BPP Commercial Manager Review

I really enjoyed my placement year. The job role is so varied that you get to see, and most importantly manage different areas i.e. sales and costs. Each day provides you with new challenges.

Marks and Spencer as a company is always open to change and new ways of thinking. Any ideas you can offer and new ways of thinking/working will always be listened to. I had some great opportunities within Marks and Spencer and I feel I was always recognised for the work I did, both by my Commercial Manager (who managed me), Store Manager and even senior management - The Regional Management team.

The support network was there for me. I had regular meetings with my line manager to check my progress and discuss areas of strength and weakness and how to improve these further. The support is always there for you, you just have to ask for it. I found that anyone who could help me would and if they couldn't they would point you in the right direction.

The nature of retail is that demand fluctuates and so does your work load. Through peak (or Christmas) you are therefore extremely busy. Thats not to say that for the rest of the year there isn't anything to do though! It is a busy role, it demands a lot from you but its extremely rewarding.

I was given a lot of responsibility throughout my placement year with Marks and Spencer, from running a department to other projects that were asked of me. In some cases you could say that you are thrown in the deep end but the support network is there for you, you are never on your own! The level of responsibility I believe would be adapted to each individual and their learning rate, it is flexible.

The placement year is designed to help you improve key competencies and mine have definitely improved from my placement year! I have come back to University with a better attitude to work, which I believe is vital for your final year of study. I feel I have matured over the last year and I am now actually in a place where I feel comfortable to start my career, because I know what is expected of me.

I worked with a few different teams in different offices, the relationships and atmospheres I saw were really good and enjoyable to work within. I feel there was the right balance between having a laugh and working. People are there for you, both on a professional and personal level.

The placement scheme is very flexible. Although you know the direction you will be heading, so you know where you are going next the dates can be moved back or pulled forward if you don't feel you've grasped everything necessary. On my region there were other graduates and trainees, it was organised for us to meet reguarly so you actually build a support network between yourselves of people who understand what you're going through which is great to share experiences.

We were provided with continuous instore and 'classroom' training sessions. The placement year is tailored around training and development!

I've been offered a job to return in September.

Naturally you build relationships with people going through the same experiences as you, so you build strong relationships with the other graduates/placement students. It is not necessarily that easy to socialise however due to you all being based in different areas of the region.

I lived at home for my placement year so it was fairly cheap! This depends upon the geographic areas, for me it wasn't a problem and it wouldn't have been had I moved out and lived closer to placement.

I lived at home so the nightlife was good. I am unsure what the nightlife would have been like closer to work! We did have a few staff nights out but that mainly consisted of visiting bars.

There were a few opportunities to get involved in. Working in retail though you will probably just want to relax on your days off! There weren't any opportunities I felt could have been offered that weren't.