Urban Designer Review

Savills were brilliant integrating all of the Summer Scheme Students into the team and trusting them to have responsibility with real live projects. This really helped to give a better image of what working for the company would entail. In the Urban Design Department I worked in, the job itself exceeded my expectations and confirmed what I wanted to do as a career. To improve the scheme, it may be useful to have a theoretical project to work on in the background so that if the team had nothing you can work on, you can keep busy with a personal project. It would also allow you to apply the knowledge you have learnt throughout the placement into one piece of work, which could potentially be reviews by a senior member of the team upon completion to allow a review with constructive criticism.

I felt like a valued member of the team throughout the placement because of the responsibility I was trusted with to produce work which was used on real live projects, despite my comparatively limited experience compared to the other Urban Designers. Colleagues were always welcoming, friendly, and sacrificed their own work time to help me learn. Perhaps the only time I felt less valuable to the team was when I was asked to do tasks I have not done before because this meant tasks were being completed slower than if another member had been assigned them. However, the team were always happy to teach me new skills and were patient with my developing abilities.

Team members sacrificed their own work time to help me learn new skills or answer any questions I had. The Summer Scheme was well-organised, with departmental reviews, networking events and out-of-work opportunities to socialise meant that I felt like I was supported throughout my insight by everyone at Savills.

As a recent graduate, I initially joined the Summer Scheme to experience what it would be like to work within the Urban Design team at Savills before I applied to the Graduate Scheme. The Summer Scheme placement confirmed that I will be applying to the Graduate Scheme later in the year to become a more permanent member of the Urban Design team. Additionally, before my placement, I was lacking important knowledge and experience of the computer software used by Urban Designers as this did not form part of my degree. At Savills, I had first hand experience of computer software and, with help from my team, feel I now have the confidence to use new computer software which will be useful throughout my whole career.

It was clear that Savills are well-prepared to transition Summer Scheme students into the company. Improvements can be made by providing more lecture/seminar events in the regional offices outside of London. Also, it may be useful to include a theoretical project to complete throughout the scheme to ensure those on their placement are kept busy at all times, even when the team doesn't have any work to give them.

I felt that everyone at Savills had formed genuine friendships with colleagues and respected one-another. Team work within each department was easy, and there was also lots of inter-departmental teamwork within the open plan office. There were also several opportunities to socialise with colleagues outside of work. Overall, the Savills office in Oxford, where I completed my placement, was excellent and further reinforced Savills as somewhere I would like to work permanently.

Team members sacrificed their own work time to help me learn and develop my skills as an individual. This initially slowed down work output, but their investment in teaching me new skills was eventually rewarded when I was able to help to contribute work to real live projects that my department were working on. Regular reviews with senior members of Savills also reinforced the feeling that the Summer Scheme placement could improve my position of getting onto the Graduate Scheme.

Being trusted to produce work on real live projects made me feel like my placement was an accurate reflection of the kind of work I would be doing if I was given a more permanent position within the company.

Regular reviews with senior members of staff, working in an open-plan office with other departments within Savills, out-of-work socialising opportunities, arranged events such as lunches all contributed understanding of the culture of Savills, and I believe I have had a good insight of the values Savills stand for.

The summer scheme has not only confirmed that I was to apply for the Savills Graduate Scheme later in the year, but has also confirmed Urban Design as a career I am interested in pursuing for the rest of my life.

I was paid a very small wage for my placement, but my great experience on my placement and the skills I learnt meant that the wage was irrelevant to me. I also think the wage is fair considering my limited experience within the field of Urban Design, and the amount of time the team sacrificed to train me.

The open-plan office, which is inhabited by several departments within Savills, meant that I had many opportunities to meet many members of the firm. The company organised a formal lunch for the Summer Scheme students, which provided an excellent chance to meet other employees. Regular social events also meant that team-building happened regularly.

Savills provided several opportunities to network and socialise. My team attended a departmental local lecture/seminar event regarding Urban Design, out-of-work parties happened regularly, there was the chance to participate in sports games or charity events, and a formal lunch was arranged specifically for Summer Scheme students to socialise, network and provide feedback.

I initially wasn't informed about the sports teams within Savills, but later in my placement I was kept up-to-date with charity events and other activities. Perhaps this could be improved by providing a regional calendar for each office with all of the activities it is possible to get involved in outside of work.

Most definitely.