Vacation Placement Student Review

The insight was enjoyable in terms of being a good chance to meet new people and broaden my networks. They days themselves dragged at times, but that was to a large extent because the department was a little quiet during my time with the firm. The socials and social events were very enjoyable, and a good chance to meet people informally.

A lot of people took the time to greet me, and let me know I could ask them any questions, which immediately makes one feel valued. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to do as much 'real' work as I'd have liked, but the bits I did I was thanked for and made to feel like I'd done a good job!

The right amount - I always had someone I could ask for reassurance or more information, whilst a good level of self-direction and individual responsibility was encouraged and meant finding my feet happened quickly and organically.

The actual skills of the work I was doing were ones I already had; the real skills I developed were those of knowing how to talk to people more senior, how to gain the information and opportunities I needed and wanted, and how businesses such as these operate, all of which were invaluable.

Very well structured - practice presentations every morning gave great cross-firm insight, without intruding on the work we did in the departments. We had a number of almost full days in the departments, which meant the ability to get properly hands-on on longer tasks and not having to worry about rushing off to socials or other presentations. Much of our organisation, in terms of where to be and when, was left to us - we were given timetables at the start; this was good, as it meant there was a very low HR presence, giving a much more realistic feel to the firm and day to day life in it.

Generally everybody was very open, honest, and keen to see that we were able to ask any questions we wanted and gain any information we needed. Even more senior members knew who we were and took the time to enquire how we were getting on. It was made clear that we needed to make a good impression, but it's not hard to fit right in when everyone is so friendly.

Over two weeks it's difficult for a firm to invest much, and the placement definitely felt more like something for us to take out what we put in (as it should be!). That said, we were encouraged to take responsibility and use initiative to gain opportunities.

To quite a large extent - obviously without being an actual trainee there's no way of really experiencing what it's like, but we were kept in the loop and given a stream of work in a similar way. As well, we were kept involved in the firm's life for the two weeks and I came out feeling that I'd become a real part of it for a fortnight, suggesting the integration was good and the impression realistic.

Quite a lot - we were exposed from day one to the honesty of the firm, and this inherently meant picking up organically the culture of the firm and its people, as did sitting in one department for the two weeks.

Quite valuable - as above, it's hard to gain a true reflection of what life as a trainee is actually like without being one, but this felt like a fairly accurate representation, and the candidness of current employees about their work and work/life balance means I gained a lot of very useful information for making choices about my future.

£300 per week. Unfortunately I was taxed on this due to misinformation about thresholds.

The firm were keen for us to be able to meet many of those working in the firm. The induction in London on the first day meant that we all met each other across the offices. During the scheme, the presentations, drinks and lunches meant exposure to employees from every department.

These were excellent - they didn't feel forced, and were well chosen to put us at ease and encourage mingling and networking. From ping pong and lunches to cocktail making and informal chats, there was a good balance of contexts and situations, meaning there was a something for everyone and plenty of opportunity to mix with and chat to different people at the firm.

A few - we received a presentation on CSR, we met the trainees who were in charge of socials, and were invited to play cricket against a client; that said, I had hoped for a little more idea of perhaps what other opportunities there are to get involved in outside of work.

Yes!