After that, ending it follows more tightly regulated rules: mutual agreement, referral to the mediator, obtaining the qualification with notice, serious misconduct or being declared unfit for the job.

Looking for a course and a company in the same process

The tricky point is often finding the employer. Start by choosing the qualification, identify three or four CFAs that offer it, then ask them how they help with the search for a company. In parallel, send speculative applications to companies in the sector you are aiming at.

1. State the qualification, the level and the start date you want.
2. Adapt your CV: education, experience, internships, skills linked to the trade.
3. Prepare for the interview as you would for a job, with a question about the apprenticeship master and how the alternation is organised.
4. Have the CFA check the contract before you sign.

Many CFAs admit candidates without an employer for a while, which leaves a few months to find one.

Example: a two-year BTS by apprenticeship

An illustration with hypothetical figures. Léo, aged 19, is preparing a BTS (a two-year vocational higher diploma) in SME management. He signs a twenty-four-month contract with a building-materials trading company.

• Pattern: two days at the CFA, three days at the company, so about 40% of the time in class, well above the legal minimum of a quarter.
• First year: data entry, customer follow-ups and filing; second year: order tracking and preparing a dashboard.
• Pay: a percentage of the Smic depending on his age, rising in the second year.
• End of contract: the BTS exam, then the possibility of continuing to a professional bachelor's degree or of receiving a job offer.

Common mistakes to avoid

Signing without having read the alternation calendar, accepting tasks that have nothing to do with the qualification, or waiting until the last week to look for an employer are common mistakes. Another trap is neglecting the paperwork. If a verbal commitment (working hours, remote working, covering a journey) matters to you, ask for it in writing.

Finally, do not confuse apprenticeship with a mere search for labour. If the tasks are limited to repetitive jobs with no growth in skills, tell the CFA, which has a monitoring role.