HR assistant (formerly personnel assistant): What does your day-to-day work look like?

HR assistants carry out all the administrative tasks of the HR department and are the first point of contact for employees and applicants. Their tasks are

• Maintain personnel dossiers and manage personnel data in the IT system
• Write and publish job profiles and job advertisements according to specifications
• Sifting through applications, sorting them according to specifications and arranging appointments for interviews
• Providing information by telephone and e-mail
• Writing employment contracts and references according to specifications
• Payroll accounting and monthly payroll run
• Management of vacation and public vacations, absence management
• Contact person for administrative and organizational questions

Target group and skills: Who is the HR assistant training course suitable for? What qualities and skills are required?

The HR assistant training course (formerly HR assistant) is aimed at people who want to enter the HR field and at employees of HR departments who want to demonstrate their skills with a recognized qualification.

An HRSE certificate as an HR assistant is a prerequisite for admission to the Federal PET Diploma in HR.

Important personal skills and characteristics for this job are:

• High social competence in dealing with people
• Good manners and impeccable appearance
• Reliability and conscientiousness
• Sense of responsibility and personal integrity
• Trustworthiness and discretion

Requirements for admission to the HR assistant further training course (formerly HR assistant):

The following prerequisites are required for admission to the HRSE final examination:

• Federal certificate of proficiency, high school diploma or equivalent qualification

And

• 24 months of general work experience and/or internship experience

Or

• Without EFZ, Matura or equivalent qualification 48 months general professional experience

Recommended:

• Professional experience in human resources
• Very good knowledge of the German language (level C1)

Note: At some schools, it is also possible to attend the course without the intention of taking an examination for the HRSE diploma (the admission requirements in this case are determined individually by the schools and can vary from provider to provider). However, you will not be left empty-handed - in this case you will usually receive a school certificate and/or a course confirmation.

Subject matter and content of the training

Schools that offer preparatory courses for the (external) HRSE certificate examination for HR assistants (formerly HR assistants) are based on the official information provided by the HRSE.

The following topics are covered:

• Fundamentals of Human Resources Management (HRM)Overview, health, safety and psychosocial risks in the workplace, mission statement, corporate policy, HR policy, digitalization, internal communication, project management, etc.
• Personnel administrationincluding description of sub-processes, recruitment, personnel training and development, dismissal, working time management, personnel dossier, Swiss residence and work permit
• Salary administration and social insuranceincluding remuneration, social insurance, payroll accounting
• Fundamentals of labor lawEmployment contract, obligations of employer and employee, working hours and rest periods, vacations and public holidays, termination of employment, references

Some schools also offer electives or specialization options. Please contact the schools directly for details.

Costs and financing of further training

The costs vary depending on the school and the program. In general, the following costs must be expected for the 1-2 semester part-time HR assistant training course (formerly HR assistant) with HRSE certificate:

• Course feesBetween CHF 2'950.- and CHF 4'300.-
  Note: Members of the commercial association can benefit from a discount of up to 10%.Herefind out more.
• HRSE certificate examination fee (external examination): The examination fee is charged directly by HRSE and currently amounts to CHF 490 (as of February 2024)
• Some providers requireExtra costsfor
  • Enrollment
  • Teaching aids
  • Training documents
  • Internal examinations and examination training
  • Simulation test

It is best to contact the provider of your choice directly regarding the possible extra costs.

Duration of study, training options, number of lessons and learning effort

• The HR assistant further education course (formerly HR assistant) has a classic structure and is designed to be taken part-time. It lasts 1-2 semesters (depending on the provider and course offered).
• The training comprises between 64 and 128 lessons.
• Various time options are offered for attending the lessons or learning hours (e.g. so-called compact courses). For example, twice or once in the evening per week and/or individual Saturdays
• Many schools offer a mix of face-to-face and online courses (online, hybrid teaching, blended learning) as well as self-study. You can therefore choose the format that allows you to combine further education with your family, career and free time in the best possible way.
• Thanks to the extra-occupational concept of the course, you can apply and deepen the learning material in practice straight away. Nevertheless, you should allow sufficient time for preparation and follow-up of the lessons and for self-study - how much depends on your prior knowledge, working style and learning speed. We recommend that you allow at least 4-6 hours per week as a precaution.

Degree, diploma and title

Towards the end of the HR assistant training course (formerly HR assistant), many schools hold internal (simulation) examinations. This provides you with optimum preparation for the HRSE final examination. Upon successful completion of the internal examination, you will receive a certificate issued by the school.

The external examination for the HRSE certificate is organized and conducted by HRSE.
Note: If the school of your choice is one of the HRSE-accredited schools, the HRSE certificate examination usually takes place there on site.

The HRSE certificate examination is held if at least 50 candidates meet the admission requirements. It can be taken in one of the three official languages (i.e. German, French or Italian).

The exam lasts a total of three hours and includes the following content:

1. Fundamentals of Human Resources Management (HRM) (10%)
2. Personnel administration (30%)
3. Salary administration and social insurance (35%)
4. Fundamentals of labor law (25%)

Diploma and title

Successful graduates receive the well-established HRSE certificate in Switzerland with the following protected title: "HR Assistant with certificate from HRSE Human Resources Swiss Exams".