Shift Manager Review

by JD Wetherspoon

Best Apprenticeship Employer

Rating

4.9/10

1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

To manage the pub team to meet a variety of targets such as profit, sales and compliance. To ensure the pub is meeting a high standard of cleanliness, quality of product and service. As well as monitoring any maintenance issues.

6/10

2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

As part of the apprenticeship I have learned a variety of tools and techniques to assist with managing projects within a business, as well as to assist with coming to decisions and justifying them as a manager.

5/10

3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

I do enjoy the program in a general sense, there are a lot of interesting topics and it helps with my job. The course has been extremely disorganised however with late marks, poor instruction from certain lecturers, poor quality of feedback and even poor punctuality from lecturers.

3/10

4. How well organised/structured is your programme?

Extremely disorganised. As stated previously. Marks have been released to students by accident multiple times across multiple modules, they have then been withdrawn and modified. We were also promised lecturers would respond within 48 hours I have now been waiting around a month on a response from one.

1/10

5. How much support do you receive from your employer?

Excellent level of support from employer. Both at a pub level and upper management level. Shame it has been let down by poor lecturers and organization from the university. Every part of it that is JD Wetherspoons responsibility is excellent however.

10/10

6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

Some lecturers are good with providing support. However one in particular was useless, gave minimal feedback, barely any instruction for his assignments which were vague at best. Never replied to any emails.

2/10

7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

I think some of it can be applied to the job role but much of it wouldn't be entirely relevant. Good to have a deeper understanding of business in general though as a manager regardless.

7/10

8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

No not really, this isn't something I would be particularly interested in though anyway.

5/10

9a. Would you recommend JD Wetherspoon to a friend?

Yes

9b. Why?

It is an excellent company to work for, to provide the opportunity to get a degree to hospitality managers is surely not very common! I believe in future the apprenticeship scheme will improve, this year has been let down by certain university staff who hopefully will be long gone.

10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to JD Wetherspoon?

It is hard work but lots of opportunity for progression if you are capable and put the work in. The apprenticeship scheme is fantastic (issues regarding certain lecturers aside) and gives an opportunity to pick up qualifications up to degree level, while working, and the time to do so