The cost of training to become a social companion with a Federal Diploma of Higher Education ranges from CHF 17,000 to CHF 24,000 (as of 2019), depending on the school. There are also additional costs for specialist literature, compulsory travel and external stays as well as for the Federal Professional Examination. However, as the federal government has been providing financial support for preparatory courses for federal examinations since the beginning of 2018, participants can expect a refund of the course fees of CHF 8,500 to CHF 9,500. For more information, please contactSERI.

Social assistants work in very different areas, depending on the school for social assistance, even during their training. cognitively, physically or mentally impaired people, in outreach youth work, in everyday support for families and individuals, in support for migrants, in work with refugees and asylum seekers or, for example, in support for the elderly, whether in nursing homes, retirement homes or at home.

At a school for social support, you can prepare for the Federal Professional Examination (FPE) to become a social support worker with a federal certificate. Some schools also offer other training courses and continuing education, further training, for example to become a migration specialist with a Federal Diploma of Higher Education. For more information, please contact the schools using the contact form.

The preparatory courses last between 1.5 and 3 years, depending on previous training and the school for social support.

Participants in continuing education, further training at a school for social support acquire extensive skills in self-management and personal development, communication and conversation, approaches and methods in social support, models and theories and their implementation, for example in the areas of domestic violence, addiction, migration, legal foundations, psychopathology, child protection, crisis support, cognitive and physical impairment, outreach work with the elderly, etc.