This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 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 thoroughly enjoyed my summer placement. I felt that I was given tasks to challenge me but that also helped me understand my studies better. I loved working with my team and I look forward to reapplying for a Industrial Placement
I definitely felt like I was part of the team. We would often have team lunches/ breakfasts and they were happy to answer all of the questions that I had. I felt included in everything that they did and they really helped me to enjoy my placement.
I kept in contact with my line manager often via email and quick visits. We were not able to meet in person for one on one meetings often due to the size and complexity of the project that I worked on but he would make an effort to make sure I was settling in well. In the meantime, one of the guys on my team kept an eye on me to make sure I had tasks to complete and if I had any queries or issues, he would always be available to help me.
I was fairly busy most of the week but there were times where I did not have any tasks to complete, unfortunately there were a few issues on my project that needed to be dealt with so more focus was on them rather than me but they would take the time after they had fixed the issue to explain what they were doing and making sure I understood. Apart from that, I was kept busy with writing contracts and CPRs and sitting in on important meetings with the client and with the sub-contractors.
I was given some responsibility on my project, like I mentioned above, I was asked to write contracts so I had a good knowledge of the sub-contractors we were using and was able to answer most questions surrounding them.
My placement has massively helped with my studies and I understand my first year a lot better now and it has reignited my enthusiasm to work harder to achieve a first class degree. I have been given a head start on my second year as my placement has taught me a lot about contracts so my law module will be a lot easier to understand, The opportunities to progress further with this company are incredible and I am definitely set up for my future.
The Company
I worked in a fun office where we would often joke around and it had a light hearted atmosphere. However, when work needed to be done, it was done, and everyone would concentrate and complete their work on time and to a high standard. I never felt out of place and they were always available to help me.
The internship was very organized and I thought that the time between applying, interviewing and receiving the offer was very quick, within the space of a month and a half. I was given a contact that I could use to ask any questions that I had and they would often check in to see if I needed to know anything or if any new information was available,
For a 10 week placement, a lot of effort was put into me. I was introduced to my line manager early on and we had several meetings to review my performance. We were given forms to fill out at certain intervals during the placement (beginning, middle and end) to make sure I was getting the most out of my placement. I was given targets and objectives that I was required to meet, such as meeting the client and getting to know them and visiting other sites around my project.
Flexi Time
Subsidised Canteen
Subsidised/Company Gym
Company Parties/Events
Staff Sales/Staff Shop
Travel loan
The future prospects within this company are amazing, I am currently being offered another placement with them next year and their Grad scheme is very impressive. I am very much looking forward to continuing to develop myself within this company in the near and far future. They also offer to help me gain my chartership after I have graduated which is very appealing.
The Culture
My company really made an effort to introduce the placement students to each other, especially during the induction, so that we could share our experiences and develop good relationships that would be beneficial to us in the future. My colleagues would often arrange socials after work which were good fun.
As I lived and worked in outer London, the cost of living would have been expensive, however, I lived at home so that was not an issue for me. Socialising can be cheap if you know where to go, as I am local to the area, I was able to socialize fairly cheaply.
The nightlife in the immediate area of where I worked were not great (it was an airport after all) however, a short bus or train journey would lead you to whatever you could possibly need such as an array of bars, pubs and restaurants. The team would often go out and relax after a busy week.
There were some opportunities to get involved with activities outside of work, but due to the duration of my placement, I was not applicable for most. However, for yearlong placements there were a few such as volunteer days. Over the Christmas period there are several parties and work events which allows you to meet other sectors within the company.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Property Development
London
August 2017