Jeannine Crone (20) is in her third semester studying commerce/consumer goods at the DHBW Heilbronn.
In the interview, she explains why the dual course of study is a real alternative to studying at a technical college or university and how she learns the know-how of the industry from the ground up in the branch.
Jeannine, was it always clear to you that your career path would one day lead towards trading?
A year before I graduated high school, I didn't have any specific career aspirations. For this reason I visited the job fair in Osnabrück. There I was approached by a Lidl employee and informed about the company and the dual study program at Lidl. To me that sounded like a promising future prospect. So I didn't hesitate for long and applied.
What do you see as the advantages of a dual course of study?
The opportunity to get to know the practice and to be able to implement what I had learned during my studies really appealed to me. In addition, you will be employed as a deputy manager during the three-year course. Last but not least, there is of course the financial aspect. We receive good training remuneration, but a lot is asked of you for it.
How much time do you spend in the branch or at the university?
The proportions of theory and practical phases are approximately the same. You study very intensively for three months in blocks. Two and a half months of lectures from Monday to Friday and then two weeks of exams, where exams are written on average every other day. The practical phases also last around three months, with you spending six weeks in one branch for training and the following six weeks working in another branch to deepen your knowledge.
Do you see this as a double burden or is it easy to manage?
The whole thing can be managed if you have a lot of ambition, are largely stress-resistant and you enjoy your work. Of course, you have to be aware that as a dual student you don't have semester breaks, but rather a limited number of vacation days. The exams come all at once and in practice you have early and late shifts as well as Saturday work (with a 5-day working week). It doesn't take long for me to be given responsible tasks, but that's something that particularly appeals to me. Already in the second practical phase, we were trained as deputy branch managers and learned how to manage employees and manage the various product groups.
What's on the schedule during the theory phase?
Around ten sub-subjects are worked on each semester. Including e.g. B. Financial accounting technology, financing and investment, mathematics and statistics, information management, basics of commercial management, law or business English.
How do you find the study atmosphere? Do you feel well looked after?
Our course now only consists of 22 students. So the whole thing is very reminiscent of the good old school days. Our lecturers know everyone by name and involve us heavily in the lectures, so that they are very communicative rather than boring. Questions can be asked at any time! Our lecturers make the course very interesting for us, as most of them really have practical experience and understand and teach us a lot better.
What do you learn in the practical phase, i.e. in the branch? Do you have responsibility early on?
We learn the work and tasks from the ground up. No step is skipped. I find this to be particularly important because only with the highest level of competence can you give even experienced, long-standing employees tips on how they can carry out work steps even more efficiently. Furthermore, you are able to put yourself in the shoes of the employees better because you have already carried out every activity yourself.
At the beginning you learned the sales or cashier activities. This includes stocking shelves in record time, as well as cleaning the store. Then it goes one hurdle higher. The tasks of a deputy branch manager need to be learned. You are quickly given a lot of responsibility. You carry out orders for the branch, write work plans and even manage your own shift at the end. A great experience and work, but one that should be given a lot of respect. In the future, I will be trained in the role of first deputy branch manager and branch manager. In the final phases, you will have to manage a branch independently, whereby you will be the branch manager yourself. All in all, a lot of responsibility that you have to be able to handle and that increases from phase to phase.
Once you have finished your studies, what happens next?
After successfully completing your studies, there is a chance that you will be taken on. If this is the case, you will be trained in the work of a sales manager, so that after a short time you will be responsible for 5 to 6 branches with 80 to 100 employees.
If you look back on the last three semesters: What three qualities should you definitely have in order to successfully complete the dual commercial course?
Ambition. Perseverance. Resilience.
You can find further information about dual study at Lidl (courses, entry requirements, training remuneration, opportunities for advancement, etc.) here .
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Jeannine Crone (20) is in her third semester studying commerce/consumer goods at the DHBW Heilbronn. In the interview, she explains why the dual course of study is a real alternative to studying at a technical college or university and how she learns the know-how of the industry from the ground up in the branch. Jeannine, it was always clear to you that your career path was one day
