John Lewis Summer Internship Review

by John Lewis Partnership

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

Rating

3.9/5
  • The Role
    4.3
  • The Company
    3.8
  • The Culture
    3.6

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • Overall, I really enjoyed it. I had worked at John Lewis before as a sales assistant, but this time I got to see a totally different side of it - from the perspective of the managers.

    4/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • John Lewis is renowned for employing great people - and JL Kingston was no exception. I felt like I had worked there for years by the end of the summer. There were some strange moments because other partners didn't really know what my position was - one minute I was tidying shelves and helping them out, the next moment I was having a lengthy conversation with a manager. As a result, people didn't seem to know whether they could say anything critical to me, as if I was some sort of spy. I was able to reassure them that I wasn't in the end, but it would be interesting to know whether other interns had the same experience.

    5/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • Managers will always be busy but you must take it upon yourself to ask questions - nobody will take offence and everybody will help. I got some great insights from managers that could never be taught in a business degree.

    5/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • Some days were completely dead with nothing happening, others were manic. Ideally, you want somewhere in the middle - so it isn't too quiet, but you have the chance to speak to people.

    4/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • A lot more than I originally anticipated. I got a few chances to the run the floor, it was an excellent experience - you take much more notice of things when the floor is your responsibility. Looking back, it would've been great to do it more. The only slight annoyance was my restrictions on the John Lewis computer systems. As a sales assistant three years ago, I had access to all the big systems that showed product prices (and the price history), department and branch statistics. However, three years later and I wasn't allowed them due to data restrictions - I wasn't even allowed an e-mail address. As I was doing quite an ambiitous project on depreciation, this was a bit of a hindrance. However, the managers were incredibly helpful and were more than happy for me to send e-mails / request data through them. In the end, it wasn't such a problem. I was also impressed that they let me do such an ambitious project.

    4/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • At the time, I thought it was a little bit of a waste of time, but after it had finished I realised what a help the internship had been. Not only has it affected my ambitions after university, but it has taught me lessons that could never be taught in a lecture theatre. I would highly recommend applying.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • Usually pretty good, there's always one or two characters!

    4/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • I was the store's first ever summer intern. It was quite a loose structure but for me this was great - it gave me the freedom to go around and research the things that interested me.

    4/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • To such an extent that I would feel guilty not to work there again.

    5/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • 3/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • The internship is a great help if you want to do a JL graduate scheme, of which there are many.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • Not outside work, but I genuinely got on with everyone I worked with.

    4/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • I could commute from home, but Kingston is fairly standard prices for a town near London.

    4/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • Kingston is renowned for its grimey clubs. Not sure if this makes for a high or low rating.

    4/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • I didn't really explore these, but I know there are for full John Lewis employees.

    4/5
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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

London

November 2012

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