This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I have really enjoyed getting to grips with the role and getting stuck in. I've enjoyed getting to know such a big team and the way things work at Tesco. Learning so much so quickly has been really rewarding. Every day in store is different which keeps it interesting but sometimes daily tasks can get a bit repetitive.
I really feel like part of the team in my store and despite how busy everyone is, my colleagues make every effort to include me in decisions, keep me updated and ask my opinion. I have been able to help with my manager buddy's workload and take some pressure off her which has been great and made me feel a valued part of the team.
All of the management team have been great at supporting me and asking any question I have no matter how silly, and taken a genuine interest in how I'm getting on. There has been the odd day I have felt a bit lost but someone has always been there to pick me up and point me in the right direction. I have received great constructive feedback and given praise when I've been on the right track which has been great for my development.
Most days in my department, we have a busy few hours in the morning with a quieter afternoon where we get admin done. Obviously in retail some days can be manic but on the whole the day is quite balanced and I was always able to get everything I needed to do done. Friday/Saturday are very busy compared to a midweek day.
The last two weeks are spent running the department, which is a great chance to take on a massive responsibility which I had never previously had. Throughout the training before my two weeks as manager, I had opportunities to run the department for myself and solve some problems I might face during the final two weeks. I was also given the responsibility of organising and planning a customer feedback project in order to improve some of our stats which was great as I learnt a lot through the planning and follow up of the project.
I have learnt so much during my time at Tesco and I feel like I have developed as a person during the internship. Being able to put things I have studied into practice in real life has been great. I think the management skills I have learnt will stay with me for the rest of my career and would be transferable to any career.
The Company
Everyone at my store was really welcoming and supportive. I was made to feel really comfortable and welcome by all the staff in my store. Generally the atmosphere was good but sometimes not so great when the stores extra busy or something’s gone wrong. I found the atmosphere at head office to be really relaxed and positive.
The programme was really structured and well run, by the programme organisers but also supported by the management team in store. I did feel like there was a lack of detail given before starting the internship but during it I always had a point of contact and support network which was great.
I really feel like Tesco invested so much in me and I was able to give my all in return. We were able to complete an Insights programme into our working style and personality which was great for my development. I was given so much training and responsibility and I really developed over 10 weeks.
I would love to have a career with Tesco as I feel like they have invested so much in me. I feel like there’s so many great opportunities to develop and advance in store and also opportunity to transfer in the offices. I hope to get a place on the grad scheme and develop from there.
The Culture
Not really applicable as I was in a store there weren’t social opportunities with other interns like there would have been if I was in the office. I didn’t really socialise with my colleagues due to being different ages but probably would have done more if I was there for a bit longer.
Again I was living at home so there was no change in cost for me while doing the internship. I was based in Devon so stores are quite far apart so I had to travel quite far to my store which was worthwhile to be in a great store but did make my day a lot longer.
Again I was living at home so no change for me in terms of nightlife.
I got involved in a charity it’s a knockout event with other stores which was a great opportunity to get involved in the community side of things and meet colleagues from other stores, as well as get to know more people from across my whole store. There seemed to be a few of these type of events going on each year.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Business Management
South West
August 2019