Summer Scheme Student Review

I sat with the Planning Team and assisted mostly with planning appraisals and desktop research into planning policies. I was involved in a wide variety of projects at various planning stages, from pre-application to discharging planning conditions. I also had the opportunity to join meetings with the Local Planning Authority, statutory consultees and the developer.

The skills I developed included communication, research and problem-solving. Attending meetings with a range of stakeholders allowed me to see how they interact and improved my negotiation skills. My research skills also improved as I had to frequently and quickly locate the relevant sections in long planning policy documents and planning case precedents. Problem-solving is another important skill I developed. I was given some autonomy to carry out a draft flood risk sequential testing from scratch, stimulating me to come up with and refine my methodology.

The amount of work given was just right, not overloading but still rich enough to keep me busy. Other than the more regular tasks of assisting with research, being given a larger and more complicated task of flood risk sequential testing enabled me to learn how to approach a complex problem with a clear line of thought.

I received adequate guidance. I was assigned a mentor that I could approach when I had questions. The team was friendly and helped me settle in very quickly. Besides the support from the team, the centralised support from Savills Graduate Recruitment Team was fantastic. Interns from all teams attended a number of departmental overviews to learn about the work in other business streams, giving us a clearer understanding of how different business streams interact and cooperate within the business.

Everyone is sharp and efficient. The atmosphere is sociable and people are friendly. The high level of energy people in the company have propelled me to keep myself devoted and engaged throughout the internship.

I enjoyed it to a large extent, for the reason mentioned above.

Yes

Be confident and not afraid to show your understanding about the industry and the business. Keep being updated about the market trends by following the news.