Programme Leader Review
by NCS The Challenge
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
4.4
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The Company
3.8
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The Culture
4.3
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I really enjoy working with young people, and seeing all of the inspiring things that they can do and achieve. The NCS gives staff the opportunities to work with a varied demographic, as well as visit places they themselves, may never have had the opportunity to visit before. At times, however NCS can become a bit predictable, especially if you have worked for them for a while. The placements can be repetitive and at times stagnant.
For the most part I felt incredibly valued by my colleagues. I was able to be a role model for new staff, whilst also working collaboratively with my team. The people I have worked with on this programme both this and previous years, have become incredible friends of mine that I will stay in contact with for a long time. There were a few challenging people to work with, however you encounter those types of people in any workplace environment.
I had a fantastic support network from both of my line managers. Even when I had an issue on the programme that needed to be dealt with by someone higher, it was handled with the utmost care, respect and professionalism.
That's a tricky one to answer. As the Programme Leader you are constantly alert to the needs of all of the young people and staff team, and have to be reactive to every situation, however at times it can feel like you are not needed. I solved this problem by always spending my time evenly between the five teams, getting to know all of the young people on a personal level and participating in the activities.
I was the Programme Leader and therefore held complete autonomy throughout my placement.
Not necessarily my degree studies, but certainly in my future career. I have learnt skills in people management, empathy, humanity, care, respect, trust, the list goes on.
The Company
The atmosphere was great. The programme is a lot of fun and I wanted to keep that level of excitement and freshness everyday. I am confident that that was achieved.
Whilst I love the job and the organisation I do feel like at times it can be very disorganised, which can make it rather stressful for the people delivering it on the ground (i.e. myself and my staff team). I think the problem is that NCS have grown so much over the years, and that expansion has possibly happened too quickly, making the quality of the service provided dwindle.
Not a lot. NCS really need to work on the quality of their training as it is repetitive and boring. The deliverance of it could be more engaging, and it could easily be shortened down to one day instead of two. For my role in particular, I received 30mins of specific training which I do not feel is sufficient.
Flexi Time
Subsidised Canteen
Very appealing. I have a lot of time for this organisation and would encourage anybody with the right skills necessary to apply and work for them.
The Culture
The best.
NCS pay for all of your accommodation, food and travel within the programme.
We worked in London, so it was pretty amazing. However, we were working essentially a 24hr day job so there was no time for a nightlife, nor were we allowed to do so anyway. That is not what we were there for.
Yes, we have a group Whatsapp chat where we are constantly arranging meet ups for social events with each other.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
London
September 2016
