Retail Management Intern Review

by Marks & Spencer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.5/5
  • The Role
    3.4
  • The Company
    3.5
  • The Culture
    3.6

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I throughly enjoyed the internship as it gave me a great insight into the corporate world and how a potential placement year or graduate scheme would look. There were vast opportunities given, such as trips to head office in London, getting involved in meetings and taking on your own tasks in store.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I felt very valued by colleagues and on the most part was made to feel part of the team. Given our particular project it was important to integrate into different teams, with both the customer assistants and management team. Our task to complete an emergency information card was shared across the business and made us feel valued.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • Support was given in some areas, however the internship was very much self led development. Although this was expected, with no awareness of what the job entailed I found it difficult to find my feet at the beginning. As time went on it was easier to work on my own project. Another issue was that their were various lines of management and it was not clear who we had to turn to for advice and support.

    3/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • On a daily basis as we were never given a task to complete we were not that busy. However when working on my own project, I was able to manage my own time and find tasks to do. When based on the shop floor, this is a very busy atmosphere.

    3/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • Responsibility was given when asked for it, for example when making business cards. As we were often left to manage our own time, this can also be seen as having a lot of responsibility. As we were given managers badges, this meant when on the shop floor, customers would come to us and made us think on our feet and use initiative to solve queries.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • We completed a project which involved a lot of research and planning, and led to a presentation and report. This was very useful in developing my writing skills, presentation, confidence and interpersonal skills. I feel the internship was very beneficial for me developing my skills and helping me progress in my future career and prospects.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The general atmosphere was good in the store. There were many teams that all made you feel welcome and comfortable. A management huddle every morning set the tone for the day and gave us focus points for the stores goals, there were also activities that helped lighten the mood.

    3/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • From the top down the internship was set up very well with many trips out to head office, distribution centres etc. However with many lines of management, it was not very structured when implemented in store as I felt I had little direction other than my project.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • The company invested in us a lot as we got to take part in a 'fit to lead' course in head office. We also got to go to other events for the management teams and had a real insight into what being a manager at Marks and Spencer would entail.

    4/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Subsidised Canteen

    Travel loan

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • There are many, many opportunities at Marks and Spencer which are very appealing. These were revealed at head office. The company is a very well respected one to work for and I would be interested in working for them in the future.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • I made good friends with the other Yorkshire region interns and would meet with them outside of work sometimes. However being split across stores meant we did not see each other much at work. We did meet the head office interns twice but had little time to network or build relationships with them.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • There is a low cost of living, given I was living in my University housing. The social life is also great and there are many opportunities in Leeds. However as part of the retail management graduate scheme you are required to be mobile nationwide which is a constraint for many people. I can not guarantee I would have enjoyed the internship as much if I was based elsewhere.

    4/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • The nightlife in Leeds is great and having friends in the area is great. Although this sort of relationship was not build with anyone from the store.

    4/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • The nightlife in Leeds is great and having friends in the area is great. Although this sort of relationship was not build with anyone from the store. I was involved in activities with the other interns and spent time out of work with them, but was not involved with other managers from the store.

    3/5

    Report this review

Details

Internship (1 Month+)

Yorkshire and Humberside

August 2017


View More Reviews