Planner Summer Scheme Review

I enjoyed my time at Savills a lot, I have learnt about sides of planning more than I did at university which has given me confidence and further skills to progress with my career in planning. Everyone was friendly and I'm glad I took part in the Summer Scheme 2018.

The team made me feel welcomed and valued and made me feel like I was contributing to the live workload they had going on. Every time I completed a piece of work I was given feedback and made to feel I had carried out a piece of work that was useful.

During my time at Savills I always felt as if I could ask someone for help if I needed it and there would always be someone I could go to if I had any queries or questions to ask. I was regularly asked if I was enjoying myself and if there was any else I wanted to learn about in particular.

During the 4 weeks I had a continuous flow of work, there was never a point where I didn't have anything to do. I had work coming to me from various people on the team so I was never bored. My days were generally varied, sometimes I was out on a site visit or in a meeting and sometimes I was in the office.

More responsibility than I was expecting considering I'm a summer scheme student. I enjoyed that the team felt they could trust me with certain tasks and asked me to read through their work before they sent it off.

I feel so much more confident about my career in planning after spending 4 weeks at Savills, I'm so glad I did it, not only have I had the opportunity to learn about the company but I've been able to see first hand what a planner does on a daily basis and what I am aspiring to achieve in my career.

The atmosphere in the office is lively and cheerful. People were welcoming and by the time I left I felt like I could have remained as part of the team. Whether you're in the kitchen or on lunch there was always someone to have a chat with or someone asking you how you are.

Really impressed with how the summer scheme was structured, they made sure there was a variance in tasks and different ways of learning, whether it was on site with a Director, having after work drinks with the team or listening in on presentations about Savills and the different departments they have.

I feel like I was pushed to my full potential in some aspects, I was given tasks to carry out that I hadn't previously encountered and I was lucky enough to take part in meetings with clients and council officers to get an understanding of how to approach and meet with other people in a work environment.

After spending 4 weeks with the company I am much more confident now if I was to go for a interview with them. I know much more about what they are looking for in a candidate. I know much more about the role I could possible go for and equally I know more information about other potential job areas within the company.

I was the only summer scheme placement student in the Oxford office which was fine but I think it would have been nice to have maybe one or two others alongside me so that we could share thoughts or make each other feel more at ease particularly during the first week.

I commuted to Oxford from Reading, but having lived in Oxford for 5 years I know how expensive it is to live and socialise even as a student. I paid £2.40 to park everyday in the park and ride which was reasonable from my point of view. I wouldn't have stayed in Oxford for the placement period.

I've lived in Oxford for 5 years anyway, its an expensive place to go out but there is a variety of places on offer to go out especially after work. One night after work we went for a drink at a local bar which was a nice way to get to know the people I was working with.

There was a good social scene at the Oxford office which if I was permanently staying I'd get involved in more. They organised the summer party and Christmas party and other various events that would have been interesting to take part in. In terms of sports there were also opportunities.