Summer Scheme Intern Review

I really enjoyed the Savills Summer Scheme. The structure of the programme was one of the main reasons for this I believe. I was in one team for the entirety of the summer placement and so it allowed me to get a good insight into what that discipline of surveying involved. This included the more exciting aspects and also the day to day parts that are not quite as thrilling.

I felt very valued by my team. Initially whilst I was still learning the ropes I was not given a lot of responsibility which is understandable however as the weeks progressed I was given bigger responsibility and more independence with the work that I was doing. These things all contributed to me feeling valued.

Especially during the early weeks I was given a lot of support from the rest of the team. My primary contact was my graduate mentor however if I had any questions about work I had been given I could ask whoever had given me the work. I also received support from the recruitment team also. One thing that could have been improved is where I was seated in relation to the rest of the team as I sometimes felt disconnected from the team.

I believe that the skills I learnt will come in very handy for the rest of my degree. The graduates that I spoke to said that they had not done anything like the things that I had whilst they were studying but having experienced these things myself then it would help with a few of the modules that I have in the future.

The week before the placement begun we were given a timetable of all the events that were happening during our time at Savills. This meant that I could structure my time at Savills around these events. I was also told the team that I would be in the week before the placement began, so I was able to do some research before my first day. All in all I believe that the insight programme could not have been much better structured.

The atmosphere was great during my insight. The group of 20 summer interns at the office in July all got along very well and regularly met up after work for social events. My team was also quite close knit and everyone got along despite the stresses that the workplace can put on employees.

In terms of personal training I believe I received quite a lot of investment. It must be understood that the placement is only for 4 weeks therefore the firm doe not want to invest too much as it is costly and I may never work for them again. Despite this my director spent a lot of one to one time with me. Explaining different aspects of the surveying discipline to me.

We had a number of presentations during the 4 weeks explaining to us what he different teams at Savills do and what it is like to work in these departments. Also we only had to speak to our graduate mentors to know what it was like to work for the firm. I felt so heavily involved in the team that I was almost a graduate myself.

The culture of the company came across clearly during my time. I met a number of clients, directors from other teams as well as going out with the team on a few occasions . These all contributed to me understanding and learning the culture of the firm. Speaking to my graduate also contributed.

I was paid fairly well for my placement considering the pay of a number of other placements. However the placement was in central London and so travel costs were quite high. I also had to pay for accommodation in London and commute from home to the accommodation every week. This meant that by the end I’d spent the majority of the money that I had earned just on the essentials.

Networking opportunities were possibly the best part of the insight programme. I had many opportunities to meet other employees. In the final week we had a lunch with the firms fee earners and the recruitment process for the scheme involved meeting the firms graduates and fee earners. We also had the opportunity to have a post work social with the graduates at the park playing softball. On the second day of the placement all of the interns had post work drinks paid for by the firm.

Networking opportunities were possibly the best part of the insight programme. I had many opportunities to meet other employees. In the final week we had a lunch with the firms fee earners and the recruitment process for the scheme involved meeting the firms graduates and fee earners. We also had the opportunity to have a post work social with the graduates at the park playing softball. On the second day of the placement all of the interns had post work drinks paid for by the firm.

Not really

Yes