Assistant Cost Manager Review

It was an amazing experience. I had limited expectations coming into the placement based on how involved I could be due to the limited ability and time with the company that I had but those expectations were easily surpassed. I was given support and guidance nearly every step of the way without being 'babysitted' and I was involved with actual work taking place. I was invited to all the meetings, conferences and other events and treated as if I were a full time permanent employee. I cannot stress enough how well this impacted my experience. I would more than happy to go back. The lack of structure to the placement (as discussed later) is the reason why this is an 8 not a 10. If there was a different set of colleagues and managers around me then this might not have been the same experience.

I was constantly asked for my opinion on matters and given tasks that were a part of ongoing work within the business. I was never treated like a spare part but more like a part of the team. I was always a part of official activities and the unofficial activities such as little things like 'bacon butty Fridays'. There were many times when I was asked if I could help with tasks rather than just given them which made me feel like I was a human and not a machine. I was invited to be a part of internal groups which were involved with improving the business and things like graduate recruitment and my opinion and viewpoint on these matters was valued. I felt that I could always express my ideas and they would be listened to. I have made friends with the people around me.

My line manager always offered me his full support and never turned me away when I had a query or an issue. Everything was resolved and nothing left unsaid. He never disregarded me as a 'student placement' and always treated me as if I was a colleague and always made time for me. This was not just with kind words; if there was something wrong with my work he would not simply leave it wrong or correct it himself but teach me the right way and improve me. There was a period when he was on holiday for two weeks which I had concerns about prior to him leaving, however, the rest of the team seamlessly picked up where he left off. Nobody was shy about giving me support and they would often come to me to make sure I was doing okay rather than just waiting for me to come to them. I felt that I could comfortably approach anyone if I had an issue or, if they were busy, they would get back to me when they could or ask someone else to help me. I was never left 'without a paddle'.

There were some issues to begin with as there was no structure to what I was supposed to be doing. People were often having conversations in front of me talking about what work I could do or where I could go but none of it was definitive it was always speculative. It affected my confidence in the placement and made me doubt how fulfilling my time would be. This changed completely once I was moved to be involved with a commission. While there was still no official structure in place for my work, my line manager and the other staff around me gave me work which was either past projects they completed or work that they were doing. Some of the level of work was past my ability but this was done on purpose to push me to get to that level and have a real taste of what I would be required to do if I was in the industry 'proper'. I always had the help of those around me and while they have let me attempt work by myself and get stuck in, they have taught me what I did not understand and help me to improve. While in the office I was trusted not only by the staff of the company I worked for but that of the staff of the company we were working for. This is a testament to how involved I had become due to my team and how my ability rapidly increase due to the managed workloads I was given by them. This score would have been a ten if it was not for early teething problems. It would have been less than 3 if it was not for the people around me, such as my line manager.

Due to my ability I was not given any major tasks to start with and I was not charged to any companies. This was great as it removed any serious pressure from myself to perform, especially in a new role in which I was completely unfamiliar with. However, as the placement progressed, I became much more actively involved in active projects to the point where I was given tasks to do and the core components of the work I did were used with review by my line manager or other members of the team. I was expected to perform to a very high standard in respect of my ability and as such given the support to perform to that level. It was great walking through the offices of where I was based and seeing members of the company (that my company was consulting for) looking at work that I recognised as my own.

I have gained an unquantifiable amount of experience. The technical skills I have developed, the understanding of the industry environment and the soft skills from attending meetings etc. has developed me as a student looking to become a professional. My line manager recognised my interests on certain topics and encouraged my interest in them by giving me relevant materials and information on them. This was also seen as he was doing a MSc in an area I was interested in and he would talk me through his studies, how it would relate to the work we were doing and even asked for my opinion on certain things as he trusted my ability. After this placement, I feel confident that I could walk into any related business in the country and make an active contribution immediately.

I was located in the business' office as well as in a commission's office. In the business office, it was okay as you could talk to most people for a little chat or if you needed help but most of the time everyone was really busy so you could not have particularly good conversations with anyone or get to know anyone. On commission this was much different. As the team around me were all working on similar tasks with work structures that all followed the same times of day we could go for lunch and talk a lot more which let me get to know people and get much more involved.

There was no official structure for my placement. The company, for all new starters, has systems in place were you meet your line manager and you get partnered with a buddy who will be working in a similar role to you and has the same sort of background as you. For me it was a guy in his twenties who was on an apprenticeship so he was in similar circumstances to me. The buddy is someone who knows the company and has been working there so they help you get your bearings when first getting there. This is where the structure ceased to exist for me. There was no list of competencies for me to work through, there was no work load organised, nobody really knew what to do with me. There was no plan. The team around me, once I was assigned to a commission, was great and so was my line manager. They gave me work, managed me really well and made me feel useful but without those individuals I feel that I would have been just a spare part not really doing an awful lot - certainly not learning an awful lot.

I was invited to every training session taking place and invested time in making sure I was a part of everything I could be so I could learn as much as possible. All the training was paid for or done in house so I was never at a loss to have this training.

I am currently in the process of being offered a day release role so I can go to Uni part time and work for them so because of this placement I will now probably have a job with them! This was an idea instigated by them rather than something I pushed for so they are actively interested in employing people from placements.

I did not meet anyone else who was on placement or any other students who might have been at the company (if there even were any). There were other people in my age group who worked for the company but I rarely met them. There were social events at the company but nothing specifically for this group of people,

City center prices in a city in the North of England. Not going to break the bank but not particularly cheap either unless you knew the best places to go.

Manchester is great for all different aspects of nightlife. From evening things from bars and restaurants to all night venues like clubs, there was always something. High end to mid scale to cheap student places, everyday of the week, you will always have somewhere you can go to and there are always events like DJ sets and gigs on.

There were good opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. The company had groups that did charity events, their was a social meeting every other month where there was beer and pizza in the office and then go for a drink afterwards. 6 times a year there was social activities organised by the social team, which were events such as go-karting.