Apprenticeships · 5 min read
What will they ask in an apprenticeship interview?
The questions apprenticeship interviews ask, from why this trade to how you'd balance college and work, with answers that work when you've never had a job.
The short answer
Apprenticeship interviews ask seven things in different words: why this field, why this employer, why an apprenticeship rather than college, what you know about the work, a time you learned something hard, a time you dealt with a difficult person, and how you'll manage work and study together. Answer each with a short real example from school, sport, volunteering or home. Then ask two questions about the training and what the first three months look like.
Key takeaways
- Seven questions cover nearly every apprenticeship interview; prepare one example for each.
- The interviewer is checking you'll turn up, you'll learn, and you've looked at the work, not that you can do the job yet.
- Show contact with the work: a visit, a conversation with someone who does it, a thing you made or fixed at home.
- Have two questions ready: what the first three months involve, and how training days are organised.
On this pageThe seven questions, and what sits behind each
The seven questions, and what sits behind each
| Question | What they want to know | Shape of a good answer |
|---|---|---|
| Why this field? | Have you looked at the work | Where your interest started and one thing you've done about it |
| Why us? | Did you look us up | One true thing about the company and what you'd learn here |
| Why an apprenticeship? | Is this a choice or a fallback | How you learn and why earning matters, in two sentences |
| What do you know about the job? | Realistic expectations | The daily tasks, including the dull ones, and how you know |
| A time you learned something hard | Will you cope with training | What it was, how you got better, how long it took |
| A time with a difficult person | Customers and colleagues | A real moment, what you did, how it ended |
| How will you manage work and study? | Organisation | A specific plan: where, when, and who helps |
Showing contact with the work
The strongest answer to 'why this field' is evidence you've been near it. A day shadowing a relative, a conversation with someone who does the job, a Saturday at a garage, a circuit you wired from a video, a spreadsheet you built for a club. It doesn't need to be impressive. It needs to be real and recent, and it should include one thing you noticed that you didn't expect.
Preparing in an evening
- Read the company website for ten minutes and write one sentence about what they do and for whom.
- Re-read the apprenticeship standard on the advert, especially the list of duties.
- Write your seven examples as one line each. Say each out loud once.
- Plan the journey, the clothes and what to bring: ID, certificates, your CV, and your two questions.
If there's a practical or a group task
Practical tasks test how you approach something new, not whether you can already do it. Read the instructions twice, ask a question if something's unclear, work steadily, and say what you're doing as you go. In a group task, make sure the quietest person gets a turn; assessors notice who includes others more than who talks most.
Illustrative example: the question about study
Asked how he'll manage college and work, a 17 year old says he'll do his college tasks on the train both ways, that his older sister did a Level 3 and has offered to check his work, and that he's told his football team he's dropping Wednesday training. Specific, honest, done. The interviewer stops writing and nods.
Questions people ask
- Why do you want to do an apprenticeship instead of going to university?
- Say what's true in one or two sentences, without running down university. For example: 'I learn best by doing, I want to be earning, and this standard gets me the same qualification over three years with experience as well.' If you've considered both and chosen this, say so. Employers like a decision, not a default.
- What should I wear to an apprenticeship interview?
- Smart and plain: trousers or a skirt with a shirt or neat top, clean shoes. For a trade, smart casual is fine, but not what you'd wear on site. If there's a practical test, they'll tell you to bring work clothes. When in doubt, ask the person who invited you; it's a sensible question, not a weak one.
- Will there be a test as part of the interview?
- Often. Large employers use online numeracy, literacy or situational judgement tests before interview. Trades and technical roles may add a short practical task on the day, like following a drawing or wiring a simple circuit, to see how you approach something new. Practise the online tests free beforehand and talk through your thinking in the practical.
- What questions should I ask the employer?
- Ask what the first three months look like day to day, how the training days are arranged, who you'd be working alongside, and what happens when you finish, since many employers keep their apprentices on. Ask about pay rises in year two if the advert didn't say. Leave holidays and discounts until you have an offer.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- Become an apprentice · GOV.UK
- Find an apprenticeship · GOV.UK
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.