Apprenticeship programme

The opportunities

If you have decided not to go to university, you are excited by a career in commodity trading and you are happy to work anywhere in the world, we believe we can offer you an unparalleled opportunity. Even with a couple of years’ work experience, if you are hungry, motivated to achieve and want to work at the forefront of physical trading then Trafigura’s Global Commodity Trading Apprenticeship could be for you.

Trafigura’s Global Commodity Trading Apprenticeship can offer you the opportunity to join a particular business function (deals desk, operations, trade finance or business analysis) for a year before being fast tracked to take part in our highly competitive graduate programme. Those selected will be offered the chance to start in either Geneva or Singapore. With a years’ worth of real world company experience your practical expertise will exceed that of external candidates joining the Trafigura graduate programme with Bachelors and Masters Degrees from some of the world’s top institutions. Simply put, opportunities at the end of the programme are unlimited, whether that ultimately be in trading or management.

Depending on the function you are assigned to, you could play a role in charting the course of vessels carrying up 160,000 tonnes of product, given the responsibility to manage the price risk on cargoes worth over USD40 million or even put in charge of financing multiple deals at one time with a combined total worth of over USD400 million. There is no shadowing or making tea! From day one you will be a part of the team and you will be supported fully throughout the programme to ensure you learn and progress as quickly as you can.

Your salary and benefits package will be competitive and, in addition, we will support your accommodation costs over the duration of your time on the programme (if required) - wherever it is in the world that you will be working from.

With a concrete support system from a dedicated manager, recent graduates, programme leads and global heads of function, we will give you real responsibility, ensuring unrivalled exposure to the global trading industry.

Yes, it will be tough. The learning curve will be steep, and we will expect a huge amount from you in a very short space of time. But if you are willing to put in 100 percent, we will do all we can to ensure your career is propelled at an unprecedented rate, without the need for a formal university education.

Minimum Qualifications:

UK – A-level BBB or above / International Baccalaureate 34 or above
US – High School GPA 3.5 or above
France – French Baccalaureate 14 or above
Singapore – Diploma / A-level qualification
Fluency in English is a requirement. Fluency in an additional language is a huge advantage.

How to prepare and what to expect?

1. Application

We want you to be sure you are applying for the right reasons. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to see if this programme is right for you:

Have you researched the industry?
Do you know what commodities trading is?
Have you read about the Trafigura graduate programme?
Do you know the difference between physical and paper trading?
Are you globally mobile, do you want to live and work in different parts of the world?
Do you like high pressure environments?
Do you like working in big teams?
Are you comfortable with big numbers and complex concepts?
Do you like solving problems?
Are you a fast learner?
Do you take ownership of your own projects?
Do you take responsibility for your own mistakes?
Do you like looking at things on a massive scale as well as understanding the finer details?
Do you have a strong personality but are still able to listen to others with an ability to communicate effectively?
If you think the programme is the right opportunity for you and Trafigura the right company, congratulations! Go ahead and apply.

When applying, take time to think about what you are writing, you can always come back to the application later, discuss this with friends, family, anyone who can advise you.

2. Some of the questions you will asked on application:

What interests you about the commodity trading industry?
What motivates you about working for a global company?
What qualities do you think makes a successful trader at Trafigura?
Please give an example of a recent global news story that you have found particularly interesting and why?
Please tell us about yourself.

3. Telephone Interview

At Trafigura we like big personalities, people who are hungry, driven and motivated to succeed, but most of all we like people who are friendly and take care of each other and the people they work with.

We want to hear from you directly. This is your opportunity to tell us what makes you someone that will succeed at Trafigura. We want to know what interests you, what you are passionate about. It doesn’t need to be about commodities or trading, it can be anything (cooking, travelling, reading, sports, politics, anything!) we are trying to find out what makes you the person you are.

Most of all: be yourself, be honest!

4. Assessment Centre

Interviews

If you are lucky enough to be invited to the interviews - congratulations! There will be 2 rounds of interviews – you will meet with a small group of Trafigura managers and traders. This is your opportunity to ask questions. Be prepared, think of questions that you are genuinely interested in; the question should also show what you know about the company/industry. Again, be yourself.

This is the final part of the selection process so if successful, we will welcome you to join the programme and start your career in this exciting and dynamic industry!