Placement Year Review at Jagex LTD

The Role

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Had a fantastic year with Jagex and ended up extending my placement by another 3 months. It was only when I returned to University for my final year and started discussing my placement year with other students, that I realised what a valuable placement experience Jagex offer in comparison to many other companies. Not only did I have a great year gaining useful commercial experience, I was offered a job at the end of it. Not many students completing their degree find themselves at such an advantage.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

The working atmosphere was great. Many companies treat students with caution and are reluctant at first to offer them extra responsibility. At Jagex, they trust you from you from the start, and value your opinions.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

I was fortunate enough to move across and work alongside different departments during my placement year, which meant that I experienced being managed by a few different people. All of which were incredibly supportive and offered guidance from day one. They want you to make the most of your placement year, and will do all they can to make sure you get the best out of it.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

There was always plenty to do. Everyday we were dealing with players and parents and answering their queries. Obviously this meant that some periods were busier than others. During quiet times though, it gave you chance to work on project work you were set. An example of extra responsibility we were given during our placement year, so there was always plenty to do.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

All throughout the placement year, you are given varying degrees of responsibility. By the end of my placement year, I was asked to be acting Shift Leader, which meant that I was assisting in leading the rest of the team to deliver on their objectives. The placement year is really what you make of it, in the past, placement students have progressed to Team Leader positions. It really shows how much trust Jagex put in you as a placement student. You are not limited to what you can do within your year.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

The year really motivated me to work harder when I came back to university, even though I had a job to come back to. The practical knowledge gained during the year has helped me to relate real life examples to the theory I have been learning at university. As a direct result, my grades have significantly improved this year.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

The atmosphere in the office was great. You could wear whatever you wanted (within reason) which allowed people to feel relaxed. Meeting rooms have giant bean bags in, there is a pool table, table football, old school arcade games in the break room as well as the latest consoles. This really allowed everyone to have fun. This atmosphere really helps people build great working relationships with their colleagues. It made everyone very approachable in the office, allowing great work to be produced.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

The year that I was there, Jagex ran placement specific seminars which everyone attended. These related directly to my business degree, and for those who were doing more computer based courses, an alternative route was provided. This really helped to support my time whilst I was there and was something that not many companies seem to offer. I would recommend the placement to anyone.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

As mentioned, they ran placement seminars alongside our placement to really add to the placement experience. Seminars included commercial awareness, public speaking and CV writing, all of which will prove valuable to anyone after their placement year. Not only that, we were supported by monthly Personal Development Reviews whereby we were given feedback based around our objectives set previously so that we could develop month on month. Staff were also given chance to apply to be on the Skills Development Program, which ran more intensive seminars and workshops. I gained a position on this towards the end of my placement year and I really found the skills that I learned useful for the rest of my placement and continue to make use of them in Uni.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

• Subsidised/Company Gym
• Financial Bonus
• Company Parties/Events
• Staff Sales/Staff Shop

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Based on my performance across the year, I was offered a job after completion of my degree alongside four other successful placements. I am returning in July.

Other Information

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Alongside the staff parties, each team were given an allowance every quarter to do something together outside of work. During the year I went to Thorpe Park, Alton Towers, London Ice Bar, Go Karting, meals out.... to name a few! Besides this, there were nearly 40 other placements that were there so there were always people around that wanted to do something.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I am local so made use of living with my parents for a year, so was very cheap for me. Aside from that I think other students made use of local housing/flats close to the office. Jagex point out the best places to try based on advice from previous years placements, so I don't think anyone had a problem with finding somewhere affordable.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Theres plenty of pubs/bars in Cambridge.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

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?

If you want to make the most out of your placement year and gain real life experience of project work, extra responsibility, skills development, then a year at Jagex will not be wasted. It really is what you make of it, if you put in the effort and go there with the attitude that you want to get the most out of your placement year, you really will do just that. That is the minimum you will walk away with. If you do all that and really prove yourself as a valuable member of the team over the year, you could be fortunate enough to get offered a job. This has been a huge weight off my shoulders this year, when everyone else around me is juggling looking for jobs, going for assessment days with completing coursework and exams, I have been able to focus on my degree and enjoying my final year.

Review 17/31 for Jagex LTD

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