Retail Management Placement Student Review

by Aldi

Best Student Employer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.4/5
  • The Role
    4.3
  • The Company
    3.6
  • The Culture
    1.9

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • Although I thoroughly enjoyed the majority of my placement, there were times I really struggled balancing a social life with the demands of Aldi.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • From my store time through to head office, everyone was extremely helpful and wanted to further my experience in any way they could. This made me feel consistently valued and I was always treated as a valued member of the team.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • I feel my Store Manager and Area Manager played a huge part in the overall success of my placement. Without their constant support and willingness to help, I would have found my placement much more difficult. Even the Directors were extremely involved in my placement which is unusual for such a large company; they were always willing to give me advice/guidance and help me in any way they could.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • I was always busy throughout my placement, whether it was in Store, in Head Office or spending time in the Warehouse. This was great because it made the year fly by.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • Aldi offers a great deal of responsibility and if the thought of this scares you, then this placement definitely isn't for you. I was given huge responsibility almost straight away; running a multi million pound store and in charge of a team of 20+ people was a huge responsibility when I had very little managerial/leadership experience beforehand.

    5/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • I developed a great deal of skills throughout my placement that can be applied throughout my life and work in the future, however the placement itself was not that relevant to my degree; I major in Marketing and this was one area not covered on the placement. Despite this, I developed skills such as time-management and leadership which are all going to be hugely beneficial in my final year. I am also a lot more confident since starting my placement.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The offices are very friendly and people are always willing to help.

    3/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • Overall the placement was very well organised. We received a 48 week plan before we started and whilst there was some flexibility in this, it was generally followed stage by stage. This was useful because it gave us personal time-based targets and also gave us our holidays etc in advance.

    3/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • I had a training plan and targets to meet in my first 6 months which was really useful for both me and my management team to monitor my training. I also had regular feedback meetings with my Area Manager which played a huge role in my own development.

    5/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Company Car

    Company Parties/Events

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • I have been offered a graduate job with the company conditional to achieving a 2:1 in my degree in 2014. I have even been offered the opportunity to defer this offer 12 months to go travelling and start in 2015 which is great.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Meals were organised at Christmas and at the end of our placement which offered a chance for us all to meet up and discuss our time spent at Aldi, but because we were all based in different areas across England and Wales, it was difficult to meet up socially. Also the long hours do not allow for much of a social life!

    2/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • I was able to live at home during my placement so although commuting cost quite a bit, the cost of living was relatively cheap for me.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • The nightlife in my hometown is not great but nearby cities are much better.

    2/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • There were very little opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. Although there are team sports days and football matches, the placement students weren't involved in any of these.

    1/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

North West

August 2013


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