Katy Colbert

Due to the pandemic making me evaluate my life and realise I was no longer finding the management program to be fulfilling, I asked to go back to part-time hours to pursue a master's degree.

My duties returned to the basics of working as part of a team and helping to serve customers, setting up and closing down the shop at the start and the end of the day, cleaning the shop to the hygiene levels expected and frequent sandwich preparation.

On top of all the tasks I had learnt as a part-time member of staff, becoming a management trainee meant I became the lowest level of management within the company, and as such I was to start learning how to become an effective supervisor.

During this I supported upper management with the running of the shop, which could include running the shop while they dealt with any issues that needed time off the shop floor. I was taught the paperwork aspect of the job, which included stock counting, waste management and how to effectively communicate things to other staff.

I also became a keyholder.

My main task in this job was to help by serving customers and doing some cleaning jobs. As time passed and I became more confident in myself and the job I was allowed to learn how to check in stock when it arrived, help set up and lose down the shop at the start and end of the day and how to clean the shop to the required hygiene standards.

I was also trained in sandwich preparation.

Using several websites such as PeoplePerHour and UpWork, I would bid for audio transcription work from clients.

Often this work would have tight deadlines, and I would have to juggle multiple private and confidential recordings at once.

I quit this job to focus on my Postgraduate Diploma.

Initially my role as Saturday staff was to help by serving customers and doing some cleaning jobs during my day there.

I left this job to focus on my first masters degree.