Administrator Review

I found it challenging - there was a culture of work hard play hard but I did find that the incentives were not always in line with everyone's needs. I had a great overall team and a good director.

I did really like the overall team and I am still in touch with some of them but I did find my working relationship with my manager was hit and miss - this is just one manager - overall the building I worked in had a good friendly atmosphere.

My manager was not always supportive - we were understaffed for most of the year which put us both under pressure but I do feel the guidance I needed was not always given. However, other managers on my floor were so lovely and supportive.

Due to being understaffed we were extremely busy and I found it difficult to keep on top of things no matter how much planning I did - this was not necessarily a bad thing as I picked up a lot of skills from this i.e prioritisation and making quick decisions but overall this can be stressful.

This was a good and bad thing - I was happy to take on responsibility as I did learn an awful amount; however I did feel I was given responsibility by my manager sometimes to act as a scapegoat.

This is by far the best part of my placement - with the exception of my manager, workload and understaffing, due to these three things I actually had no choice but to tackle them or give up - this gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities and the skills I had picked up and made me determined to not let a bad working relationship affect my work. All the good and bad things will definitely help me in any career I pursue.

The atmosphere within work was more dull than when out of work but that is to be expected. Due to our niche in the building, we were a really small team so were left out of most fun things in the office but we were included sometimes.

I have to say, with the exception of a few beginning blips, the placement was set up very well - short staffing issues were not planned so I do not include this within this rating. I could tell the placement was common and so had some kind of procedures etc in place to follow.

Work hard, play hard as a motto was prevalent. I was given a lot of training at the beginning and a few add on trainings throughout my time with the company. My manager although harsh with criticism - nonetheless did develop me as a person. Training and development are important to the company so I was pleased with this.

The possibility is there - I think it is about finding the right sector and manager really - I now know I can work in the sales environment and I have picked up some great skills.

My start date could be why this was awkward as I started a little earlier than the average placement student therefore my training was not with fellow students however this was changed soon after I started to ensure that all new staff from the same location were trained together to create rapport and friendships.

Never really had time to socialise - I was always working! It is an upmarket area though so one expects premium pricing although the usual known brands are around like Pizza Hut/M&S/Burger King etc.

Again - same as above - never really had the time but there were a few bars around but not really clubs or anything.

There were opportunities but nothing that interested me so that was awkward. There were the events etc where everyone would go to as incentives which were okay.