Researching employers

Researching retail and hospitality apprenticeships

Retail and hospitality apprenticeships are some of the easiest to start, often with no qualifications, and can lead to store or restaurant management and even degrees. Pay, lengths and routes at Aldi, Tesco, Lidl, McDonald's and more.

  • Applies to UK-wide
  • Reviewed
  • Reading time 2 min

The short answer

Retail and hospitality apprenticeships often need no qualifications to start and run from Level 2 team member roles up to degree apprenticeships in management. Aldi pays store apprentices £360 a week for 30 hours, Tesco's Stronger Starts starts at £23,662 pro rata, and Lidl's retail degree apprenticeship starts at £27,040.

Key figures

Aldi store apprentice pay in year one for 30 hours (£396 in London)
£360 a week
Source: Aldi UK
Starting salary on Lidl GB's Retail Leadership Degree Apprenticeship
£27,040
Source: Lidl GB
Apprentices Whitbread aims to take on every year
~1,200
Source: Whitbread
Length of McDonald's School Leaver Degree Apprenticeship
5 years
Source: McDonald's UK

Retail and hospitality are where lots of people start their first job, and they’re also some of the most open apprenticeships around. Many need no qualifications, and the best ones can take you all the way to running a store or a restaurant, or to a degree.

The routes

Route Examples
Level 2 team member Aldi Career Starter, Tesco Stronger Starts, KFC Level 2
Level 3 team leader or management Aldi Store Management, Co-op customer team leader
Chef Greene King chef apprenticeship
Degree Lidl Retail Leadership, McDonald’s School Leaver Degree
No-degree management training M&S Not Just Any Career (six months, 18 to 24 year olds; not an apprenticeship)

What employers publish

Employer What we know
Aldi £360 a week for 30 hours in year one; no qualifications for Career Starter
Tesco Stronger Starts: £23,662 pro rata, at least 12 months, no qualifications
Lidl GB 4-year degree apprenticeship from £27,040 to £37,333 as Store Manager
McDonald’s 5-year School Leaver Degree Apprenticeship
Whitbread Level 2 Hospitality Apprenticeship in Premier Inn hotels once you have a job there; 20+ Support Centre apprenticeships up to degree level
KFC Ladder from Level 2 team member to Levels 6 and 7 for senior managers
Greene King Chef, bar and waiting, and team leader apprenticeships; no formal entry requirements

What to compare

Hours and shifts

Retail and hospitality usually involve evenings and weekends. Aldi’s apprenticeships are based on 30 hours a week, and Tesco’s salary is pro rata, so ask exactly how many hours you’d work.

Progression

The big difference between employers is how far you can go. Lidl’s degree apprenticeship is designed to make you a Store Manager in four years, while KFC and Aldi build a ladder of qualifications as you’re promoted.

Location

Store-based apprenticeships are usually local. Lidl asks you to live within an hour’s commute of your store, and Tesco’s Stronger Starts is in selected stores across England.

Next steps

If your grades are holding you back, read our guide to apprenticeships without GCSEs. Then compare employers on our retail and logistics and hospitality and food pages.

Summary

  • Many retail and hospitality apprenticeships need no qualifications to start.
  • They run from Level 2 team member roles to degree apprenticeships in management.
  • Some of the biggest employers publish pay, from Aldi's £360 a week to Lidl's £27,040 degree apprenticeship.
  • Shifts often include weekends, so check the hours.

Questions you might have

Do you need qualifications for a retail apprenticeship?

Often not. Aldi's Career Starter and Tesco's Stronger Starts need no qualifications, and Greene King says it has no formal entry requirements for its hospitality apprenticeships.

How much do retail apprentices get paid?

Aldi pays store apprentices £360 a week for 30 hours in year one (£396 in London), Tesco's Stronger Starts starts at £23,662 pro rata, and Lidl GB's Retail Leadership Degree Apprenticeship starts at £27,040.

Can you get a degree through a retail or hospitality apprenticeship?

Yes. Lidl's four-year Retail Leadership Degree Apprenticeship ends with a BSc, and McDonald's runs a five-year School Leaver Degree Apprenticeship. M&S's school leaver Retail Leaders programme, which had an optional Level 6, is no longer on its careers site.

Can you become a manager through an apprenticeship?

Yes. KFC has apprenticeships from Level 2 for team members to Levels 4 and 5 for restaurant managers, and Whitbread runs apprenticeships at its Support Centre from Level 3 up to degree level.

Which retail and hospitality employers offer apprenticeships?

Supermarkets like Aldi, Tesco, Lidl, M&S and Co-op, and hospitality employers like McDonald's, KFC, Whitbread and Greene King. Compare them on our retail and logistics and hospitality and food pages.

Sources and review

Last reviewed . Details can change after this date, so check the official source before you rely on them.

  1. Catering and hospitality apprenticeships Apprenticeships.gov.uk (Department for Education) · accessed
  2. Store Apprenticeships Aldi UK · accessed
  3. Apprenticeships Tesco · accessed
  4. Retail Leadership Degree Apprenticeship Lidl GB · accessed
  5. Early careers Whitbread · accessed
  6. School Leaver Degree Apprenticeship McDonald's UK · accessed
  7. Apprenticeships Greene King · accessed
  8. Career development KFC UK · accessed

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  • Aldi apprenticeships

    The supermarket chain. It runs store, warehouse and HGV driver apprenticeships from Level 2 to Level 3, paying from £343 to £415 a week for 30 hours. The Career Starter store and warehouse routes need no qualifications.

    Retail and logistics
    • L2 Intermediate
    • L3 Advanced

  • KFC apprenticeships

    The fried chicken restaurant chain. It has run hospitality apprenticeships since 2012, from Level 2 for team members up to Level 6 and 7 degree-level programmes for senior managers, so you can start in a restaurant and work your way up.

    Hospitality and food
    • L2 Intermediate
    • L3 Advanced
    • L4–5 Higher
    • L6–7 Degree

  • Lidl apprenticeships

    The supermarket chain with stores across Great Britain. It runs a four-year Retail Leadership degree apprenticeship from £27,040, rising to £37,333 as a Store Manager, and an IT degree apprenticeship from £28,500 at its head office.

    Retail and logistics, Digital and technology
    • L6–7 Degree

  • McDonald's apprenticeships

    The restaurant chain, which runs hospitality apprenticeships for its crew and managers and a five-year School Leaver Degree Apprenticeship that fast-tracks you into management while you study for a degree.

    Hospitality and food
    • L6–7 Degree

  • Sodexo apprenticeships

    The catering and facilities services company. It offers almost 80 apprenticeships from Level 2 to Level 7, including chef apprenticeships at its Sodexo Live! Academy with Raymond Blanc and technical engineering apprenticeships at client sites.

    Hospitality and food
    • L2 Intermediate
    • L3 Advanced

  • Tesco apprenticeships

    The supermarket chain. Its Stronger Starts Retail Apprenticeship needs no qualifications, lasts at least 12 months and starts on £23,662 (pro rata) in stores across England. It also runs a finance apprenticeship at its head office.

    Retail and logistics
    • L2 Intermediate

  • Whitbread apprenticeships

    The company behind Premier Inn and its restaurants. You join a hotel role first and can then take a Level 2 Hospitality Apprenticeship, and its Dunstable Support Centre runs more than 20 apprenticeships from Level 3 to degree level.

    Hospitality and food
    • L2 Intermediate
    • L3 Advanced
    • L4–5 Higher
    • L6–7 Degree