Summer Placement Student Review

Thoroughly enjoyed my time with Savills. The team were incredibly friendly and made me feel welcome from day one. They got me involved with a project straight away which taught me a great deal about the valuation process of industrial and residential buildings. My mentor kindly organised a leaving-do dinner on my final evening where I got to say my thankyou’s and goodbyes to the team.

From day one my colleagues made me feel valued. They invited to numerous social events after work, including barbeques, cricket matches, cinema trips, meals. Whenever there were discussions and meetings regarding the project I was working on, I was invited to sit in on and encouraged to participate as much as possible. They created an environment that made me feel valued and as a result I was encouraged to contribute ideas and suggestions regardless of my knowledge and expertise in the area.

My supervisors gave me a huge amount of support during my placement, giving me their time and attention whenever I was unsure or had a question. Not only this, any member of any department was willing to help me even though it wasn't their responsibility to assist me. At the start of the week my supervisors would run through what they wanted me to work on for the week and then leave me to get on with the job. At any point if I was unsure of what I was doing they would take time to ensure I was heading in the right direction and regularly check throughout the day how I was getting on and if I was happy.

The project I was assigned to meant I was busy for every minute of the day. As soon as I finished one job I was immediately assigned another. I found this hugely beneficial as it meant I got to experience as many different parts of the project as possible. Of course I had time to catch up with people in the office and get in a round of coffees, however any other time I had I was determined to contribute as much as I could to the project. Keeping busy meant the days went by in a flash and I wasn't bored at any point.

I was given a huge amount of responsibility during my placement. I had the job of ringing up numerous agents and directors to gather comparable evidence for the purpose of the valuation, as well as putting together the reports themselves and calculating the valuation of each site itself. I was independently left to work on the valuations which would then be checked over by the directors before being approved. Being so involved in the project was a huge learning curve for me and taught me a great deal about the valuation process.

I have learnt a huge amount of skills from my time at Savills that will benefit me in both my life and career. My conversational skills on the phone has dramatically improved as well as my understanding of the valuation process which will benefit me during my training towards my APC. I have also had the opportunity to improve my interview skills which will hopefully allow me to impress during future interviews and job applications.

The office I was working in had the perfect balance between work and fun. I like to think that I got involved in the office 'banter' from an early stage. I got the impression that a fun approach to work was almost encouraged. The general atmosphere in the office allowed me to quickly develop relationships with other colleagues, adding to the enjoyment of summer placement.

The summer placement was organised extremely well, and at no point did I feel out of place and unwanted. I had regular meetings with my mentors and directors to check that I was on track and heading in the right direction with my work. Members of the team kindly booked in rooms for me whenever they were needed and sorted out any travel arrangements when I was leaving the office.

Working for Savills is something that I aspire to. I was very fortunate to be offered a job at the end of my placement, however due to personal reasons I decided not to accept the kind offer. It was an extremely tough decision as I would have loved to have worked for the team I was with, but was held back due to personal reasons at home. This experience though has made me even more determined to get a job with Savills .

There was a fantastic social scene with fellow placement students and colleagues. Regular social events were organised with which we could get involved with and all the other graduates integrated us into their plans and social events. Networking events were encouraged to enable us to broaden our contacts list within the property industry.

Definitely cheaper than London.

Wimborne isn't known for its crazy nightlife, however there was an abundance of pubs and bars which I am a big fan of. The one club in Wimbonrne, 'Vibe', is being visited by a group of us tonight to celebrate. A short drive away is situated Bournemouth and Poole which offers a variety of clubs and bars.

There were many opportunities to get involved with activities outside of work. Every week cricket matches, tennis matches, barbeques and drinks were put on in order for the summer placement students to get to know the team as well as other Savills employees in different offices. Luckily I managed not to embarrass myself with the cricket.