Referral to apprenticeship

A job seeker is referred to an apprenticeship when they need to improve their professional skills or knowledge or gain practical work experience in order to get a job and the job seeker has previously analyzed and agreed on the need for apprenticeship with the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund.

Apprenticeship can be attended by:

• a registered unemployed person;
• a person of retirement age and an inmate who does not work.

In order to organize apprenticeship, the employer submits data for organizing apprenticeship to the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund:

• by e-mail or
• in paper form to the county department of the Unemployment Insurance Fund.

The form must be signed, the form submitted by e-mail must be digitally signed. Send the application by e-mail to the general e-mail address of the county department (for example, if Ida-Virumaa, then idaviru@tootukassa.ee). In Harju County the form must be submitted to: tallinn.toopraktika@tootukassa.ee. Here you can find the contacts of all Unemployment Insurance Fund offices.

For questions concerning the organisation of apprenticeship, please contact the regional department of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund. The relevant contacts can be found here: contacts of the employers’ consultants.

Conditions of apprenticeship

The suitability of the apprenticeship and the service provider are assessed by the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund. The Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund also has the right to get acquainted with the arrangements and conditions of the apprenticeship on the site of the company.

The duration of the apprenticeship is decided by the unemployment fund on the basis of the requirements of the position and how well the client matches them. Apprenticeship lasts as long as is necessary for the job seeker to achieve the goal, i.e acquire the necessary skills and knowledge. Apprenticeships lasts up to two months, depending on the situation, the apprenticeship can last up to 4 months. The work and rest time requirements of the Employment Contract Act apply to the organization of work practice. On the basis of the schedule and in the case of working in shifts, the organizer of the work placement submits data on the organization of working hours to the unemployment fund.

Upon applying for apprenticeship, the employer must not have tax arrears exceeding EUR 100 (all types of taxes and tax types and interest included), except if these have been deferred, or any records in the criminal records database and the company should not be subject to liquidation or bankruptcy proceedings.

To organise an apprenticeship, a contract under public law is concluded between the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund and the employer. It is not allowed to conclude an employment contract with the trainee during the apprenticeship or pay remuneration to them during the same period, except in the case of temporary work on the basis of the Labour Market Services and Benefits Act.

When organising the apprenticeship, the employer is required to:

• arrange supervision and mentoring for the trainee on each day of the internship;
• keep records of participation in the apprenticeship and give feedback to the Unemployment Insurance Fund about the trainee in the apprenticeship diary;
• submit to the Unemployment Insurance Fund no later than the 5th of each month or within 5 days after the end of the apprenticeship, a participation sheet for the days of the apprenticeship in the previous month and an apprenticeship diary;
• notify the Unemployment Insurance Fund in writing and immediately of any changes or obstacles to the agreements (incl. apprenticeship location, schedule) that affect the apprenticeshipkeep records of participation in and conducting of the apprenticeship;

During apprenticeship, the client is required to:

• participate in the apprenticeship pursuant to the agreement between the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund and the employer;
• keep an apprenticeship diary on the skills learned and job tasks performed and submit it to the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund by the fifth day of each month at the latest;
• notify both the employer and counsellor immediately of their absence with a justified reason (e.g. due to illness) or their commencement of work, study, etc.;
• meet the counsellor at the agreed time.

Refusing to participate in the apprenticeship or discontinuing participation without a justification is considered as refusal to follow the action plan, which could bring about a situation where the payment of unemployment insurance benefit or unemployment allowance is terminated or unemployment registration is discontinued.

Payment during the apprenticeship

During the apprenticeship, we will pay remuneration to the employer for the supervision – EUR 42.48 per day during the first month, EUR 31.86 per day during the second month and EUR 21.24 per day during the third and fourth months.

The Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund pays the client a scholarship for the days of apprenticeship in the amount of EUR 3.84 per day and travel allowance in the amount of 10 cents per kilometre but no more than EUR 26 per day.

If the service is used by a person of retirement age and an inmate, they are not paid a scholarship or travel and accommodation allowance.

The mentoring fee to the employer and the scholarship and travel and accommodation allowance to the trainee are paid on the basis of a correctly submitted and signed apprenticeship diary and attendance sheet. Both the participation sheet and apprenticeship diary must be signed by both the client and employer.

In which areas is apprenticeship not allowed under normal conditions?

In the field of beauty services, we provide apprenticeship for those who have acquired skills in vocational training in the relevant specialty or who have a corresponding professional certificate. The apprenticeship must be supervised by a specialist with the relevant vocational education or professional certificate.

The corresponding beauty services are: women’s, men’s or children’s hairdresser; shaver; barber; cosmetician; spa attendant; nail technician, manicurist, pedicurist; makeup artist; cosmetic tattoo artist; eyebrow technician; eyelash technician; tattoo artist; solarium attendant; etc.

The Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund does not organise apprenticeships in the field of traditional and complementary medicine and therapy or in the field of therapy and rehabilitation. Even for customers who have acquired basic medical education or who have previously acquired basic knowledge of rehabilitation and therapy.

Fields of rehabilitation, traditional and complementary medicine and therapy, where apprenticeship is not allowed: Ayurvedic medicine, aromatherapy, holistic medicine, homeopathic medicine, acupuncture and oriental medicine, herbal medicine, traditional (e.g. Chinese) medicine; beauty massage, osteopathy, chiropractic, reflexology, nutrition and dietetics.

Apprenticeship is not allowed for professions if starting a job requires the possession of a qualification determined by law or on the basis of the law and/or the fulfilment of the requirements for professional training and if the client does not have the previously required competence (vocations regulated in Estonia).