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How? What degree?

Okay I'm thinking I may want to do somthing like be a manager of a store such as Fenwick, John Lewis when I finally get a proper job!
But where do i start? I want to go to uni but what would i do? i know I would have to start lower down and climb up gradually but i just wondered how i would achieve this? Do you know anyone high up in a business like that?
-x-

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Reply 1

scraceus999

do a degree in management/retail management/business/marketing etc. get yourself a job in a store, and with experience you can then start climbing positions. Its not easy to get to the top spot like that... it takes a while unless you are outstanding.

Reply 2

Smile-Like-You-Mean-It

scraceus999

nothing to do with the thread but what a-levels do you do?i have a friend who is looking into the same career as you so interested on her behalf. -x-

Reply 3

scraceus999

Smile-Like-You-Mean-It

nothing to do with the thread but what a-levels do you do?i have a friend who is looking into the same career as you so interested on her behalf. -x-

well for architecture, they like a balance of traditional subjects, so the perfect combination would be art (definitely needed!), maths, physics, and a humanities or essay based subject like history, history of art or english etc. but it isnt really the subjects that are important, it is your grades which need to be high and also your personal statement and work experience.

hope that helped :tongue:

Reply 4

indie_couture

scraceus999

+

yeh but art isnt necessary x

Reply 5

River85

scraceus999

You don't need a retail management or a business degree.

You can just as easily go for any traditional degree, especially a maths, history or english one. These will give some direct skills as well as plenty of transferable skils relevant to a career in retail management.

Reply 6

ally.pants

I didn't think you needed an art a level to do architecture at a good uni? My friend does it and she sure as hell didn't do art.... hmmm...

Reply 7

ally.pants

Sorry that was off the subject of the original post.

Reply 8

scraceus999

yes, but a more focused degree in management would be better if you're certain it's what you want to do. A management degree would beat an english degree from two identical job applicants :smile:

Reply 9

indie_couture

ally.pants

I didn't think you needed an art a level to do architecture at a good uni? My friend does it and she sure as hell didn't do art.... hmmm...

what did they do? -x-

Reply 10

scraceus999

ally.pants

I didn't think you needed an art a level to do architecture at a good uni? My friend does it and she sure as hell didn't do art.... hmmm...

it isnt essential, but it puts you at a huge advantage, and if you dont do it, then most uni's will ask for a portfolio anyway, so art is strongly recommended more than any other subject!

Reply 11

Milady de Winter

scraceus999

That is one way in, but you can also get on to retail management courses with a degree such as History or English (a friend of mine has a History degree and spent a year on the M&S graduate scheme). It's best to have a more 'flexible' degree, to allow for the fact that you might change your mind as regards your chosen career in the future (we all do it!). Maybe get some retail experience now as a part time job - because the best shop managers have an understanding of what it's like on 'the shop floor'. Good luck :smile:

Reply 12

ally.pants

Ah yeah she did need a portfolio! I forgot about that.

She did history, maths and a science (can't remember which one?)
Me and another friend got in a little bit of an argument as she kept saying that my other friend wouldn't get in without art...but it seemed that most higher levels uni's prefer 3 solid a levels and maybe art as an extra or to as level ??

Reply 13

starcarton

A lot of large chain stores/supermarkets etc. do graduate schemes to fastrack managment from pretty much any degree. I would think a faster route (and a better paid route) is get a decent degree in whatever intrests you, get onto a graduate managment scheme to get training/experience and then work your way into the store you want, also means you spend less time earning low wages. I know aldi to a graduate managment scheme where you enter at 40,000 a year moving up to 52,000 after three years

Reply 14

ally.pants

The manager of my local tescos is on 86,000 a year!!

Reply 15

Milady de Winter

ally.pants

The manager of my local tescos is on 86,000 a year!!

Are you sure? That seems like an awful lot :eek:

Reply 16

River85

starcarton

I know aldi to a graduate managment scheme where you enter at 40,000 a year moving up to 52,000 after three years

40k starting salary and Audi TT company car so I hear. Plus private health care and the chance of being a directory within eight years. So they say, anyway.

40k starting salary, sweet :smile:

Although I've heard that they find it hard to keep hold of their workers (from shop floor to management). This was from my mother who is a trading manager at Somerfield. She's heard it on the grapevine somewhere.

Just remember than any degree, certianly any traditional degree, will get you into retail management providing you have the additional skills and luck. I don't think you necessarily be at a greater advantage by studying business or management.

Reply 17

River85

Milady de Winter

Are you sure? That seems like an awful lot :eek:

It does a bit, doesn't it? I suppose it may depend on size of the store and performance related bonuses.

I know the manager of my local Somerfireld is on 40k and even that is quite good for a store manager. You get some areas managers on only 50k.