Branch Assistant Review

I did enjoy the insight quite a bit. It introduced me to a new role in the government that I was previously unaware of and it made me realise what a bg impact this department has on the country and its rural development and how it really does support the rural economy.

I did not feel very valued during my time there. Though I occasionally got to talk to the employees about the work they do, I was mainly stuck doing administrative work and I mainly was stuck doing filing and could not talk to many people and get involved in the work they did.

I did not receive much guidance and support during the insight. I received guidance at the start of the day, told what precisely to do and what files to sort but after that, I was essentially on my own for the rest of the day but I feel I could have benefitted from more support.

On the whole, I did not develop many skills apart from time management which may not prove particularly useful in the future. However, I did learn valuable information about the rural economy in Britain as well as things about food security which may be useful in the future as I study Geography.

The insight had no real structure. To me, it felt quite monotonous and repetitive as I was doing the same tasks every day which was really annoying as I feel like I was wasting time and I feel like my talents were wasted as I could have been doing something productive most of the time.

Generally, the atmosphere was quite dull as I mainly worked alone, doing monotonous and repetitive jobs, so it quickly got very boring and not fun at all. However, on breaks, I got to talk with the employees and learn more about the department and I also got to socialise with them.

I do not think the company invested quite a lot into me. I was reduced to quite a tedious role, performing repetitive and boring tasks all day. The employees invested more in me, teaching me about their roles, and this was particularly pleasing to see such a committed and open workforce.

The insight did not help me to understand what it would be like to have a full time role with the company because I was doing the same tasks of filing again and again and the other employees were doing varied tasks, more related to the rural economy, so I did not get an accurate view of what they do.

The insight did somewhat help me in understanding the company culture. When I was meeting the employees, it was clear that they were dedicated and passionate about their work and their impact in the world. It was clear to see that they intensively cared about the rural economy and food security in Britain.

The insight was somewhat valuable in helping decide a future career path. It showed me that there were roles in government related to geography and I could perhaps pursue one of these. Furthermore, talking to the employees made me much more interested in the job due to their passion and their desire to help.

I was particularly unhappy that I was unpaid for this insight because I felt as though I was working there for quite long and was not being paid and frankly, I just felt used. However, I was reimbursed the expenses for my travel (I travelled by train) and for my lunch.

There were few opportunities for meeting other employees of the company on breaks but most of the time, I worked alone so there was not many opportunities to meet with and talk to employees while working there, which was particularly disappointing, in my opinion. However, the few opportunities were good.

The staff were quite friendly and nice so it was fun to socialise with them on breaks as we easily got along and made jokes. Furthermore, it was nice of them to offetr me advice for the future and I felt like I was being guided with those with lots of experience.

I did find out about some activities that employees can get involved in outside work. The employees often went out for dinner, socially. Also, there were opportunities to deliver speeches about new policy and the opportunity to go and visit other branches to standardise the system and the monitoring of the rural economy.

I would not recommend this insight. Though it may initially seem quite exciting and thrilling, it is more than likely that you will be mainly stuck in filing for quite a long time which is very boring. The staff were quite nice but I do not think it was worth it for the long hours of monotonous work.