Buying Summer Internship 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

3.6/5
  • The Role
    4.0
  • The Company
    3.4
  • The Culture
    3.4

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • A really insightful and interesting look at buying and the role - sometimes feels like it’s not too hands on but gives a good overview which would be hard to find anywhere else. Everyone is really welcoming and makes it easy to learn more from the experience.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I was made to feel very welcome at marks and Spencer’s and my opinion was still valued in meetings. Being in such a busy environment, sometimes you have to be mindful of how much pressure you put on your manager but it means you can use your initiative and tailor the experience to your desires.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • Support and guidance was given when I needed it and I never felt like I couldn’t ask any questions. I was also given the space to become more confident in myself and more able to use my initiative to network and communicate with others.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • It depended on the day - on the busiest days for my colleagues was often when I had the least to do because they were doing things I couldn’t help with (because I just didn’t have the knowledge) but there’s always something that you can find to help with or someone who is less busy that you can learn from.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • It’s a difficult position to gain much responsibility in just 8 weeks but I felt I was given as much as I could be and would have felt comfortable with.

    3/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • Not so much in my degree but more in my general life - especially knowledge about working/office lifestyle, communication and networking, understanding what skills I like/dislike to do in business and having more confidence in asserting myself in intimidating situations.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • Sometimes was quite high stress (because of the nature of the job) but everyone was really lovely and welcoming. There was a sense of community in the office and I always felt like I could ask anyone for help. It was also always had great facilities and tea and coffee readily available which was amazing!!

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • There wasn’t a specific structure in place in the scheme and I think the structure often depends on who is your delegated line manager - mine was amazing and helped me so much but the objectives around what I needed to do we’re still quite vague. This worked brilliantly for me because it gave me the scope to explore what I was passionate about (which is what I wanted to get out of the internship) but could be difficult for someone who needs specific goalposts to aim for.

    3/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • We were given 3 days of training by HR in the company about our personal development which was a good way that Marks and Spencer invested in us. Again, I think it’s depednent on your delegated line manager but I had the opportunity to go and visit suppliers all over Britain which I didn’t expect and was an amazing opportunity to get more insight into operations and the buying role.

    4/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • International Travel

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • There is the opportunity to be ‘fast tracked’ into the graduate buying scheme which means that you would immediately get through onto the assessment day and not have to do the internet/phone interview stages of applying which obviously massively narrows down your competition for the role. However, because it’s not guaranteed I will still be looking for other graduate schemes.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Not a massive group of interns starting at the same time so it would be difficult if you didn’t bond with the others, but you are all inducted on the same day and go through training days together so you can develop a good connection and social scene within that. The company tried to get everyone on a group on Facebook before the internship but this seemed hit or miss.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • It’s central London so generally very expensive - having said that there’s loads of choice and depending on your access to accommodation it is doable. The wage given by the company should cover that but you should potentially be prepared to not be able to save anything from the 2 months.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • Again, it’s central London so there’s everything you could ever want. The area that the headquarters are specifically isn’t that great for nightlife but it’s unlikely that you would be living there and even if you did it’s so well connected to everywhere else through public transport that you would be fine anyway!

    4/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • Within my team there wasn’t much opportunity but again that depends on the team that you’re in and what you’re doing. When I was travelling to suppliers I did things outside of work with some collegues and it was really lovely and welcoming. Within student/fellow interns there was quite a lot arranged outside of work.

    3/5

    Report this review

Details

Internship (1 Month+)

London

July 2018


View More Reviews