Team worker, Cambridge development initiative. Review

I did enjoy my placement, it was challenging yet we knew what a difference the work was having and we certainly felt valued. Each day was slightly different which suited me really well; it meant that I could more see what type of job I was suited too. I came away very glad that I has done the work placement, I would definitely recommend it.

Very valued, we lived together for some of the time and there was a real sense of community within the team and within the whole group. People communicated well with each other and we were very much listened to within the team; there was an understanding that all the opinions were important and all ideas worth listening too.

There was support there if we needed it. There was a designated welfare person and our team leaders had regular meetings with us. These were really helpful and gave us a chance to let them know how things were going, and if there were any areas that we wanted to work more on or things that we wanted to have a go at.

A good busy; there were always things to be done and sometimes we would have to work late and start early. But there was also scope for being a bit flexible if we were feeling unwell or needed to juggle tasks. Each day we knew what we had to do and it was achievable.

A large amount of responsibility. Because it was run by students the responsibility was entirely ours, all jobs were done by us and the whole project could not have happened without our presence. Within the team I was given a clear role and was responsible e.g. jointly for the running of an event for over 100 people.

I certainly learnt skills for life in my time in Tanzania. Not only did I get a sense of the type of job that I would be suited to/like but I also learnt a lot about myself. In particular I developed skills about how to communicate and work well in a team. These are skills that I will use of the rest of my career.

We were not actually in an office but there was a really fun atmosphere. We were all working towards the same end goals and so were likeminded people. Therefor we all got on very well and were able to have a lot of fun as we were working. People were very friendly.

It was well organised considering it was run by students and held in another country. Of course there were times where things went slightly wrong but these were all sorted out well and quickly. I certainly never felt like things were poorly organised. The structure of the teams and the organisation meant that things were set up well.

They invested in us by holding meetings before we left that were helpful and then having regular meetings with our team supervisor.

As it is only run by students there are no future job prospects directly with this company.

Yes a very good social scene. We were all friends and so there were things going on a lot of the evenings - either food or cinema or going out or sport ect. There were daily whole group meeting and this meant that people often ate in the canteen together and socialised there. Within our team we became very close and will stay in contact for a very long time.

Everything was really cheap but there were also options to spend more if you wanted too- there was a canteen with cheap food (30p a meal) but there were also more expensive restaurants that we went to maybe once a week. The british food is more expensive so if you are happy to eat what is in season and not be too fussy then it can be very cheap.

There was a good nightlife, there was a local karoekee bar that we went to sometimes as it was just round the corner. There were also bigger clubs that were just like normal clubs, though we definitely stood out with our crazy dance moves! All in all though the nightlife was good, we had some fun nights out.

Yes