Management Trainee [Waitrose] Review

It was hard at first settling in to a new environment, especially one that I had not experienced before, but as time went on and my responsibilities increased I enjoyed it more and more.

The branch which I worked in was so friendly - I was treated equally to all other members of staff and got on with everyone really well.

I was given regular feedback and my managers were on hand whenever I needed them. There was never a point which I felt that I was on my own with nobody to help me.

At first I felt that I wasn't busy enough but when working within a particular section, because of the nature of the section and the job role, there often wasn't time to stop! I had to be disciplined with myself to ensure I didn't stay too long at work, but often it was hard to balance my time.

I was given a lot more responsibility that I expected, and really enjoyed it! It was great to learn from my own experiences rather than from watching other people.

The skills I have gained throughout my work placement will equip me with practical knowledge which will complement the knowledge I will be learning in my final year.

Really friendly, everybody was always laughing and joking! There was never a dull moment.

Extremely well, although I think perhaps having a 'mentor' out of branch would have been helpful as although the business partners were responsible for us, they were often busy with other partners and it was often hard to get time with them.

The firm invested a lot of time in me and if there was anything new I wanted to learn or courses I wanted to attend they were happy for me to go.

I have been invited to an assessment centre.

Because I worked in branch there were no fellow placement students, although I kept in good contact with the other placement students in head office and in other branches, and when meeting up we always got on really well. I often went out with my colleagues in the branch and still see them now.

Waitrose arranged for me to work in branches near to my home so the living costs were cheap. In terms of socialising, the costs were relatively standard - not as expensive as London but it wasn't a student area so still quite pricey.

Billercay doesn't have a vast amount of nightlife but there was always the opportunity to go further afield!

The social club put on lots of different events - parties, fun days, trips to the theatre, etc. and Waitrose as a company encouraged 'leisure learning', so if you wanted to learn a language for example, the company would pay half the cost of this up to £250.