Technology Consulting Analyst Review

My placement with Deloitte was highly enjoyable - I was given a high level of responsibility, felt constantly challenged, the support network available to me was excellent, and the social side of things was often a highlight of the week! The extent to which I enjoyed my placement ultimately led me to accept an offer of a graduate job with Deloitte.

During my placement, my colleagues clearly recognised the skills, enthusiasm and ideas that I could bring to the table - this resulted in a feeling of being highly valued by my colleagues, and given responsibility to own and deliver key pieces of work. This recognition stemmed from senior leadership, who have a clear understanding and appreciation of the impact that placement students can have.

The support and guidance systems in place within Deloitte are both extensive and of a high quality. Senior management and project managers were always open to discussing my ambitions, particularly in relation to my current work, and were keen to openly look at ways to better support me in fulfilling these ambitions. Furthermore, all Deloitte employees have an appraiser, who is on hand to offer support and guidance, and can be used to confidentially discuss any issues or concerns that may not be easy to discuss with senior colleagues. In addition to the above, peer-level support and guidance is also extremely comprehensive in Deloitte. Before joining, I was assigned 2 buddies who helped me through the onboarding process and were on hand to offer advice throughout my placement. Furthermore, the culture within Deloitte is such that the vast majority of staff are keen to help out, which resulted in me establishing informal 'mentor' relationships with a number of collagues.

Most days during my placement were jam-packed due to the level of responsibility I was given.

Most of my time during my placement was spent on client site - this means spending a lot of time experiencing different atmospheres and cultures, which vary not just from industry to industry, but also from company to company. when I was based in the Deloitte office, I found it to be a very productive and focussed, yet friendly place, where colleagues were always keen to have a quick chat to catch up, largely due to client commitments meaning that it is possible to go weeks without seeing people!

The placement was well organised - there was a dedicated team responsible for looking after the placement students in a pastoral and professional development capacity throughout the year. This team was largely made up of former placement students, which was a real advantage as they were able to share their experiences and advice having been in the same position previously.

At the beginning of my placement, there was a 6 week training programme including a 2 week residential. Within this 6 weeks, another 2 weeks were dedicated to studying towards 2 BCS diplomas in solutions development and business analysis. Study towards these diplomas continued later in the year with a further 2 3-day training courses with an external provider. In addition to this, I also gained an ITIL certification and had the opportunity to attend numerous internal training sessions during my 12 months.

Future employment prospects are excellent - I myself was offered a job, and the retention rate is around 90% for all placement students. Upon returning to Deloitte, I entered the graduate scheme, and have since been able to gain promotion a year early through using the experiences gained during my placement.

Yes - there are numerous communities within Deloitte which often have after work socials, including dinners, drinks and more. Along with the communities, it is commonplace to have regular project socials. Ultimately, it is never hard to find someone keen to have a drink after work, even on a Monday!