Summer Intern Review

I really enjoyed my placement, it was fun and I was learning something new every single day. I always felt like I was part of the family and everyone was willing to give me help, advice and tasks.

I felt really valued, everybody said goodmorning and goodnight to eachother. Everyone got involved in celebrations such as birthdays or weddings. The team morale was fabulous and everyone always wanted to make sure I was enjoying my time in th office, they all listened to me and valued my opinion.

I was given advice and guidance whenever I so asked for it. I felt completely free and able to ask questions and I knew I would get the answers I needed. My management was so professional and kind, I felt very blessed to be apart of their team.

Some days I was more busy than others, the first few days were less busy as I was just learning the ropes and getting to grips with the systems and processes. After that I was always given a task to do and would be given another one to start once I finished the first. It was really good. The work/life balance was nice, but I do imagine it could get busier if I was not just an intern. I did not feel pressure to stay back late, and I could always finish my tasks at home on my laptop after work if I needed to.

I was given the amount of responsibility I expected to get as an unqualified member of staff and maybe a little more. I was able to write official letters and also do important spreadsheets for my collegues, I was given the responsibility of providing feedback on leases and getting the relevant information that my manager would then use in her tasks. So I felt really important, and I was always thanked and appreciated.

I actually have a module in my degree this year (third and final year) where we have to discuss Asset Management. I learned a lot from reading leases and attending meetings and visiting sites and I know it will help me in my coursework. Not only this, I was able to learn so much about the company and the way it works that it doesn't seem like so much a mystery to me as it did in my first year. I know I will be able to pick up the IT applications and programmes very easily when I go into the industry, and I will be familiar to the day to day life and I will be able to always manage my calendar efficiently. I know all the skills I gained at CBRE will help me to gain a great place on a grad scheme or a good job once I graduate.

The atmosphere was kind and professional. There was never any tension and everyone was good to each other. You felt like part of an extended family and I never felt any hostility. It was such a positive place to work, we would laugh and work at the same time. There was nothing better than looking forward to going into the office in the morning.

The internship was very well organised and overall I would rate it a 9/10. I say 9 because I felt the first couple of days I could have been assigned a task whilst learning the ropes. I feel a day or two was wasted on admin work and trainging, which maybe could have been given before we even started.

The firm really encouraged me to do things out of my comfort zone, they even gave us personality tests to do, which were relayed to our managers, which helped the managers know how to get the best out of us and increase our productivity in the workplace whilst ensuring we were happy and gained some new strengths and skills.

I am planning to apply for the grad scheme and I have my fingers and toes crossed that I get it, I think it says alot about how appealing future prospects are. I really loved my time at CBRE and I wish it would have been extended to indefinitely.

The social scene is great, I would meet up every so often with the London students - those who worked in London met up quite regularly, I wish those of us who weren't located in London had other students to socialise with. But I have made friends for life and I still meet up with one of them even though the internship was over months ago.

The cost of living is very low compared to the capital city, food and drinks are almost half the price of what you would find in London, I think it is very reasonable up north in Liverpool. You could rent a lovely 2 bed apartment for just over £500 if you look in the right places. But as I lived at home I didn't need to worry about this.

The nightlife in Liverpool is one of the most exciting I have experienced compared to places like London, Leeds or Glasgow. Everything is nearby and you can walk to the next eatery or club/bar and the prices of drinks are genrally low unless you go to a high end place where the prices are double. The people are really friendly and relaxed and everyone just wants to have a good time.

No, because I was an intern there wasn't a lot of opportunity and I had just missed some of the summer acitivites. But I know if I worked there full time I would have been able to get involved with a lot of things. The interns in London had a sports day which I thought sounded cool.