Undergraduate Placement Review

The Placement offered a variety of roles in different departments which kept it interesting as we are allowed to pick which ones we would like to do ( approx 4-5 choices over the year ). However, the department I enjoyed the most, couldn't accommodate me when I wanted to go back. Some departments offered more work than others.

Again very varied, some departments didn't really care or know I Was meant to be there, others treated me like I was part of the team from day 1. It depends whether the team and managers are willing to take you on board or whether you are just another person they have to spend time with...

Again varied, the departments I spent more time in generally gave me more advice, guidance and feedback.

During the basic training period some departments had me watch someone on a computer screen for almost the whole day, and then told me I wasn't showing any interest or commitment which I felt was very unfair. But then once departments actually gave me work to do, I was busy a lot of the time.

In certain departments I Was given task lists which was good, it mean't I could manage myself. In store training you also get to manage employees which is tough but good experience.

I have been able to write my dissertation on a project I did during the placement year which is great.

With Lidl this varies a lot. Some departments allow more chatter than others. In offices nearer senior and regional directors the atmosphere was very dull, no one really talked at all. Downstairs in an isolated office there was more chat.

The placement is sold to be very well organised and the general structure is. However a lot of the time the departments didn't know I was training with them for a while and were taken by surprise, which would seem like there was a lack of communication.

We did some courses with external companies, and receive appraisals after every department. Although there is a flaw because you can't achieve certain grades as you aren't in the department for long enough so I did see the point in these grades being on the marking scheme.

Hard to tell as we haven't had much information about it.

I got on well with most of the placement students, however because we all work at different locations round the country, we barely get to see each other, maybe a few times over the year. I would have liked to live with a few of them, so I could have saved money and time, instead I had to live at home, buy a car and travel over an hour to work everyday.

Very high, spending £300 on petrol every month to drive to work. Because I lived so far from where I worked I never went out there, but it was an industrial area so nothing there anyway. When working at head office in london there was a lot to do but again very expensive and was only for 2 weeks.

Non existent

Nothing, no work football team, there were maybe 2 events I heard of over the whole year, jogging after work and one tough mudder that I couldn't make.