Commercial Manager 12 Month Trainee Review

The placement year was a brilliant experience as it encorporated all areas of the business. I was attached to many different people and had the chance to visit head office. The Day to Day job role was never the same so I never got bored!

I joined with 4 graduates and even though we were different ages and had different qualifications I was treated no differently to them. I had real responsibility which gained lots of credit from managers and as a consequence I felt valued for my contributions. I was always included in management discusions and debates. I was also trainned as a duty manager incase I was the only manager left instore.

The management in the learning stores are some of the best managers in M&S, which was brilliant to get their experience. They understood why I was there and what they had to do to ensure I got the best out of my year. I went on many courses to improve my competency skills and also to learn technical skills. Managers spend time with you to ensure you learn all you can.

Very busy but not too busy. Christmas and Easter are obviously some of the busiest times and the days fly past. I enjoyed the amount of tasks I was included in, and the differences between the tasks. As a trainee I did long hours but when you are appointed you can manage yourself to leave earlier. Overall great balance.

I was included as a real manager from my first day and given lots of responsibility quickly. I made real contributions to the business which were valued. M&S have a great system in place to ensure you get the best out of the 12 months you are trainning. You 'get to grips' then 'put into practice' on each area. I am currently doing the job of a real commercial manager by managing womens casualwear and accesories, footwear and stand alone groups. I have gained so much experience and it has been fun!

I went on about 10 external training courses during the year and several in store. These covered everything from managing sick absence to learning how to be a great leader. They are compulsory for M&S managers but they are very well communicated and the content is very good. The skills I learnt will be very helpful for any job I choose to do in the future as they are transferable and I feel I have massively developed in the last year. The situations I have been through are liekly to help me in my final year, and I am doing my dissertation on M&S. M&S have a detailed 'sign off' document which I will be able to show evidence in any job interview and at university.

The management office is rarely used as we spend most of our time on the floor. I was in a store that opened until 9pm so we rarely has chance to go out as a group together, but when we did we had a great laugh and we gell really well. The management team has changed repeatidly during the 12 months, with many people progressing through the business. Surprisingly this made no difference to the team and we continued to work really well together. The team has some very different characters which made a unforgetable management team - (in a good way!)

The graduate scheme is the same as the placement scheme, which made it easier for all of us as we were following the same course. We had a month by month timetable set up by our in store graduate champion/mentor. All managers knew why I was there and knew the scheme inside out. You need to be able to own your development and also drive yourself through the scheme.

I went on many training courses and there are many still available which you can nominate yourself to go on. I was allowed time to see my tutor which was included in my normal days work. Travel costs were all claimed back. I was never told that i couldnt do something due to money restraints, for example working sundays or late nights which cost the company more.

M&S have offered me a job position for after my final year and I am currently looking for part time management role that I can do in my final year. I can't wait to get back, and I have my list of the different job roles I want and can do in the company in the future.

M&S's start date is the same for all graduates and BPP's which was good because I had 4 other newbies starting with me. We are collectively known as the graduates and we will be good friends even when I leave. I also made good friends with the nearest store to me with a BPP; cheltenham. We all went on the training days together and have remained in contact.

My salary covered all my cost of living and allowed me to go on several holidays and spend time socialising and shopping. No complaints about the salary and the bonus was very nice to get as well!

I didn't get to experience the nightlife quite as much as I would have liked but when I did go out it was great.

M&S have a sports and social club but I didn't get to experience any of the holidays or benefits due to the duration and timings.