Athlete programme

You have the mindset – we have the right job for it

Do you have an athlete’s mindset, relish challenges and responsibility, are you ambitious and do you learn quickly? Then you’ve come to the right place. With flexible hours and place of work plus a part-time employment level, our athlete programme makes it possible for you to successfully combine your sports career with your profession, to bring your strengths as a top athlete to bear in the world of work and to develop professionally. Over a 12-month period, you’ll get to know one or two units, build up a valuable network and gain experience that will help you to grow both professionally and personally. You will complete the athlete programme at an employment level of 40 to 70%.

An overview of your trainee programme

Preconditions

Completed VET programme or ongoing/completed degree programme

Active or former top athlete (sports career no more than 1 year ago)
Language skills
Very good knowledge of German (at least C1)
Place of work
Bern/work from home
Duration
12 months with one or two places of work
Start
Flexible
Level of employment
40% – 70%
Salary
CHF 78,000 per year (at 100%)

Programme schedule

Graphic with two consecutive unit placements. The first placement lasts six months with an employment level of 40–70%. This is the placement that you apply for. An arrow leads to the second unit placement, which also lasts six months at an employment level of 40–70%, with the participants themselves playing a role in devising it.

During your athlete programme, you will gain in-depth experience either in two departments for six months at a time or in one department for 12 months. You apply for the first placement. You will plan the second placement together with your leader, basing your decision on your interests and development goals.

Professional and personal development

You’ll assume responsibility early on and will be involved in operational and conceptual tasks and projects.
Regular development and feedback meetings throughout the entire athlete programme help you to constantly improve.
In addition to your work in your specialist department, you’ll get the chance to take advantage of mini-internships at our Customer Center, a branch and the accounting department so you get to know our business inside out.

Developing your network at PostFinance

You’ll gain an insight into various departments within PostFinance.

The close contact with other athletes, trainees and graduate interns means you’ll get the chance to develop a network.

Even during your athlete programme, you can take part in the regular trainee-alumni meetings of Swiss Post and PostFinance to benefit from the experiences of (former) trainees.

What you should bring to the athlete programme as a trainee

For our athlete programme, we’re looking for people who have the athlete’s mindset and think and act boldly. To apply for the athlete programme, you as an individual must be a top Swiss athlete in your sport (e.g. possessing a Swiss Olympic Card, professional dancer, membership of a national team or participating in Swiss championships) or play or have played in the top two leagues in your sport as a team athlete. If you are no longer active, your sports career must not have ended more than a year ago.

Your benefits

  • Coaching and mentoring pool
  • Professional and personal development
  • Hands-on support
  • Placements and workshops
  • 6 weeks of holiday if full-time (100% employment level)
  • Free Half Fare Travelcard, discounted GA Travelcard or commuter bonus

Your journey from the application process to starting

  • Take the first step and apply online for the athlete programme via our The link will open in a new window Jobs page. To do so, upload your CV, your current confirmation of student status, your employment references and graduation certificates. A cover letter is optional.

    Once you have submitted your application documents, you will receive confirmation of receipt within a few minutes. This way, you can be sure that we have successfully received your application.

  • We will review your application documents and inform you of the next steps within two to three weeks.

    You can view the current status of your application at any time in your The link will open in a new window candidate profile.

  • We would like to get to know you personally and invite you to one or two interviews. These will be held either in-person in Bern or virtually. You will learn more about PostFinance, the team, the tasks and the general conditions of the athlete programme. At the same time, you will get the chance to ask any questions you may have and find out whether the athlete programme is right for you.

    We advise you just to be yourself. We place great value on open and straightforward communication on an equal footing.

  • After the interviews, we will contact you by phone and inform you of our decision.

    If you’ve impressed us and you’d like to take the next step with PostFinance, you will receive confirmation of your employment from us by e-mail. We will then send you your employment contract and other important documents.

    Congratulations on getting into the PostFinance athlete programme. We look forward to welcoming you as part of the team soon and helping you get settled at PostFinance.

  • Your athlete programme starts with the Welcome Day, where you will meet other new employees, expand your network and gain your first glimpse into the world of PostFinance.

Get to know our trainees and alumni in the athlete programme

Find out how our trainees and alumni gained practical experience, acquired new perspectives and carved their own path at PostFinance in the athlete programme.

FAQs

  • You are applying for a specific initial placement that matches your previous experience, skills and interests. We will then work together to find a suitable option for the second placement. In doing so, we take into account your interests, strengths and development goals, as well as the available deployment options at PostFinance.

  • The focus is on your development. You’ll receive professional and personal support throughout the athlete programme. Regular feedback meetings and situation assessments will help you to develop your strengths and achieve your goals. In your placements, you’ll also have access to experienced trainers who will support you, support you and share their knowledge with you.

  • During the athlete programme, you’ll develop both professionally and personally, make contacts and get to know various PostFinance units. This opens up new perspectives for your future career. Many of our trainees (on the athlete programme) start a suitable role at PostFinance directly after the end of the programme. Please note that a connection point cannot be guaranteed after completion of the athlete programme. However, the programme offers you good conditions for your next career step.

  • Yes. You can apply for two athlete programme positions and one trainee or internship position at any one time.

  • Make sure your application documents are complete, up to date and do not contain any spelling or grammar mistakes. In your CV, draw attention to relevant experiences, projects, academic research or part-time jobs related to the position advertised. Show what skills you already have and how you can use them in the role. Providing specific examples and the results achieved make your profile stand out in particular.

  • No. The athlete programme is geared towards an activity in Switzerland. Permanent employment from abroad is therefore not possible.

  • Working from home is generally possible. During the athlete programme, you usually work from home one to two days a week. However, depending on the team, task and situation, your presence in Bern may be required, for example for team events or important appointments. You will discuss the specific options with your team and coordinate them individually.

This might interest you too