Summer Scheme Review

I really enjoyed my 4 week internship for Savills, the team were very encouraging and the projects were meaningful and challenging. The team and department as a whole were very friendly allowing me to integrate myself within the team and learn and develop within the process. I would recommend the Savills summer internship to anyone who wished to gain experience within a large commercial property firm and by that virtue gain great experience within the industry.

I felt the work I was asked to do was meaningful and served a purpose for the team. I worked within a close proximity to them and was in constant discussion with on-going projects/tasks throughout the process. I feel that the team valued my important, but that as I was only in the team for 4 weeks my opinion only carried so much weight.

I worked within close proximity to my supervisor and directors, they were very supportive and understanding whenever I had an issue completing a task/project. They made sure that I understood every task that I had to complete and were happy to answer any questions that I had throughout the process.

I believe I was fairly busy on a daily basis. This factor was purely down to the availability to my team. If my team had on-going projects or reports to finish but they were within a reasonable time frame, then they would give me large tasks to perform. If the time frame was short or they were on the finalising stage of a project, then work a few occasions would be slow. However, for the most past I was busy on a daily basis, which is a good factor.

The responsibility I was given during my placement was limited. As I am only here for 4 weeks it would have been difficult to contribute to a greater extent and/or given projects to complete wholly by myself as I do not have the experience to complete them to a sufficient standard. Within my role in commercial valuations I did contribute research and report writing that would end up in the actual report, in this case the responsibility I was given was impressive as I actually contributed to information that would be presented to the client.

As a non-cognate entering into the commercial real-estate industry, I would say my skills have been greatly increased. Not just in terms of commercial understanding but also my technical knowledge of various terms/jargon that is used throughout the industry. Initially entering into an industry and therefore a sector I had little hands-on experience with, I feel the internship has been a crucial learning curve in developing my skills to progress within the industry and will be vital when I begin my Masters at the end of the year.

The general atmosphere in the office was very upbeat and hard working. I definitely feel the culture at Savills is one of work hard and play hard. Provided you complete your assigned tasks to a competent and timely standard, you will have sufficient free time around your work to socialise or partake in extra-curricular activities.

The overall internship was very well organised. The majority of days throughout each work were occupied with overview talks or walking tours. The departmental overview talks provided a very opportunity to learn about a sector that Savills operates in and meet senior members of the Savills staff to gain an insight into their view of the firm.

As previously stated, the departmental overviews were very appealing to further my understanding of the different departments that Savills operates within. Each task I was given actually carried some weight, with everything explained to me clearly so I could learn from the experience. My team always went out to their way to explain how the work I was doing mattered to their ongoing projects and how it fitted within the department as a whole.

Future employment within the organisation is very appealing. I have very much enjoyed my 4 week period at Savills and will definitely be applying to work at the firm in the future, hopefully within a graduate position. I feel that the culture of the firm is something that suits me personally, as well as the industry as a whole.

Yes, the internship allowed me to meet other students who were also on the 4 week scheme and there was a number of opportunities for us to socialise, either together or with graduates and senior members of the Savills team. There were also external networking events which allowed members of the scheme to interact with other graduates working in London within commercial professions.

London is very expensive, compared to the regional offices the cost of living and socialising in the London area. Lunch will usually set you back in the region of £5-8, while dinner is usually £15 per head. Socialising is a large aspect of the job so drinking out in Oxford Circus and Soho is expensive but not crazy where the process cannot happen at the current level of remuneration.

As previously stated, the Oxford Circus and Soho areas are great for socialising there are always new pop-up restaurants and bars to go to after work or on the weekend. Furthermore, with each tube access to Leicester Square and Chelsea there are a number of great clubs to go to on the weekend or Friday night. Overall the nightlife is great but expensive.

As previously stated, the scheme involved a number of extra-work networking events that were either external with other firms, or internal with senior members of the Savills organisation. Socialising is must within the profession and within the local area of Soho and Oxford circus there were always opportunities for post work drinks and events.