Much of the John Lewis and Waitrose workforce is made up of Partners who work most or all of their hours at weekends. And they all bring something special with them.

Working at the weekends for the John Lewis Partnership means that it's not just the business that benefits - Partners do, too.

John Lewis Kingston Selling Assistant George Kimm admits that when he joined the China and Glass team over a year ago, his main aim was to get some work experience and earn some money to support him through his degree in Television Production at Bournemouth University. But he's gained more than he thought he would.

'Through my role, I've learnt how to approach customers, to communicate effectively with others and how to work as part of a team,' he says. 'A student life can often lack structure and discipline, so being in a professional work environment helps me with time management and organisation.'

For others, like Fashion Design student Jess Long at John Lewis Cambridge, working in a specialist department like haberdashery translates into great customer service. 'I love my job - not only does it broaden my knowledge of textiles, techniques and designs but I get some great advice from the people I work with,' she says.

'When I'm serving a customer, it's easy to get chatting about the products they're buying and what they're planning to make. It helps that we get some really creative customers coming into the department - often a customer will walk in with something interesting that can get the ideas flowing.'