Careers and university guidance from Middle School onward
Preparing students for their future begins today — with coaching, real-world exposure and a personal roadmap that connects school, university and life ambitions.
Future-ready, not just next-step-ready
Our Careers Guidance programme is designed to inspire, equip and empower students to become future-ready global citizens — individuals who thrive in an ever-changing world of opportunities. It starts from Middle School onward, and it is integrated into the curriculum and the co-curricular programme, so students meet career-focused learning at many points, not once in the final year.
A tailored approach, in three steps
Every student is unique, with distinct strengths, aspirations and paths. Our team works with each of them to:
Discover their strengths
Personality assessments, interest inventories and one-on-one coaching help students uncover their skills and passions.
Explore opportunities
Exposure to a wide range of careers through workshops, guest speakers, internships and industry visits.
Plan strategically
Personalised advice to build a roadmap that aligns academic goals, career aspirations and life ambitions.
Integrated career education
Real-world connections
Projects and initiatives that simulate real workplace challenges, building critical thinking and problem-solving.
University preparation
Comprehensive support for applications: selecting courses, writing personal statements, preparing for interviews.
Early exposure
From Middle School onward, insights into career options — STEAM fields, arts, business and emerging industries.
Partnerships and lifelong skills
Partnerships with global and local businesses give students access to technology and mentorship opportunities that keep them close to how industries actually work.
And the programme does not stop at the next step: from mastering CV writing to interviews and navigating career transitions, students leave ISS prepared for whatever the future holds.
Two routes after school in Switzerland
Families arriving from abroad are often surprised by how Swiss careers work. According to the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, two-thirds of young people in Switzerland go through vocational education and training, most of them as an apprenticeship combined with school, and many later move on to universities of applied sciences. The academic route, through the liceo and the Maturità to a university, is the smaller one.
An international school prepares mainly for the second route, in Switzerland and abroad. International A-Levels and the IB Diploma are accepted by Swiss universities on conditions that swissuniversities publishes, and by universities in the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States under their own rules. Careers guidance at ISS exists so that a student knows, by the start of Grade 11, which subjects the door they want will require.
Talk to us about your child’s path
Every roadmap starts with a conversation. Visit the school or get in touch with our team.
Details and questions
Careers guidance at a glance
| Starts | In the Middle School, years before any decision has to be made. |
| How | Personality assessments, interest inventories and one-to-one coaching; workshops, guest speakers, internships and industry visits; a personal roadmap that links subjects, career and life goals. |
| Grade 10 (Pre-DP) | Individual guidance on the choice between A-Levels and the IB Diploma, and on the subjects a chosen university will require. |
| Grades 11 and 12 | University applications: course selection, personal statements, interview preparation; CV writing and interview skills for the years after. |
| Record | Projects, service and co-curricular work are collected in each student's Portrait of a Graduate portfolio. |
Who your child's contact is, and the timetable of workshops, is confirmed at enrolment.
Sources
- SERI, vocational education and training in Switzerland: the two-thirds figure
- swissuniversities, admission to Swiss universities with International A-Levels
Checked on 6 September 2026. Official rules change; the linked pages are authoritative.
Questions families ask about careers guidance
From what grade does careers guidance start?
From the Middle School onward. Early exposure to professional pathways is built into the programme, so students learn about career options years before they have to choose.
Does ISS help with university applications?
Yes, comprehensively: help with selecting courses, writing personal statements and preparing for interviews, alongside individual advice on the roadmap that gets there.
What does real-world exposure mean in practice?
Workshops, guest speakers, internships and industry visits, plus projects that simulate genuine workplace challenges rather than textbook exercises.
When should my child decide between A-Levels and the IB?
During Grade 10, the Pre-DP year that closes the Middle School. The choice is made with individual guidance, and it is where careers guidance and the curriculum meet: the subjects for Grade 11 already have to fit the universities a student has in mind.
Can my child get into a Swiss university from ISS?
Yes, with International A-Levels or the IB Diploma, on conditions each university sets and that swissuniversities publishes. For A-Levels the pattern is several independent subjects with mathematics or a natural science among them. Planning this is part of the Grade 10 conversation.
Which universities do ISS graduates go to?
Our inaugural IB Diploma cohort graduates in 2026/27 and is applying to universities now. We will publish where students actually go once the offers are in and each graduate has agreed to be named — we would rather say nothing than publish a destination without the person's consent.
Is there a dedicated careers counsellor?
The careers guidance team works with each student individually. Who your child's contact is, and how often they meet, is confirmed at enrolment.
What about an apprenticeship instead of university?
Most young people in Switzerland take the vocational route, and it is a respected one. An international curriculum leads mainly to university, but guidance covers the choice honestly; if a vocational route interests your child, raise it early so the team can advise on what it requires.
How do parents stay involved?
Through the roadmap agreed with the student and through the Portrait of a Graduate portfolio, which parents can view. The arrangements for meetings with the guidance team are explained at enrolment.