Undergraduate Placement Student Review

I enjoyed the placement as it allowed me to experience real life responsibilities within a growing and prestigious company.

Every department respected me as a person and colleague. Even people I didnt know, knew who I was and about the placement! Everyone was interested about how i was getting on and ensuring I always had enough support.

At lidl, the support is incredible. There is head office training team, regional training team and within departments they have a buddy system to ensure we always have a point of contact. There is regular feedback days and apparaisals after every 8weeks or modules. If we have concerns, there is always someone willing to offer support and advice.

Every day is unique, there is a saying "no day is the same at Lidl!" I enjoyed the fast paced and demanding environment which aims to challenge your abilities and prepares you for any situation. I never felt in any day that I was not able to cope with the demands of the business.

I never felt like a placement student, with so much responsibility I felt as if I was a senior member of each departments! Lidl allows students to take on tasks as if they were a perminent member of the team which is perfect for individuals looking to showcase their skills. I always felt like I was part of the team and never felt like an outsider doing all the meaningless jobs.

I have learnt how to manage within stores which generates millions for the business, I have learnt to order hundreds of thousands worth of stock into the warehouse which then allows us as business to generate more than £8m in turnover week on week. After 48weeks, I am more equipped to manage my time and feel I have more knowledge to deal with the challenges within the retail industry. Working within a office environment, I feel I am a better communicated and team player which is crucial in any business. My experience on the Lidl placement has made me a better all-rounded professional which I hope will benefit me when looking for a careers once I graduate.

Each department has their own very unique office atmosphere which is ideal, every office brings their own traditions which I enjoyed. Some offices had dress down fridays, at head office they offered free fruit & veg every tuesday! Other offices liked to have fat fridays which consisted of having pizzas or subways for lunch! There was a real general team spirit which is moral boosting and encouraging.

The placement was organised and I always knew what I was doing well in advance. When there was last minute changes, it did not affect my schedule significantly and I always felt comfortable changing. The head office experience was planned and each department knew what I doing to ensure I gain as much from the experience.

There is so much training involved from the minute you start the placement. Lidl hired an external company to train placement students on leadership and management, also I was able to take part in a training session for store managers which aimed at improving communication within stores. I have had training in each department and if i felt like i wanted to learn something new, I could just mention it and it would be included in the future weeks training.

I have met a handful of ex-placement students who now are working in some capacity for the company. With the company growing, I am confident there will be roles for graduates who worked on the placement. I have also seen a number of internal vacancies open up in various departments which is encouraging.

There was not much of socialising amongst placement students but this was because we are placed into various departments which means we could be miles apart from the other students. However, we have 3 placement meetings where we stay at a hotel, have drinks discussing experiences. Also, during the head office experience we were able to go out in london, have drinks and enjoy meals out.

Cost of living was not bad as I was staying at home but cost of driving definitely increased substantially.

The main RDC is on a industrial site but there was always trains into london which is always pricey but good night out.

Lidl are always holding local marathons or raising money for charities like CLIC Sargent. Some departments also play football locally or have a running team.