Trainee Commercial Manager Review

Retail management is the type of job where there is a good day for every bad day you have! Whichever region you work on there will be a groupof placement students/graduates who act as a great support network.

Success is celebrated often. The more you put in the more you get out.

I had regular catch ups with regards to my development on an ad hoc basis. My store manager was also very encouraging of the 'door is always open' mentality, so any problems I had I could share with him.

The start of the week I would be very busy gathering sales data from the previous week and attending meetings. The end of the week, unsurprisingly, meant I was very busy on the shop floor!

Especially towards the end of my placement I was given a Food hall taking £200k a week to look after, I think that is a lot of responsibility!

I developed skills from a managerial point of view but also in commercial accumin, leadership, decision making etc. My confidence soared!

At first I was in a store withh other placement/graduates which meant I have a great network of employees. Other members of management where in their 20's/early 30's so there were a few social events organised!

There is a 2 week induction then you will spend around 5 months as Trainee Commercial manager of a General Merchandise department, then around 1 month in finance and then another 5-6 months as Trainee Commercial Manager of a Food Hall (order will differ). Sometimes you could be placed in a different store and may not find out until the week before however they will always consider your mobility and it is fantastic to see how different sized stores work.

There were some points of my placement I felt like I was maybe not performing where I should be, however the support from my store manager was great and I felt they really do care whether you succeed!

I have been invited back to the company, however in a different role. Prospects certainly are good for any placement students.

The first store I worked in there was a large management team and so some events where organised particularly around Xmas time. The second store I worked in was smaller and although it meant you could get to know all staff on a more personal level, there was less going on outside the store although we did do numerous fundraising events.

I lived at home (which was cheap!) in Greater Manchester. It is like anywhere, some areas/nights are more expensive than others. (weekends tend to be a lot more expensive)

Manchester is great any night of the week. The Oxford road area is one of the cheapest places to go. It is not too far to visit Liverpool/Leeds/Chester

Myself and some of the management team took part in the BUPA Great North Run and as a company M&S are very keen on fundraising so there is always an opportunity!