Communications Review

I really enjoyed my placement and found the role very broad and interesting. The variety of projects I was involved in gave me a really good insight into the breadth of the company as well as the broader industry. I was given good opportunities to develop key skills based on my interests and aspirations. I feel I have learnt more in this placement year than I could have learnt at university.

I felt very valued by my colleagues, who treated me like a fellow permanent member of staff. I worked very closely with a wide range of people in the company and the majority were more than happy to give me assistance any time I asked for it. My colleagues made a conscious effort to involve me in any work they were doing that they thought I would find interesting or benefit from being involved in and they trusted me to deliver work to a high standard.

I was given a good amount of support and guidance by my manager who I met with regularly to discuss my progress on different tasks, various questions I had and also regarding my personal development. I also received good support from the rest of my team, who were very approachable, particularly regarding any questions I had. My manager did travel a lot during the year, but ensured that they were available for me to contact.

How busy I was varied throughout the year. Most of the time I had plenty to get on with and was enjoying working on the various projects I was responsible for. However, there were times when I felt I could be doing more, particularly when I was waiting on input from my colleagues on a particular task. I regularly communicated with my manager so was able to say when I did not have much work on and was then subsequently given other things to do.

I was given a lot more responsibility than I was expecting, as I was given some project management roles and ownership of various different tasks. Although collaboration with my colleagues was key, I was allowed to work quite independently on my tasks, making some important decisions about the direction on some smaller projects. My level of responsibility increased during the placement year as I became more confident in my role and better acquainted with the complex nature of some tasks.

I have developed some key skills which I think will help me greatly in my degree and future career. The training I received was mostly on the job and based on learning from the ways of working of my colleagues. Through this, I learnt key aspects of effective project management, developed my analytical skills; particularly data analysis, and then used my analysis in various different presentations which improved my communications skills.

The general atmosphere was quite relaxed with a mostly informal work-style. Whilst my colleagues in the office were mostly very senior in the company, they were all very relatable and friendly. At times the office could have been more fun and I probably expected there being a bit more office banter, but many people worked from home several days a week, meaning the office was fairly empty particularly towards the end of the week.

The overall work placement was mostly well organised. The recruitment process was fairly drawn out ad could have been more efficient. However, once I was at the company, I had no issues with the organisation of the placement and I had a clear work plan set out for me months in advance.

I feel that the company invested in me to quite a large extent. I did not receive much formal training apart from my initial on boarding process. However, if I had wanted further training on specific tasks, it was on offer to me if I had wanted it. Regarding my personal development, I set out my targets for the year with my manager andwe regarding caught up on my progress.

I find the future employment prospects in the company very appealing - particularly the graduate programme offered, This programme has around ten different work streams and all offer a broad range of opportunities across the company and all have good long term prospects.

There was a good social scene amongst fellow placement students, with a body set up to organise sports and social events throughout the year, I was involved in several of these and it was a really good opportunity to get to know other students in the sae office as me as well as students at the same company but working at other sites around the country.

I lived in zone 2 of London about a half an hour commute from the office. The cost of living here was very high and I spent the majority of my salary on rent and travel. Socialising costs were also pretty high, but with a bit of money management I was able to live comfortably on my salary.

The nightlife was pretty poor around the office, with mostly just pubs in the local area. However, these made for a good place for regular office drinks and catch ups with offer placement students. The majority of company socials for placement students took place in central London and they were mostly pretty good.

There were a lot opportunities to be involved in activities outside of work. There were lots of sports teams connected to the company which were open for placement students to be involved in. The company also encouraged placement students to be involved in various different volunteering events. I helped at several awards nights connected the company as a volunteer.