Early Years Consultant Review

I did start my placement enjoying my position and taking pride in my work. However when my manager left and our new one came in, the job became nearly unbearable as she became narcissistic and rude to me. I did not feel recognised or accomplished in my job due to this manager taking credit for my work.

I did not feel valued as a placement student. I felt as though other members of staff saw me as someone to dump all of their admin and unwanted work on to. I didn't feel as though any of my work was really recongised and my efforts went unnoticed and unappreciated.

I never truly felt supported by my managers as I always felt as though they were merely there to make their commission no matter the consequences. If my issue was not worth their time then it wasn't worth worrying about meaning that I suffered mentally to carry on my placement with Randstad.

As previously mentioned, as i was always handed the left over work such as admin and other tasks that took a while to complete, I was constantly busy and not in a good way. I found that I was having to answer emails in my own time in order to get work completed which is something I've never had to do in any position and haven't done since leaving Randstad.

I felt as though I was lead to believe that I was given my own responsibilities and was able to look after my own desk however whenever I wanted to make a change so that I could work more effectively, it was constantly shut down. I never felt in control of my own work and felt judged if it was not done in a way that pleased who's work it really was.

I feel as though I did develop my skills a lot during my time at Randstad however not for positive reasons. I feel as though I had to develop a thick skin very quickly and ensure that I was able to defend myself when I was being blamed for others mistakes.

The atmosphere in my office was always quite toxic due to other members on different teams stealing candidates from one another without consent. You felt constantly on your toes and looking over your shoulder to make sure that noone was either stealing candidates or watching the way you work to catch you out. It did not feel supportive or inclusive

I did not feel any organisation to my placement scheme - there were no secure targets to aim towards and any touch in meetings where always late. My probation presentation was over a month late and all other mile stones took far longer than any other placement students that I knew.

I didn't feel invested in with the company - they put everyone of the same training course which while generous, was not helpful or majority of it applicable to my job role. while I was continuously told that I would earn commission in my role again this is something that I never saw the benefit for as the rules and thresholds for this commission were constantly changing.

I will never be working for Randstad again nor will I be recommending them as an employer to others. I did not feel supported or appreciated during my time there. It was a continuously stressful atmosphere and felt forced out of a job. It was full of empty promises and toxic employees

The team was very clicky and they were social with one another however I was never included in the activities. It was very much if you're in with the right people then you would be included but also because of where I lived, no one wanted to make the effort to come see me.

The cost of living in Manchester was a lot higher than I was expecting. My salary would constantly go straight on my rent and bills and I was constantly in my over draft to be able to afford to eat and put fuel in my car. When I approached my managers, they offered no support even though I knew other placement students where on a higher salary.

The nightlife in Manchester was great however I never got to experience it as mentioned with money issues meaning I could never afford to spare the money. Even the Christmas do with work was a flop in that we all paid in £30 for our meal only to then all pay an additional £45 for food again once at the restaurant.

They never really ran activities outside of work and it wasn't a very inclusive team to start anything. I ended up spending most of my time travelling back home to not only save money being in Manchester but so that I was not alone as I lived in a flat on my own.