Vacation Scheme Student Review

by Stephenson Harwood

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

2.6/5
  • The Role
    2.9
  • The Company
    2.9
  • The Culture
    1.6

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • Although, the people were very friendly and, for the most part, helpful, I found that the work and environment wasn't for me.

    2/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • As a vacation scheme student, there is only so much you can do to help. The people I sat with made an effort to ensure that I had things to do and also made me feel at ease.

    4/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • Varied from person to person. Nevertheless, they generally were very willing to help and answer questions.

    4/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • There wasn't a single day when I had nothing to do. People always went out of their way to make sure that I had something to keep me busy, without trying to overload me.

    4/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • A lot of the work was assisting trainees with their tasks. It also tended to be the slightly more adminstrative tasks. Nevertheless, I was given other bits of more interesting work when possible.

    3/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • There are only so many skills you can develop in 2 weeks, however, I felt that I got a real sense of the vocatiobn, which will definitely be useful.

    3/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • Very corporate, which to a certain extent is to be expected in a comemrcial law firm. The people were very nice but the office was usually very quiet.

    2/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • The structure was excellent. Got to sit in 2 different practice groups and gained a real sense of contentious and non-contentious work. The work given to us was generally the work that trainees do and was therefore very helpful in getting an idea of commercial law as a career. Talks throughout the week helped to break up the time well.

    4/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • There were regular talks throughout the scheme, given by associates / partners / PSLs. They made a genuine effort to give you a sense of life in their department. The fact that the people I did work for helped me was also positive.

    4/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Subsidised Canteen
    4/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • Although I found the scheme to be well-run and very useful, I have decided that the corporate environment is not for me.

    2/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • The firm ran a couple of social events throughout the two weeks, which was nice. There were not that many opportunities to socialise otherwise though.

    3/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • London + Financial District = Very expensive

    1/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • We didn't really explore the nightlife beyond one bar on a social event. The bar was a bit of a macho bravado brokers in suits sort of place - not my thing.

    1/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • We were set a challenge of raising money for charity which also kept us busy.

    3/5
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Details

Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)

Legal/Law

London

June 2012

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