Statutory accountant Review

I really enjoyed my placement, the work I was given was interesting and I learnt a lot. There were also lots of opportunities to improve my soft/transferable skills through organising and taking part in volunteering activities.

My work was not just 'busy work'. Work that I did either supported senior colleagues' work, or was able to be submitted to external parties as required. I was trusted to do lots of important tasks.

My tasks were assigned by my task manager, who would explain the tasks beforehand. I could also ask her questions at any time when I was unsure of how to proceed.

Most days, I have enough work to keep me going. On a few rare occasions, I was given a little too much work all at once, but the deadlines are usually flexible when it comes to those occasions.

Loads! For example, we were transitioning from one software to another, I was in charge of exploring the new software, taking note of the changes and seeing how things could be kept as similar as, presentation wise, the old software. I then aided senior colleagues when it was their turn to transition over, providing personal support.

I was lucky to get a placement in the industry I am interested in, so on the job training I received is very relevant to my future career path. The varied transferable skills I developed, through work and volunteering during my time in the company, are really valuable and would help when completing my degree studies and applying for graduate jobs!

I was lucky to be in a team that was mostly in one location. This meant we could chat easily and go for drink and lunch breaks together. We are generally quite relaxed as well, maybe has to do with all the cakes and sweet treats brought in! There were even team days, where the team went out and did fun things, like crazy golf =D

The company has been offering placements for quite some time now, and the experience shows. They have 2 managers assigned to you, one whose purpose is to be a listening ear, and make sure your placement is as good as it can be. There are also well-advertised volunteering opportunities just for placement students to run and organise.

My placement started with a 2 day training course to get you up to speed with the company in general. There was also handover with the previous placement student. As I am in the Finance team, there was also specialised training to learn the ledger system. There was also days where there would be talks and sessions to improve employability, where you could focus on those skills where you were lacking in.

Placement students are given an opportunity to apply for jobs within the company before external applications are opened and received. So, chances are slightly better. I have even heard of some placement students receiving a call from their manager (when they were on placement

I liked having lots of placement students, as we could go out for fun, The most memorable event we had was the placement student night out during Christmas. Almost everyone turned up for it, and dressed up according to the theme too! That was lots of fun =D

Even though Portsmouth is in the south of England, the living costs were not too high =) There are also loads of student discounts which are also applicable to placement students.

Friday and Saturday nights were awesome times!

Lots and lots of opportunities which are varied. You could organise or participate in activities with up to 25000 people (BUPA Great South Run!), or if that's too daunting, there are also opportunities for participating in activities which are for a smaller audience of around 10-15 people. Just be open to all ideas, and you could end up interacting with people you wouldn't have the opportunity to in your normal day job.