48 Week Placement Student Review

This year has truly been fantastic. I would happily stay working with Lidl full-time, rather than return to University. There are so many opportunities. You'll work very hard, but will reap the rewards and enjoy yourself in the process. I am envious of the next cohort to embark on this placement.

Everyday I felt valued. I could see the impact that my work was having on the business, and I knew that my colleagues trusted the quality of my work. I was invited out to work drinks with each team after a short period of time, and they were always interested in learning from my experience in other departments, as well as hearing about me as a person. It was hard to leave a couple of the departments as we had such a strong working relationship. This was highlighted during my appraisals in each department, where I was informed that I was a valuable member of each team.

There is a Head Office contact that overseas the Placement Students. Firstly ensuring that all admin is completed and deadlines are met but also to offer advice and maintain the Student's welfare. For example, I was hospitalised with a stomach issue, and both the Training and Development Team in Head Office and my Regional Training Consultant were in regular contact with me. Further to this, they discouraged a premature return to my role, and ensured that I was fighting fit before returning to work. In addition, each region has a Regional Training Consultant. These are the colleagues that you will have regular contact with and will help solve any issues which you encounter, as well as ensuring that you are presented with as many opportunities as possible. My RTC pushed for my to spend my Head Office Work Experience in the Buying Department, and following these two weeks I was offered a contract for August in the Buying Department.

As I am sure most of you are aware from reading other reviews - you should expect to work hard. There will not be a minute where you don't have something to do (and you'll often have three or four things)! But this should not deter you. Firstly, your line manager will not set you a task that they do not feel you can complete to a high standard, and secondly, there is always support should you need it. On a typical day in the stock team I would start at 7am. Go into the Warehouse to carry out a stock count. Then update databases and action anything from Head Office. Following this, I would then order stock for several different categories and then finally chase suppliers for any failed deliveries. These would be my standard tasks, and then I would be delegated other tasks each day. Whether that be obtaining samples or contacting stores. You will not gain much from your placement year if your company does not provide you with the opportunity to excel yourself. I was confident in my abilities before starting the placement - but I never imagined that I would be able to achieve as much as I have.

In each department, I was given vast responsibility. In store I was running shifts 2 weeks into my module (you have 3.5 weeks basic training in store before you choose your first module). This included being the safe key holder, managing 8 members of staff (and training new employees). In the stock team I was ordering over £1 million worth of stock on a weekly basis. When I spent time auditing, I was reporting directly to the Regional Director and Store Managers had disciplinary's as a result of my work. Finally, in property I spent most of my time out of the office seeking new sites and attending meetings on construction sites. If you seek opportunities and responsibility - Lidl will grant you with this.

I am very much of the opinion in the Business world, you will learn significantly more on the job, than you can from a text book. You won't learn how to manage a team of 10 people (which are older and more experienced than you), in a high pressure environment from reading a text book. But with the support from your line manager, you can on this placement. You learn to become more assertive, learn how to approach different situations and to remain composed no matter what challenges face you. To me, these are life skills that will help you in both a professional and personal capacity.

The working environment for in store and the offices are polar opposites, but both create a pleasant atmosphere. In store there is a massive sense of togetherness. Lidl store's cannot operate without the whole team being on board and working hard for one another. Everyone rallies around each other, shares a laugh and encourages each other to push themselves. Each day you will go home with a smile on your face knowing that you have played a part in a successful day, and that you have helped your work colleagues. In the office, there are more opportunities to crack a joke, because you are not in a customer facing position. You will create a strong working relationship within your team. Most of the time it doesn't feel like you are at work - as you will have a good time with your colleagues and enjoying the tasks which you undertake. The dress code is business attired but you are not required to wear a tie.

I cannot fault the organisation of the placement. The year is split into four modules, and a two week Head Office experience. On the first day of your placement you attend a National Meeting where you will meet all of the other placement students, and are handed a folder which explains the year in detail and also highlights deadlines. Following this, you will embark on your 9 week basic training period - eventually progressing into your first module. There are three National Meeting's throughout the year, which all of the placement students attend. During these meetings you will undertake training courses as well as offering an opportunity to share your experiences with the other students. Every week you will submit a progress report to Head Office - this enables yourself to track your development, as well as an opportunity for the Training and Development team to monitor your progression.

Below are the courses that I attended: Management and leadership How to deliver an appraisal Trading compliance Further to the courses, there was also emphasis on seeing the progression which we had made throughout the year. For example, on the first day you will complete a learning style questionnaire, and this will be compared at your final meeting to a more recent result. In addition, at your final National Meeting you will partake in a CV and interview training workshop which will prove to be invaluable when you graduate. On the job: Although the company invites you to workshops and training days, this is not where the personal development stops. In each department you will receive constant feedback to ensure your progression. I was surprised at how many senior managers took time out of their day to show me a new tasks or advise me how to approach a situation. For example, in Head Office, during my Buying Placement (I was offered an extension for August), the Department Manager who oversaw the buying for all ambient product would regularly call me into his office when he was about to carry out a task that I had not experience before - including things such as product negotiations or taking me to supplier meetings as well as advising me how to approach certain situations with suppliers.

To start with, I was offered a contract for August by the Buying department - so they want to retain people which show potential. Further to this, I was offered an auditing role by a Regional Director for August too. Lidl also offer final year sponsorship in the the form of being a brand ambassador. In addition, the training and development team compile a biography for each student, which is sent to every department and often leads to an interview.

Yes and no. At each National Meeting, you have an overnight stay in a really nice hotel. Accompanied with a quality meal and an open bar. So it's a great opportunity to catch up with the other students as well as having a drink or two. Further to this, you will spend a fortnight in a hotel in Wimbledon for the Head Office experience. Although no socials are planned by the company - you are only working 40 hour weeks, so it's down to yourselves to explore London! Each region has two placement students, which means that there doesn't tend to be many large placement student events other than the National Meetings. However, I did regularly go for drinks on a Friday with my colleagues. Further to this, I now see the other placement student from my region as a friend for life (so it can't have been that bad)!

It varies massively. For me, I lived at home as I lived relatively close to where I was based. If you need to relocate, the company will pay for your accommodation for a module which is really useful too. For my Buying Placement, they organised for me to stay in a London Halls where my friends are living, and secured me to the best room available. But it could prove to be expensive if you need to relocate, especially for our London regions. Socialising - I worked in the North London region, so naturally the prices tend to be quite inflated, especially if you head into London. However, you will still find Weather Spoons and other pub chains which are still very reasonably priced. Overall, it was cheap for me as I lived at home.

You may spend a couple modules in a distribution centre - so obviously you won't find a nightclub on a business park. But there were plenty of places to go, being located approx. 15 miles north of Central London. Furthermore, it is only a 40 hour contract, so there is plenty of time to socialise.

Again, this was quite limited due to the nature of the work. Most stores have 5-a-side football teams, similarly to the warehouse. However, there are often charity events - such as sponsored walks for the companies charity - Clic Sargent.