Retail Management Placement Student Review

I really enjoyed my placement because it was incredibly varied with me constantly changing departments and being able to work in Head Office, as well as other projects such as the new Employer Branding videos and projects. All of this meant that I was never doing the same activities twice and was constantly learning all year.

In store this was probably the most as you had a direct impact on day to day operations. Within the other departments your expertise takes a lot longer to acquire, so being able to deploy this could be difficult due to the shorter time frame in the department.

I was given a lot of support throughout my placement, especially at the start in the initial training period. This was very good in store and was best within the departments I worked in.

This could vary with the changing nature of the business on a daily basis, meaning that often different tasks take priority over yours. In store you're busy every minute which is really good for your development. The expertise needed for the department depicts how busy you are on a daily basis.

This varied by department and an individuals' input. In store you are given full responsibility and in the other departments quite a lot too, but you always get out what you put in and responsibility is always available should you ever ask for some. With tasks such as audits you are given full responsibility and within some departments you may have your own daily or weekly set tasks that you complete on your own which gives you a good sense of pride and individual responsibility.

The skills I have developed this year will definitely help me in my final year and beyond. My communication and time management skills have grown exponentially and will assist me in my own personal organisation in the future. From the training I received and tasks I have done over the year, I have become a more confident individual that will help me in any situation.

This varied by department as store was very different to the offices. Again, within the offices this varied too as some had a more relaxed atmosphere.

The organisation was very well done as we received a calendar of the year from day 1 with our time in departments, time in head office and holidays etc outlined. We received a folder with training plans in for different departments as well.

A lot! There is a lot of time spent on you to show you how to use programs or databases as well as attendance at different training sessions throughout the year. Changing departments exemplified this as you could see the firm investing in you through different departments so your training and development is holistic.

Future employment prospects are present however difficult if you are still undecided about what you want to do.

Yes we had meetings throughout the year with fellow placement students however this was not really present with colleagues.

Affordable but would depend on which area of the country you live in.

The offices are purposefully based near motorways and important road networks so are essentially non existent but your home and university area always has good nightlife should you choose to enjoy it.

Not many but this didn't bother me as I had my own activities and life outside of work.