Vacation Scheme Student Review

by Herbert Smith Freehills

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

Rating

2.8/5
  • The Role
    3.1
  • The Company
    2.8
  • The Culture
    2.5

    The Role

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

    • I thought overall the scheme was good, there were a number of talks and a couple of events. There were quite a lot of students on the scheme (around 30) and I think it would have been better if it was slightly smaller.

    4/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • On the scheme we were given work to do, the majority of which was work that otherwise trainees would be doing, so I felt that in that respect they valued our contribution.

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

    • Our supervisors gave us work, but we also had trainee buddies and partner mentors to help us if we had any other questions.

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

    • Most of the time there was work to do, but on a couple of days there was not much work to do and there was not much opportunity to get more work if the supervisor was busy. Generally they did make an effort to give students interesting and relevant work though.

    3/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • On some matters I was doing independent research which was confirmed by the supervisor, and in this regard there was some responsibility, but there was always someone checking the work at the end.

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

    • The skills from the vacation scheme have taught me the importance of being concise and really focusing research on the specific issue involved.

    3/5

    The Company

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

    • It was generally quite friendly, but still fairly serious and hardworking. It didn't seem especially sociable.

    3/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • I think the timetabling was not ideal, often there were room changes or changes in the times of the events after they had sent out the timetable.

    3/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • We were given IT training and talks and workshops on the different practice areas, but there did not seem to be much focus on personal training and development.

    2/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Subsidised Canteen

    Sports and Social Club

    Company Parties/Events
    3/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • The chances of being offered a training contract from a vacation scheme are relatively high which is a benefit.

    4/5

    The Culture

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

    • There were a couple of socials organised by the Firm, but on free nights the students often organised to meet up after work for drinks etc.

    4/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • The area is very expensive, especially the nearby bars and restaurants.

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

    • There seemed to be quite a lot going on around the local area. There are a lot of bars for afterwork drinks, but you have to go a but further from the office for the nightlife.

    4/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • There were some opportunities to get involved in certain sports, and also opportunities to get involved in pro bono schemes.

    2/5
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Details

Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)

London

July 2012

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