Remote work on an apprenticeship: the 2026 rules

Remote work is now standard in most companies, and every apprentice asks the same question: am I entitled to it like everyone else? The answer fits in one sentence: yes, but nothing is automatic. Here is the framework that applies in 2026, as we summarise it for candidates on SuperAlternant.

An employee like any other — but no automatic right

Apprentices and professionalisation-contract employees are full employees. Remote work is therefore open to them on the same terms as the rest of the team: it depends on the collective agreement, the internal policy, or a simple arrangement between you and your employer.

No law requires a company to grant remote work, and none forbids it for apprentices. A refusal must however be justified where an agreement or policy already provides for it in your role.

What the arrangement should spell out

Before signing, check that the framework answers four questions:

• The rhythm: how many days a week, fixed or flexible?
• Equipment: who supplies the laptop and covers the connection?
• Contactable hours: when exactly are you expected to be available?
• Reversibility: how much notice does either side need to end it?

Training centre weeks are not remote work

This is the most common confusion. Your weeks at the training centre are training time, counted as actual working time and paid as such. They are not deducted from your remote-work days and they are not negotiable with your employer: the work-study calendar binds both parties.

Our practical advice

The first year of an apprenticeship is when you learn the most — and informal learning happens through presence. We recommend limiting remote work in the early months, long enough to understand how the team operates, then increasing it once you are autonomous.

Finally, raise it at the interview stage. A company that refuses all remote work to an apprentice while granting it freely elsewhere is telling you something, indirectly, about the place it intends to give you.