Public Affairs Assistant Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at the ABI. I believe that it was a great experience for my first opportunity at long-term employment and I really enjoyed everything from the work that I was doing to spending time with my colleagues and also learning so much about what I may want to pursue career-wise in the future.

During the course of my placement I felt valued to a large extent by my colleagues. The ABI is full of very friendly and supportive people and it did not take long for me feel completely comfortable with my colleagues and that they valued the work I was doing for them.

I felt that I was given a good level of supervision during my placement at the ABI. When times got very busy it is sometimes difficult to seek guidance however for the vast majority of my placement I had plenty of support and additionally, there was always someone else to offer guidance if your supervisor couldn't.

I would say that I was very busy on a daily basis. The work load is a lot at times however I feel good for being able to say how much I was responsible for and how much I learn / was tasked with. Like any job there are quiet periods and very busy periods.

I felt that I was given lots of responsibility during my placement. One of my favourite things about my role was how much responsibility I was given as it made me feel valued and also confident in my own abilities. This placement is great for anyone who likes to challenge themselves and take on new tasks.

The skills that I have developed during my placement and training will assist me in my degree studies to a large extent. I believe that the tasks I was set and the lessons that I learnt during my placement have allowed me to develop my writing technique, be more confident in my own ability and also manage my time better which will be hugely helpful for my final year at university.

The general atmosphere of the office is a very professional but friendly environment. Everyone has their head down and is normally focused on their work but there are also many times where colleagues are chatting and having fun which makes the office a comfortable space to work in, and being open plan means that you can see everyone and collaborate which is much nicer than everyone being in cubicles etc.

The placement as a whole was very well organised and I have been impressed by its organisation from the interview process right up until the end of my placement. The hiring process is very good and the on boarding process is also very comprehensive which added to why this was such a good placement.

The ABI offers many opportunities to enhance personal development and thus I believe they invested time in to helping me learn a lot of skills in only a year's placement. For example I undertook a writing course which greatly improved my ability to produce professional communications and thus this opportunity amongst others made me feel that the organisation believes in investing in its placement students.

The idea of going back to work for the ABI in the future is very appealing and I would gladly go back after graduating.

There was a good friendship between the placement students at the ABI and also, as they take on so many there is a nice size group of people in the same boat as you which is comforting.

The cost of living and socialising in the city of London is as expected, and is quite expensive compared to other areas.

There are plenty of nice bars, pubs and restaurants around the area of the office. There is a great mixture of venues and I would recommend this as a good area for after work socialising.

There were plenty of opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work at the ABI. The ABI sports and social Committee laid on many great events from minigolf trips after work to weekly quizzes and also the Christmas party. They also promote many chances to volunteer outside of work such as charity collecting at Tube Stations. Additionally during the COVID-19 outbreak we started doing virtual weekly catch ups and they were great after work activities.