Apprenticeship Interview Questions: 15 Common Questions With Example Answers

The questions UK employers most often ask at an apprenticeship interview, what each one is looking for, example answers for school leavers and career changers, the tests and assessment days some employers use, and good questions to ask at the end.

By Tony Musso on Fri Oct 30 2026

An apprenticeship interview is often the first proper job interview people have, whether you are leaving school or college or changing career as an adult. Employers know that. They are not expecting years of experience. They want to see that you understand the job, that you are reliable and keen to learn, and that you can cope with working and studying at the same time.

This guide covers the questions you are most likely to be asked at an apprenticeship interview in the UK, what the employer is looking for with each one, and example answers you can adapt. It also covers the tests and assessment days some employers use, and the questions worth asking at the end.

What employers look for in an apprentice

Most apprenticeship interviews test the same handful of things:

Motivation. Why this apprenticeship, this sector and this employer?
Understanding of the role. Do you know what the job and the training involve?
Attitude and reliability. Will you turn up on time, take feedback and stick with it?
Transferable skills. Teamwork, communication and problem-solving from school, college, part-time work, sport, volunteering or caring.
Commitment to learning. You will be studying for a qualification alongside work, often for one to several years.

You do not need work experience to answer well. Examples from school projects, a weekend job, a club or helping at home all count.

Questions about you and your motivation

1. Tell me about yourself. Keep it to about a minute: what you are doing now, one or two things you are proud of that relate to the role, and why you applied. Our guide to answering "tell me about yourself" includes an example for a school leaver.

2. Why do you want to do an apprenticeship rather than go to university? Be positive about your choice rather than negative about university. For example: "I learn best by doing, and I want to start building real experience straight away while I work towards a qualification. Earning while I train also matters to me."

3. Why do you want this apprenticeship? Link the role to your interests and something you have done. "I've enjoyed IT since I built my own PC two years ago, and I help family and neighbours fix their laptops. An IT support apprenticeship would let me turn that into a career and gain a recognised qualification."

4. Why do you want to work for us? Show you have researched the employer: what they do, their customers, their values or a recent project. Mention why it appeals to you personally.

5. What do you know about this apprenticeship? Know the job title, the level of the apprenticeship, the qualification you would gain, roughly how long it lasts and how the training works (for example, a day a week at college or blocks of training). This information is usually in the advert.

Questions about your skills and experience

6. Tell me about a time you worked in a team. Use a short example with a clear outcome. School projects, sports teams, part-time jobs and volunteering all work. The STAR method (situation, task, action, result) helps you structure it.

7. Tell me about a time you solved a problem. Explain what the problem was, what you did and what happened. Small examples are fine if you explain your thinking.

8. How do you manage your time? Employers want to know you can balance work and study. Talk about how you handled exams alongside a part-time job, coursework deadlines or other commitments, and the methods you use, such as lists, planners or phone reminders.

9. What are your strengths? Choose two or three that suit the role and back each with a quick example. "I'm reliable: in two years at my Saturday job I've never been late, and my manager now trusts me to open up."

10. What is your biggest weakness? Pick something real but not essential to the job, and show how you are improving it. "I used to find speaking in front of groups difficult, so I volunteered to present our group project at college, and it's getting easier."

11. How do you handle feedback or criticism? Apprentices get a lot of feedback. Show you welcome it: give an example of advice from a teacher, coach or manager that you acted on.

Questions about the job and the future

12. How would you cope with studying and working at the same time? Acknowledge it will be demanding and explain why you are ready: your organisation, your support at home and your motivation to finish.

13. What would you do if you made a mistake at work? "I'd tell my supervisor straight away, help put it right and make sure I understood how to avoid it next time." Honesty matters more than perfection.

14. Where do you see yourself in five years? Show ambition that fits the employer: completing the apprenticeship, building skills, and perhaps progressing to a higher-level apprenticeship or a more senior role with them.

15. What would you do if you didn't understand an instruction? Ask. Employers want apprentices who check rather than guess, especially in safety-critical work.

Practical questions

Expect a few practical questions too: when you could start, whether you can travel to the workplace and the training provider, and whether you have any holidays booked. Have your answers ready.

Tests and assessment days

Larger employers often add a stage before or after the interview:

Online tests, such as numerical, verbal or situational judgement tests. Practise beforehand so the format is familiar.
Assessment centres with group exercises, a presentation or a task. Our guide to the assessment centre explains what to expect.
Practical tasks for trade and engineering roles, such as a hand skills test.
Video interviews, where you record answers to set questions.

Questions to ask the interviewer

Always have two or three questions ready. Good ones for an apprenticeship include:

What does a typical week look like, and how is time split between work and training?
Who will be my mentor or supervisor day to day?
What have previous apprentices gone on to do here?
Is there a chance to progress to a higher-level apprenticeship after this one?
What qualities do your best apprentices share?

Our list of questions to ask at the end of an interview has more ideas.

How to prepare

Reread the advert and your application, and research the employer.
Prepare a short example for teamwork, problem-solving, reliability and handling feedback.
Practise your answers out loud, ideally with someone else, or try a mock interview.
Plan your journey, what you will wear and what to bring.
Get a good night's sleep and arrive ten minutes early.

Our step-by-step guide to how to prepare for an interview covers the rest, and if you are still applying, our guide to how to apply for an apprenticeship explains applications and personal statements. To see where an apprenticeship could take you, our list of the highest paying apprenticeships in the UK ranks careers by what people earn once qualified.

Need a CV for your application? Our apprentice CV example shows how to make the most of school, college and part-time experience.

See the apprentice CV example