Placement Year Review at EC Harris

The Role

Role Description

Assisting with QS duties such as Contract Preperation, Cost Planning, Estimates, Insolvency and Valuations

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

It was very enjoyable as we had a range of tasks to complete and made me believe I have made the correct career choice

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I was involved with social outings and team building exercises the same as everyone else.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

We had monthly seminars on a range of skills and help whenever needed from colleagues

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

There was occasionally a lot of work to do and late working needed.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

I was given some of my own projects to work on as long as every piece of work was checked before it went out.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I've only just started back at University but I believe the skills I developed and the people I met will be very influential on me achieving my goal of a first class degree next year.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

It was quite serious during working hours but that was expected.

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

There have been a lot of placement students pass through the offices and they have online inductions in place as well as a "buddy" system if you are new to the area. We also got to meet all the other placement students at a development day in London.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I was enrolled straight away on the APC for the RICS and given a counsellor and supervisor. There were monthly training sessions for the APC as well as toolbox talks given by specialists in the office.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

• Sports and Social Club
• Company Parties/Events

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The company is worldwide and it looks like there are excellent prospects for the future as well as training courses such as the APC available.

Other Information

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

There were quite a few younger professionals at the office that had just finished University in the last 3 years and so there were a lot of social networking (and just drinks) occasions.

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

Leeds was quite expensive but only the same as most other major northern cities.

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

You can't really beat Leeds.

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

We went paintballing, playing football, go-karting and had team socials once a month. If you were willing to organize it then people were more than willing to come.

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

It was an enjoyable experience that will make it a lot easier to get a job when you finish your degree.

Review 14/16 for EC Harris

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