Assistant Manager Review
at McDonald's
Degree Apprenticeship
Hospitality Management
Stowmarket
Review Submitted: May 2022
Overall Rating
2 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
2.5/5
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Overview of Role
3/5
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Skills Development
1.6/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
Running shifts and supporting other managers in the running of shifts, delivering great customer experience, driving QS&C (Quality, Service & Cleanliness) Working alongside the crew and other members of staff to help them improve in their roles to further help the restaurant develop. Deal with any customer complaints and be one of the front-facing faces of the store.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
1/5
Mostly. However, the lack of support and understanding from the university staff is laughable. Considering MMU is rated as one of the best (apparently) for degree apprenticeships in the UK it often takes tutors and support staff 40+ days to respond to emails if they respond at all. They have no consideration for business needs and working around when is best for us.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
3/5
Yes. My managerial skills alongside my people development skills have been developed. I have been on several McDonalds courses that provided great levels of knowledge to us helping us drive the brand image and best support our teams. The additional knowledge from the universoty placements is not as helpful however.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
1/5
Poorly. The tutors often add things to the assignments last minute, they cannot get dates correct leaving many students confused and stressed out. They change assignment briefs on the fly without changing the official written brief and make it very hard work to try and work out what work we actually have to complete to be graded.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
4/5
Plenty. There is always support available if needed, alongside myself, there is also another apprentice in my group so we can easily compare things etc. My business manager and supervisor are always on hand to deal with any issues I may have with both uni work and things within the restaurant.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
1/5
Little to none. The mandatory support sessions are poorly booked taking no consideration towards when I am available or the needs of the business, in these sessions it often feels that a game of bingo is being played, that the support worker has to say as many McDonalds phrases in the required time to say they have completed it, often washing over genuine points I have for help leaving me feeling lost and helpless. The speed at which they communicate with us is laughable at best, I had to wait 46 days for a reply to an email! If I was to do that within the business I think I would loose my job.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
1/5
Averagely. I have no additional useful knowledge for on the shop floor. Nothing I have learned from MMU has been useful in day-to-day operations within McDonalds, nothing applies that has been taught to us yet. I have only gotten better within my role due to the training and expereience I have had from my employer NOT from MMU.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
1/5
Not really. Due to COVID a lot of these were put on hold. Even now the one we have booked is for the whole group, not individual stores meaning that still some of us will have to work which seems unfair. It is hard to schedule for these events due to lack of appropriate cover within the group.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend McDonald's to a friend?
Yes
Why?
It's decent pay for under 18s and possibly under 21s if living at home, but no one on their own, even assistant managers would be able to even afford to buy a starter home these days. The pay is decent in the time but when looking long term for the work we do, many crew working a bit of overtime can easily make more than I do as an assistant manager, their pay keeps going up by ours doesn't which is annoying and de-moralizing.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to McDonald's?
Be organised, bring the required right to work documents with you to your interview if you really want the job, getting your foot all the way in is hard as alot of the first couple of weeks is done over email meanign that if your simply not replied to then you might not get the job.
