Recovery & Reorganisation Administrator Review

I had a fantastic placement year as a result of the people I worked with, the varying nature of the job, and the responsibility I was extended.

Being a long way from home & away from Uni friends it was important to me to settle quickly. My work colleagues were all very friendly & outgoing so I soon fit in. They were also very good with feedback, aiding my progression & development.

Whenever I had a question there was always somebody I could go to that was willing to take the time to listen & explain. Everyone (from my peers to the partners) was willing to share their experiences to facilitate the learning process. I also attended training courses to improve my insolvency knowledge & aid me in my job.

Work levels varied depending on the nature of the jobs coming in, the resources available, and the type of tasks required. Sometimes I worked out of the office, on day one or whilst trading a job and sometimes overtime was required, but this was never excessive.

As I progressed through my placement year, developing my knowledge & experience I gained the confidence & trust of my superiors, this obtaining more responsibility. For example, I was named administrator on cases that I was responsible for progressing and 'babysat' cases in the absence of some of my peers.

My placment year made a huge difference to me, mainly because I recognised that it was my opportunity & my responsibility to make the most I could of it. I became much more confident & sociable, organised, assertive & made some good contacts. My communication skills (verbal & written) deveopled significantly, assisting me in my coursework and final exams. It also developed my outlook enabling me to consider & incorporate a wider range of issues within my final year work.

The office had a good balance between being professional but sociable, and a very much work hard play hard attitude.

My placement year was the first year Grant Thornton had used placement students. They had an excellent method of ensuring students were assigned buddies for the whole year to provide guidance & including us within their appraisal system to ensure we received feedback on our performance.

I attended all training courses that any other new administrator would attend and was set business objectives as well as personal development objectives to ensure my overall development.

I was offered a graduate position within Recovery & Reorganisation, and have been back at Grant Thornton for three years. I'm progressing well & still enjoying it!

It was a great group of placement students, we worked well together & frequently went out together, adding to the placement year. Some of us have also remained in contact since.

Costs of living & socialising have slightly changed since I did my placement year! But on my salary at the time, it was more than sufficient to secure a good place to live and to be able to go out socialising.

Euston was very accessible to the centre of London, so nightlife could not have been any better! Since then the office has, however, moved to the Moorgate area which also has a good nightlife without having to go into the centre of London.

I played in the the departments ladies football team, playing against other companies in a Docklands league. I attended Grant Thornton solical events and also external marketing events.