Industrial Placement Student Review

The placement is very enjoyable for people who want to be set daily challenges, which includes me. The in store work is demanding and tiring, but there is a significant sense of achievement each day if everything has run smoothly and you completed all of your tasks.`

Aldi is excellent at creating a tightly knit environment, where you learn a lot of people's names quickly and you are invited into each group that you come across. The close relationships make you feel valued because there is a responsibility placed on your shoulders that if you fail then everyone loses. That isn't to make it sound harsh, but they get you stuck into the teams so that you know you have their support so you can do your job effectively.

Aldi has a structured training plan that covers every aspect of store work and how your year will take place. Supervisors know what you mean to the company and tailor the training to what is required of you.

Tasks that you can be doing will never run out. What Aldi teach you is that you may have a list of jobs as long as your arm, but it's how you structure each day to manage those tasks that determines how "busy" you feel. It is down to you to get that skill under control. I found it hard to begin with, but with time it gets easier once you know the fundamentals of what needs to be completed each day of the week.

Stores are placed under your care on this scheme. It is unavoidable so effectively, yes, you are running the show. You are expected to be able to bear the weight of a multi-million pound business for a good length of time, but because of the training you are well prepared for it.

Time management and being effective are key skills in actually getting things done in life. You find that the way you treat your home life changes and you find new frustrations of inefficiencies you didn't notice before. It doesn't make you a robot, but you find yourself planning each day that you have off and not putting off work that is better done earlier rather than later.

In the office portion of the placement, there is always something to be doing and the work you are tasked with makes you feel valued. The projects can be very interesting and gives you an even deeper understanding of the business.

The structure that was given to me on day one was followed very well. My mentor knew where I needed to be and so did I, which made things run very smoothly . The office time was also divided up and structured very well so they accommodated us in their work schedules well.

The company invests all of its training plans into your time with them so you learn as much as store management know and then some more that the store area managers know as well. They look to develop you as an Aldi employee so give you their full attention in how they do this.

Future employment is dependent upon reviews with directors. Whether you are likely to be offered the chance to apply to return are totally up to you.

Social events is not something that Aldi do very often for placement students. There were 2 events at the start and end of the year for all students nationally and an in store Xmas party, but apart from this you don't go into this job expecting to have much of a social life. In retail you will be working unsociable hours and days off during the week rarely come in pairs, but this is an onus on the placement student to plan their time off to do something with friends if they are desperate to socialise. In reality you will likely want to use your days off to relax. In the time at the regional head office, there was more opportunity with the other students to socialise outside of work.

I lived in the North West of England so rent, bills and other costs were cheaper.

None existent in the area I worked.

The point to make is that it is up to the placement student to do this if they can find the time to do it. Placement students have found time to play sports or keep fit outside of work.