This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
It was very enjoyable. Got made to feel part of the team and given real responsibility.
Although there were periods with limited work, when there was work I was trusted to carry it out. My colleagues involved me with their post work social events and away days.
If you had any problems it was clear that you could speak to your team leader or buddy. The whole team were more than happy to answer any technical questions I had and some took time out to explain stuff to me given I had come from a non-cognate background.
I was based in Valuations and Advisory and found the team between jobs, so work was limited at certain times, however if you looked for additional work you could find some, for instance asking other teams for work.
During my internship I was trusted to complete a number of reports and calculations which were put to clients.
Being non-cognate going into a masters in Real Estate in September 2015 experience and knowledge of valuation methods will prove invaluable when studying.
The Company
Great atmosphere in the office. Very collaborative! My team and vice versa regularly helped other teams within the V&A Department. For instance my team were focused on industrials but were involved projects involving residential, retail and office properties.
Very well organised. From the first day induction morning to meeting the teams and so on it was very well done.
The HR team set up a presentation skills afternoon halfway the internship. This was a really good bit of personal training which I do not think other firms in the industry offer to their interns. Otherwise it was down to the team leader (partners), buddy and the rest of the team to train you up in technical knowledge. The amount of technical training depended on how much you needed/ asked for. Would have been nice to experience other property areas, perhaps a 'Partners lunch' where a partner would come along and talk about their particular area.
Flexi Time
Subsidised Canteen
Sports and Social Club
Company Car
Subsidised/Company Gym
National Travel
International Travel
Financial Bonus
Company Parties/Events
Staff Sales/Staff Shop
Above 25 days holiday
Working from home
Healthcare from home
Healthcare/Dental
Travel loan
The internship has left me wanting a graduate job with them. CW has a policy of offering interns who do well a graduate job, which no other firms do. However there appears to be some uncertainty regarding the number of grads they can take on in view of the merger with DTZ to complete this year.
The Culture
Great social scene with people in your immediate team/ department. although socialising with those in other departments/ offices was limited to after work events. But all interns and grads were brought together with the big 'Summer Social' in the last week of the internship, which left a great atmosphere in the office (perhaps this could have be done earlier in the internship).
It was west end prices, £5 pints. But breakfast wise there was a good £1 offering. Lunchtimes there were lots of options for lunch, some were more affordable (Boots meal deal).
The interns organised their own drinks once a week. The grads invited the interns to post work softball and drinks once a week. The rest was down to your teams and the interns.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
London
August 2015