Placement Year Review at Marks & Spencer

The Role

Role Description

Basically, you spend your days managing a section of the store. This involves dealing with the staff, customers and products. You have to make sure everything is correct and proper and that the department you are in charge of represents the store and company well.

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

When you're working for a company that treats their staff as well as Marks & Spencers how can you not enjoy your placement? As a manager I was able to pick and choose what tasks to do and what to ask the colleagues in my department to do, so if there was something I didn't enjoy doing then I would pass it on to another member of staff. Thus I loved near enough every minute of my placement.

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Everyone was really helpful and accommodating towards me. The mentality at Marks & Spencers is that all the staff are members of a collective team, this encouraged friendship, bonding and mutual respect to grow among the staff.

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

You work very closely with experienced managers in the other departments, so you are always being guided and supported by them.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

One of the benefits of being a manager is that you can control and plan your working day usually. Naturally, a manager has a constant workflow and is always occupied with something, however, as a manager, if I felt tired or overworked I could always assign some of my tasks to my colleagues which lessened the strain on me. By doing this I could then work at a pace that suited me.

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The company really put a huge amount of trust in you and allow you to take control of a whole department almost immediately. I was in charge of the food department, which was very busy and profitable to the company, and had to try and run it flawlessly.

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Through my placement I learned a lot about the economics of business, which is fundamental to my university course. On the plus side, one of my fellow students at university was also spending his placement in the same store so I also made a new university friend from my time at Marks & Spencers.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

All my colleagues were lovely so there was never any trouble during my time there. They were all very understanding of my inexperience but still treated me like an essential part of the team. I worked constantly with a few other members of staff in the food department and got to know each of them very well, which allowed for a friendly atmosphere in my department.

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The training schemes were very flexible which allowed for a large number of different students to undertake them each year. There was three placement students at the store I worked at and we all were incredibly impressed with how fluid the placement was.

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I attended numerous training courses throughout my placement and worked in close proximation to other department managers which helped develop my business knowledge. The company put a lot of faith and invested heavily in me.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

• Subsidised Canteen
• Financial Bonus
• Staff Sales/Staff Shop

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Unfortunately I wasn't offered a job but my friend who worked there at the same time as me was, so the employment prospects are promising if you're the right candidate.

Other Information

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I made a great new friend from my placement, so I couldn't have asked for a better social scene. Though every member of staff is very friendly, so there is still a good social side even if you don't end up making a great bond with any one person in particular.

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

The area is quite expensive but I was on a pretty great wage so I was able to socialize a lot. If you were on a less substantial income then I think you would struggle living in this part of the county.

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Exeter is a very holiday-orientated place so the nightlife is very impressive, especially in the summer, as all the clubs are aiming to attract all the tourists. You can find a lot of cheap places to drink because of this very reason, plus an added bonus is that you are guaranteed to find a cheap burger bar on every street corner for the end of the night.

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 2/10

My one criticism of the staff would be that they are very friendly in the store but strangely cold outside of it. Apart from activities I did with my friend from university, I never once socialized with my other colleagues on the weekends or weeknights.

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

If you are on a business-related degree program then this is definitely the placement for you. You are given the chance to practically manage a whole department.

Review 73/73 for Marks & Spencer

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