Placement Review at J N Bentley Ltd

The Role

Role Description

Providing 1st Line support to 500+ end users
Answering the telephone/ responding to email queries
A small bit of Software development was included

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The work placement was not the same everyday, I got to experience a variety of tasks

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Input was always accepted by others even if they thought the input would not solve a problem, this also helped me to gain confidence

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

A few bits of software were developed by Italik (who our managed worked for), so help was often needed from him when it came to issues with their software

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Towards the end of the placement I found myself closing a lot of the calls as the others were now employed by Italik and were being involved in larger projects, this meant I did not always have time to complete things I needed to

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Support calls such as New Starters and Printer issues were almost always put across to me to complete/solve

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The experience I gained has been second to none, and very valuable to me. It has opened me yup to a vast array of software that I would not have usually seen.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

We often had a good laugh with each other in the office to break the ice from time to time if there had been a long period of silence among us. Because we were only in a small office this helped the overall atmospher a lot

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The work placement didnt require a lot of planning as the role I was going into was supporting users as a 1st line support representative. This meant that after a week or 2 of working alongside someone I was able to then go on to support a few calls on my own.

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

★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 3/10

I wasnt offered any training due to a difficult year in industry with the recession etc. No body in my team had any training for the year that I was employed. The only training was in house.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

• Subsidised Canteen
• Company Parties/Events
• Working from home

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

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

Due to the IT now being outsourcede ot Italik the chances are not as great as original, But I am hoping that I would get the chance

Other Information

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

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

I didnt really see the other placement students out of work, plus most of them worked on the construction sites anyway.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I was only spending about £450 a month on rent and bills, then about £100 on food leaving me with money to spend on other things each month

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

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

I didnt go out as this isnt my kind of thing but other people say it isnt that great in Skipton anyway

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

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

I could have gotten involved in playing football etc but again i much prefer to be spending time on my own or gooing to the local gym/swimming pool

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?

Taking a placement wasx the best choice I have ever made and I would recommend it to anybody