Planning Summer Scheme Student Review

I would sit in on team meetings for the whole of the South East Planning division, as well as smaller team meetings for specific development projects. The work I completed day to day involved assisting in monitoring local policy and recent planning applications, as well as preparing draft fee proposals and initial planning appraisals. The team were very helpful and informative in outlining how to complete these tasks. Often at the end of the day there would be a Zoom meeting hosted by the graduate recruitment team, whereby you could meet the other interns, network with current graduates and gain valuable insight from departmental directors.

I have developed my attention to detail immensely, as the planning process requires a high level of intricacy and accuracy. I have learnt how to skim through large documents quickly to retrieve relevant information. I have also developed my competency in using excel, to create clear working documents for the planning department. I have also learnt how to navigate council websites and planning portals to see recent applications and I have really delved into the process of what facilitates a new development.

The summer scheme was really helpful in outlining all of the different sectors within the property industry. The departmental overview Zoom sessions were extremely interesting and informative, especially as I am not certain which path I want to take yet. The industry professionals were always keen to answer questions and have really given me more confidence in my career aspirations after University.

The company culture was great and very social. Even though I was the only intern in my regional office, I was treated like one of the team and also had the opportunity to join the South east Planning social hosted in London. The general atmosphere was professional but also fun and light hearted, making every day interesting. My favourite part of the company is how closely all the departments work together. As an Architecture student I had a particular interest in the urban design department, and my colleagues in planning were really keen to set me up with the urban design team and assist me in my personal endeavours.

I highly enjoyed the insight and it has taught me more about the real life Architecture, Planning and Property industry than my University degree has at this stage. It has also taught me more about my specific career aspirations and given me much more confidence in graduating to the working world next year. The Planning team in the Brighton office could not have been more welcoming and I have learnt so much from their expertise and professionalism. The whole insight was ran extremely smoothly and enjoyably thanks to the graduate recruitment team, who were always extremely helpful.

Yes

Make sure you are proactive and don't be scared to ask questions. I voiced my interest in the Urban Design department, regardless of the fact that I was a Planning intern, and the team at Savills were more than happy to set me up on a call with them. Ask if you don't have enough work, or daily tasks as the weeks will be much more interesting the more work that you have. The team were always keen to delegate tasks no matter how small!