Stores Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed me internship at Tesco. I have achieved and developed so much in this role. No day was the same so I experienced many different tasks. The expectations in the role are very different to anything I had experienced before and this really challenged me in a good way.

The management colleagues were so supportive of my development. They were always available to answer any questions and help with difficult situations. Review meetings with my store manager were really helpful and setting next steps gave me things to work towards. Colleagues in the department are also supportive once they understand your purpose there

The guidance from my store manager was amazing. We spoke on a regular basis to set next steps etc. Walking around the department and store with the store manager is really insightful and allows you to see the expectations of the store manager. My mentor could have provided more guidance with the daily routines/expectations of the role, however this wasn’t a problem as I thought myself.

It is literally non-stop! However I very much enjoyed this because I like to be on the go and busy at work. There is always a new challenge or task presenting itself every day so you can not be bored. There is every opportunity to go and learn something new on a different department or jump on checkout!

I was given responsibility from day one! My store manager was really keen on getting me ready to manage the department very quickly, and I’m so happy I took this opportunity. You will be given almost any responsibility you ask for, if your store manager thinks you’re ready for it!

My degree studies are not related to my time in Tesco at all. I study British politics at university, however I have a solid career background in retail. Nevertheless, the skills I developed are going to be so influential in my future career endeavours. I was fortunate enough to receive an insights profile during my time at Tesco which (unfortunately) highlights your weaknesses in black and white. However, I took this as opportunities to develop and really focused on how to improve them.

The store always had a great atmosphere. All colleagues were willing to help each other and customers are friendly. As a small superstore it was not an overly busy store most days, however your day was never quiet!

The internship comes with a 10-week propose framework to work alongside. This helps to show you how to be spending your time. This is only a guide so if you progress quicker, which I did, the framework is very flexible. The programme comes with a development day down in head office half way through which really helps to guide your final weeks in store.

Tesco invest so much in your personal training and development. We were lucky to attend an insights profile day which is an amazing tool for learning how to develop your skills. This role has enabled me to grow and achieve so much in such a short space time and I feel so accomplished.

The internship is a great preview of the graduate scheme and after the completion meeting, you may be lucky enough to receive a recommendation for the graduate scheme. This is not a guaranteed position, but a positive response.

As a store intern the social scene does not exist to the same as head office interns because we are remotely based.

My store was very near to home, so I did not have any expenses for cost of living/socialising.