Intellectual Property Technician Review

My placement with ASM was unbelievable. The job was varied, the tasks were interesting and the people were friendly. The atmosphere was amazing, with parties, social events and weekly sports. The emphasis on team bonding and being 'fun to work with' was not taken lightly.

My managers were always especially grateful for anything above the norm, my colleagues respected my opinions and even upper management appreciated the input. I was given a going the extra mile award for assisting with recruitment in my spare time, and even asked to work part time around my final year at university. Not just regarding myself, but also the other placement students, there has been a lot of talk about how well we have been doing, so much so that departments across the company started to request placement students. I believe the numbers from 2016 (5 Students) has now doubled to 10 for the 2017 intake.

For the first month of my placement there was a crossover period with the previous placement student, who essentially trained me up in the day to day tasks. Anything new, and anything that cropped up after this period; my manager / mentor was always happy to guide me. They were even happy to be given guidance from myself, if ever there was an area which my fresh perspective could offer an alternative solution.

The work load varied week by week, some weeks were quiet, some were hectic, but there was always work to be done. There were always background tasks with broad deadlines that filled the gaps between high priority work. A pro-active approach made it very easy to keep myself busy.

As soon as I was competent I was doing virtually the same tasks as my managers, I was liaising with external attorneys, chairing meetings and even leading research projects. All in all, I felt the same level of responsibility as that of a 10+ years employee.

My ability to write a formal email / letter has improved drastically, as has my verbal communication in speaking with clients and presenting internally. My research proficiency has been the biggest improvement to my skills, but likewise an increase in my work ethic. Since being back at University I have found that my writing has improved, with better assignment grades, my presenting skills have hugely improved, and my confidence has gone through the roof. The only thing missing is the experience of going to Court, but then Intellectual Property isn't the most court-case heavy area of law anyway!

There were no closed doors in the office, with even the VP sitting at a desk next to an ordinary member of staff. Everybody was very approachable and happy to help, never losing patience. The team bonding days out and the sports and social clubs definitely played a huge part in bringing people together. It made it a lot easier to make friends with people from all around the business when I was playing football with them every Thursday.

There was a little room for improvement at the very start of my placement, with some training courses being slightly later than I would have liked, but all in all they have a good system. The application process is simple, likewise the interview process and the induction stage is well done. The student overlap, and dedicated mentor system is amazing in helping you to settle in.

For my particular role, all training was internal, though I am aware that other roles had off-site training courses around the country which were paid for by ASM. In terms of non-monetary investment however it's clear from the beginning that they want to train you up to be as good as you can be, and there is a strong emphasis on bringing back talent after the placement, and in turn after graduation.

The problem as a law student is that to become a solicitor or barrister after University there are further courses and 'work experiences' needed which can't be offered by a company like ASM. However, if not for this it would be wonderful; they pay competitively and they emphasise the want to bring people back after graduation. Currently I am working part time during final year, having finished my placement, so it is clear that they want their students to stick around.

There is a sort of un-official student union within the company, with all Students being very good friends both inside and outside of work. Tea breaks and lunch breaks are always busy with my fellow students bringing people from their respective departments, branching out to create very good friendships with colleagues. There is a good mix of age in the company too, making it easy as a 21 year old, to make friends with people all around the business.

Coming from Bournemouth, an area that supposedly rivals even parts of London, it was a pleasant surprise the cost of living. Rent, in a shared house for example was in the region of £400/ month including bills, and I know one of my fellow students was renting a flat of his own for around £500. The cost of socialising was very cheap, with drinks well priced, a huge variety of restaurants and bars and even a cinema that sells tickets for around £4!

Being a rather small seaside town, there is not as much as you would be used to living in a student city, but there is still enough to do. It helps too that Bournemouth is just up the road and has a very good nightlife!

There are annual Christmas and Summer parties, regular social events and trips, and weekly sport clubs such as Badminton and Football. There is always something to do.