School Leaver Programme

Our school leavers programme offers a unique insight into the world of luxury retail at our flagship Knightsbridge store alongside studying for an industry-recognised Level 3 Retail Team Leader apprenticeship with the renowned Fashion Retail Academy.

For the first 18-months you’ll be given the opportunity to broaden your luxury product knowledge by completing three, six-month placements in different Retail departments before settling in your permanent Sales Associate role.

We create a bespoke learning journey for you to immerse yourself in, consisting of days offsite, tailored training and networking opportunities to help you build your skills and professional network. There's no better launch pad for carving out a career in luxury retail than here at Harrods.

The Recruitment Process

Step 1: CV Review

Our promise and values

As an Early Careers applicant, we’re not expecting a super-polished version of yourself written on paper; we want to see who you are. You may be a school-leaver with no work experience, but you can tell us about your transferrable skills!

Step 2: Chat with our Recruitment Team

Chat with our Recruitment Team

If you have passed the CV review stage, someone from the team will book a 15 appointment with you to talk through your experience, career history and aspirations. They will want to know, “why Harrods?” and get a good feel for what type of opportunity suits you.

Step 3: Video Interview

Ready, camera, action: HireVue video interivew.

Once you have passed the phone screen stage, you will be sent a link to complete your HireVue video response. This platform is free for you to complete in your own time and can use various formats.

Step 4: Meet us in Person!

Welcome to your Assessment Day!

This is the final part of the selection process. If you performed well in your HireVue interview, you will be invited to an assessment day at one of our premises on a pre-selected date. You will have the chance to see the building, meet with hiring managers and others aiming for the same role.

Step 5: The Results are in...

The Results are in...

The recruitment team will call you to let you know if you have been successful within days of the assessment centre. If this hasn’t been your time, you will be given thorough feedback and guidance on what route might be best for you to try next.

Hear from some of our School Leavers...

What support do you get from your manager and Harrods whilst you are doing the programme?

“Flexibility – if I have a project or work to submit, my manager will work with me to see if there are quieter times that I can use to get on with my work. Also, any help I need with contacting people in other departments for projects, both Harrods and my manager help me to get in contact with the right people”.

Amoy (Retail Academy School Leaver Programme 2022)

Has this programme helped you with knowing what you want to do next in your career?

“Within the programme I have been lucky enough to explore different areas within the business. We have had tours and talks from each department. This has been so helpful in narrowing down my future path. I was able to speak to colleagues not just on the shop floor but people within Personal / Private Shopping, Styling, Distribution, Human Resources and many more. I can strongly say this has helped me ensure where I want my Harrods journey to take me.”

Rebecca (Retail Academy School Leaver Programme 2022)

What skills do you feel you learnt that you will be able to apply to other roles in the future?

“I have learnt an incredible amount of skills whilst on the apprenticeship. I have adapted to the clientele Harrods attracts and how to serve everyone with the same service. Teamwork is a huge skill I have learnt as well as becoming a leader and the roles that undertakes. Every skill I have adopted is definitely transferable and are something that can help me in future roles.”

Amber (Retail Academy School leaver programme 2021)