Summer Scheme Intern Review

Thoroughly enjoyed every minute so far. As someone who favours kinaesthetic learning and doesn't particularly like theory based learning, this is a refreshing break from university to gain a real experience and a hands on approach to what I have been learning at university.

The team I've been working in were very welcoming and made it a comfortable environment to go in to.

At all times my mentor would be checking on me to see if I was getting on okay or if I needed help. All tasks were clearly explained and this made it easier for both me and my mentor. My mentor was very approachable and seemed more of a friend rather than just a colleague which made it easier for me when I had questions.

As with any job there will be times when you're too busy or not busy enough, but this was a rare case here at Savills. I always had work to be getting on with, and if I didn't, I would ask for work from my colleagues.

As an 4 week intern I don't think you can expect to be doing everything that management will be doing. My team tried to get me involved with as much as my skills allowed - obviously I didn't have the experience or expert knowledge they had to do some roles. However, after stating that I would like more responsibility if possible, I was given new tasks to do that I hadn't done before which was enriching.

It gives a real first hand experience of the industry rather than just reading about it. I have learnt more in my short time here than a year at university probably!

Very enjoyable. The office was laid back but obviously work was being done. It makes work much more enjoyable to be easy going rather than full-on. The team are happy to have a chat or a two minute break every now and then whilst working which is a nice break. Other interns I spoke to said that their team was quite the opposite - all work, work, work. I think this is the wrong way to go about work as it makes the job dull and will only create stress. My team had a very good balance and made it as social as possible.

Nothing bad to say about it at all. All resources were provided regarding what we would be doing whilst on placement. All organised talks/tours/events were clearly stated online, on paper and also on our Outlook Calendar. This made it seemingly impossible to miss an event as you had 3 points of call for the events and you would also get reminders of when the event is.

I have developed my knowledge and understanding of the industry massively. However in terms of personal training, I didn't really receive any but as it is only a 4 week placement there isn't really any time for personal training, so I was more than happy with everything I've learnt. My team did give me varied work which helped with my skills development, as I was constantly learning something new.

Speaking to a lot of recent graduates at Savills, the majority of them came through the Summer Scheme. This is great to hear from a students point of view that is currently on the Summer Scheme as it gives hope of gaining a job here after completing the scheme and my degree. I've enjoyed working here that much, that I've actually applied for a role abroad within the company where I would not need to finish my degree - I enjoy the practical side of working so much more than the theory of learning about it at university.

This was a mixed bag really. Between 18 interns in the office, only about 7/8 of us were social between other interns it seemed. We would always try and organise to go to lunch together or go for drinks after work. It would always be the same 7/8 interns going to these which made it a bit awkward when going to larger events with the other interns. We didn't know them as well as the others obviously as we never really seen/spoke to them.

I'm commuting from my house at university - so my rent was £400 and my train for the month was £490, with the odd bus fare it was around £910 combined. In terms of socialising around work in the area, it wasn't bad at all. Food and drinks were a standard price which you would expect to pay. Some places were obviously more expensive, but a standard pub would serve food and a drink deal for £10 which I think is very reasonable even for students.

I didn't go for a night out as such, but went to the pub quite often after work and in every pub it was usually busy. Especially on Fridays - everyone seemed to go to the pub for a couple drinks to cool down and relax from the week. Going with colleagues and the interns was a nice match as you could socialise with your team and discuss work that you had been doing but also socialise with the interns and learn about different departments and the work that they had been doing.

We had a few events organised outside of work. Some of these were organised by Savills and some were organised by my team and between us as interns. One event that was particularly enjoyable was playing rounders in Hyde Park. All interns and graduates were invited but again it was the same 7/8 interns that went and about 6 graduates showed up. This wasn't ideal in terms of playing a game, however it was very social and enjoyable.