Management Trainee Review

I found the job incredibly enjoyable and non-monotonous

There was a great team atmosphere and I felt welcomed and valued, even though I was only there for a short period

All new recruits get a 10 day training map which they are guided through to orientate them to the business in their first few weeks and help them settle in to the job. There is also a one to one review with your branch manager every 30 days. Besides this we also attended training days at HQ to further equip us.

There were incredibly busy periods, but this was always balanced out by quieter times of the day which allowed you to get other work done besides serving customers, and gave you the opportunity to ask questions and learn off other more experienced employees. We also had team building days out which offered a welcome break from the office.

Once I had been trained up in the major aspects of the business, I was given a lot of responsibility and autonomy to deal with things how I saw fit (within reason of course!) On occassions, I was manning the branch on my own, which was really good experience. And if I got stuck, help was only a phone call away!

The training we received was invaluable and definitely helped equip me to work in a business environment.

Obviously it wasn't banter all the time as we had to do some work and maintain a professional attitude when customers were present, but aside from that the atmosphere was always relaxed, friendly and informal.

There were a few things which didn't come to fruition, but these are a minority. Considering I did my placement in the very first year that an intern scheme existed, I thought that the overal set up was very well organised and didn't really pose me any problems.

I was incredibly surprised with how much time, money and effort was invested in my personal development. As i have previously mentioned, we had training days at HQ throughout the duration of the placement and all new recruits spend a week of orientation at admin in Stirling (for Scotland placements) before formally starting work in the individual branches. All of this training was invaluable and so much more focused and applied than anything I have ever received in a lecture theatre

Future employment prospects are very appealing. To begin with, all applicants for student placements go through exactly the same recruitment and training processes as graduates. This facilitates the ease of securing a permanent position with the company once you have graduated. All management trainees work through a management development folder which, once completed and assessed, makes you eligible for promotion after approx 1 year. Doing a placement allows you to work on this as well and so gives you a head start into the process if you decide to take up a graduate post later on. Also, all promotion is internal, so you aren't competing with applicants from outside the organisation.

The social side of the placement was fantastic. During orientation week, we were all put up in a hotel in Stirling to avoid having to travel there everyday. This helped us all to get to know each other really well and we were taken out for lunch everyday to give us some time to get to know each other away from the training room. Besides that, we had activity days organised by Enterprise where we did white, water rafting, quad biking and clay pigeon shooting. There were also various area nights out arranged and a summer family fun day for the whole Enterprise Scotland group. I am still in touch with the interns from last year and we all got on really well.

Since I worked in Edinburgh, the cost of living is high. But I study there during the academic year, so it was something I was used to and so didn't really pose a problem. The salary offered is quite high compared to most summer placements, so I didn't find it a problem at all. Branches also have bonus incentives from time to time so you can pocket a bit extra in reward for hard work

It's the centre of Edinburgh...so obviously it's great!

Team days out, family fun day, parties, etc.