Routes that do not need a university degree

Apprenticeships, vocational training portals and volunteering programmes where a bachelor’s degree is not stated as required to start. Individual vacancies may still ask for school certificates or language levels.

7 opportunities · reviewed 20 Sept 2026 · editorial selection

A bright training room with woodworking, pastry, and electronics benches overlooking a Swiss town and snowy peaks.
ApprenticeshipSponsorship unclear

Switzerland — apprenticeship places (Lehrstelle / place d'apprentissage)

SDBB / CSFO · Switzerland
Who can apply · People seeking an AFP or CFC / EFZ apprenticeship in Switzerland. Nationality and visa are not listed on the board; third-country entry is national.
Training wage set by the company (not printed as a national grid on the board) · Pay is whatever the training contract states. The portal does not publish a single federal wage table on the search page checked.
Deadline · Each place has its own start (often August). The 2026 start-year list was live on the portal checked 19 Sep 2026.
Checked 19 Sept 2026
A bright German vocational workshop with oak benches, hand planes, and safety visors, looking onto a campus of birch trees.
ApprenticeshipSponsorship unclear

Germany — dual and school-based vocational training (Ausbildung)

Bundesagentur für Arbeit / Make it in Germany · Germany
Who can apply · People seeking a German Ausbildung place, including applicants from abroad. Eligibility and visa rules are national; silence on an ad is not sponsorship.
Training allowance paid by the company (amount set in the contract) · An Ausbildung is not a scholarship. In company-based training the employer pays a training allowance (Ausbildungsvergütung) that rises each year and depends on the occupation (Federal Employment Agency, checked 23 Oct 2026). The same page warns that the allowance is often not enough to live on and that the visa requires proof that your living costs are covered for the whole training period. The minimum amount required for 2026 and for 2027 departures is to be confirmed with the German Embassy or on the official Make it in Germany portal. According to BAMF, purely school-based training is generally unpaid.
Deadline · Each vacancy has its own start date. The Federal Employment Agency says training starts at fixed times in autumn or spring, depending on the occupation and region, and advises finding out in good time.
Checked 23 Oct 2026
A sunlit French workshop with a worn oak bench of hand tools and a blue work jacket on an ochre wall.
ApprenticeshipSponsorship unclear

France — alternance (apprentissage and contrat de professionnalisation)

La bonne alternance (DGEFP) · France
Who can apply · People seeking an apprentissage or contrat de professionnalisation in France. Age rules are on Service Public. Nationality is not listed on the board; third-country right to work is national.
Percentage of SMIC by age and year (legal minimum on Service Public) · Service Public table (verified 1 Jun 2026): apprentissage pay is a % of SMIC (examples on that page include EUR 504.09 for 16–17 year 1; EUR 1,867.02 SMIC for 26+). Simulator on Service Public. Not copied as a full grid here.
Deadline · Each offer has its own start. The board is live. CFA pre-enrolment calendars differ.
Checked 19 Sept 2026
A community garden of wooden raised beds and young seedlings, with canvas gloves, a galvanized watering can, and a bicycle against a plain wall.
VolunteeringSponsorship unclear

Service Civique — civic volunteering in France

Agence du Service Civique · France
Who can apply · Ages 16–25 (to 30 with disability). EEA/Swiss may apply without a French title. Other nationalities need a listed French residence title or a reciprocity project. Tunisia is named among France Volontaires reciprocity partners — not automatic eligibility from Tunisia.
EUR 620 / month indemnity (EUR 504.98 State + EUR 114.85 host), as stated on the official pages · Official home / être-volontaire: EUR 620 of which EUR 504.98 from the State and EUR 114.85 from the host. This is an indemnity, not a wage. Net after any deductions is not stated.
Deadline · Each mission has its own start. The board listed 14,446 missions on the home page checked 19 Sep 2026.
Checked 19 Sept 2026
A rain-lit Irish workshop bench with three hand planes, copper pipe offcuts, and a white kettle, looking onto green fields and the sea.
ApprenticeshipSponsorship unclear

Ireland — Generation Apprenticeship

SOLAS / Generation Apprenticeship · Ireland
Who can apply · People seeking an Irish apprenticeship place. Nationality is not listed on the home page checked.
Apprentice wage set on each programme / employer · The home page checked does not print a single national wage table.
Deadline · Each apprenticeship intake has its own close. The portal is live.
Checked 19 Sept 2026
An empty community allotment of timber raised beds with herbs and leafy vegetables, a wooden wheelbarrow, canvas gloves, and a metal watering can beside birch trees.
VolunteeringSponsorship unclear

European Solidarity Corps — volunteering activities

European Solidarity Corps · Multiple European countries
Who can apply · Young people 18–30 who legally reside in a covered country. Tunisia is listed as a country not associated to the Programme. Apply only to activities that name your country of residence.
Costs covered + pocket money of 4-12 EUR/day by host country (2026 Guide; 2027 to be confirmed) · The official volunteering page (checked 23 Oct 2026) says volunteers are not paid; the project covers insurance, language support and training, travel to and from the project, accommodation and food, pocket money, and specific needs such as visa costs. The 2026 Guide sets daily pocket money by host country, for example 8 EUR in France, 7 EUR in Germany, 6 EUR in Italy or Spain, 4 EUR in Romania, 11 EUR in Ireland and 12 EUR in Denmark. Travel is funded to the organisation by distance band, for example 309 EUR per participant for 500 to 1 999 km. 2027 amounts are to be confirmed when the 2027 Guide is published.
Deadline · Each activity has its own dates. Register on the Corps portal, then apply to open opportunities. Registering does not guarantee a place.
Checked 23 Oct 2026
A field kit on a folding table inside an empty white canvas tent: rolled wool blankets, khaki pouches, a handheld radio, stacked metal cases, and a closed plain notebook.
VolunteeringSponsorship unclear

United Nations Volunteers

United Nations Volunteers · Multiple countries
Who can apply · Nationals of a UN Member State. Tunisia is on the UN Member States list. An international assignment is served outside the volunteer's own country. There is no single closing date.
Monthly Volunteer Living Allowance by duty station, amount to be confirmed in the Offer (2026 Conditions of Service) · The UNV Conditions of Service in force since 1 April 2026 (checked 23 Oct 2026) say UN Volunteers are not paid a salary. They receive a monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) that UNV headquarters works out from the cost of living at the duty station and from the assignment type and category. For international volunteers it is made of a base rate, a post adjustment and, where relevant, a family allowance. The document prints no VLA figure; the exact amount is in the Letter of Offer. Amounts for 2027 assignments are to be confirmed.
Deadline · No single closing date. The page says opportunities are published regularly and that a Global Talent Pool profile is required before applying.
Checked 23 Oct 2026