Retail Apprentice Review

As a retail apprentice, my job varies on a day to day basis. Some days I sit and do apprentice work that I have been set and others I sit with customers and get them their dream holiday. Personally, I like this as I have days to focus on work so it does not get overdue but I am also face-to-face with customers too.

Since working for TUI, I have learnt some new skills. Although being in a customer based job previously, working for TUI I have been able to work on these as I have had times that I have sat with customers for up to 3 hours - this sounds daunting but I like to be with customers and be able to have a chat and create a bond with them but also get the job of booking their holiday done too.

I very much enjoy the people I work with and the job that I do. When I started I felt very welcomed although the girls knew each other a long time before I started. I enjoy the customer side of this job a lot too, I enjoy creating a bond with the customers and providing them with the holiday they want

I think that at the start of the programme, I could have been with the customers for longer, I used to always be welcoming the customers but not sat with them but I would have preferred to be sat with them from earlier to get used to the systems that I have to use. Apart from that, I am happy with how my apprenticeship is dealt with

I receive a lot of support from both my manager and my apprenticeship coach - they are always on hand to help. If I get behind with the work that has to be completed I am allowed time off of the floor in order to get some of it done, if I am struggling with the work, my apprenticeship coach is happy to guide me through it or the girls at work are happy to support me

My apprenticeship coach is always available to help if I am struggling with any work. They also have made chats for apprentices to help other apprentices with the work which I find very helpful as I can just pop something in the chat and come back to it later to check what the responses say

I think that once my apprenticeship is fully completed, I will have a lot of experience in my job role and this will help me to perform my job role better as I have completed a lot of training to complete my apprenticeship so understand now a lot more than I did when I first started

Like any other workplace, we have Christmas parties and celebratory meals when we have achieved something that we needed to. I think this brings us closer as a team as we get to know each other outside of work and we are able to congratulate one another on the things we have achieved

Yes

I think the workplace and the people that work here are very positive and to me, that is a motivation to come into work and get the job done. I think we also get a lot of praise for things we do and that again is a motivation to want to work because you feel appreciated in your work place. We are a very close-knit workplace and I think that makes it easier to work as you have people on hand to help all the time and you feel comfortable where you work making it easier to fit in and feel welcomed into the job, especially starting out as an apprenticeship

Be ready to deal with difficult customers, some can be challenging but if you have a passion to help then you will be fine. I would also say have knowledge of some popular destinations, if someone comes in and wants advise on where to go and are specific with some of the things they want you might have to suggest places to them which can be hard if you do not have a basic knowledge of some of the destinations that we provide