Building surveyor Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my insight week at Savills. The week was well structured with regular talks as well as interesting tasks to complete around the office. My mentor was very welcoming and him and the rest of the team made me feel at ease as soon as I arrived in the office. A site visit in London was a particular highlight.

I felt very valued throughout my week at Savills by everyone I came into contact with. On the first morning we were greeted by the programme organiser who made me feel like she was glad to have me here, even remembering my name when we had a short conversation soon after the welcome meeting. Furthermore, the team that I spent the week with also seemed to appreciate me with every efforts being made to make me feel like one of the team and give me interesting tasks to complete. Finally, the new incoming CEO made the effort to come down and speak to our whole group at one point during the week which demonstrated to me the lengths the company as a whole went to, to make us feel valued as potential future Savills graduates.

The guidance that we received throughout the week was personally the ideal amount for me. Although we were not being guided for 100% of the time, I found that useful because it meant we had a degree of free reign to explore things such as 'Connect'. However, the guidance and support that we did receive was excellent.

I believe that I learnt many skills during my week at Savills that will benefit me hugely in the next few years. Firstly, I had the chance to put many of the things that I have already been learning into use in professional situations. For example it is sometimes difficult to understand the technical details of building construction in a classroom environment however the site visit during the week enabled me to understand a lot of things a lot better. When I get further into my degree and the content gets increasingly harder I will have a more solid understanding of the base knowledge of subject.

The insight was structured well with regular arrangements made for the insight students to listen to talks from Savills employees. The arrangements were interesting and gave us chance to ask questions etc. However they didn't organise too many things that we didn't have time for anything else. I had enough time to spend plenty of time in the office and get to know the team I was working in well.

The atmosphere was very good with everyone on the insight very keen to learn but also to enjoy their week. I believe one of the biggest reasons for this was the diverse range of organised arrangements. By arranging social and professional activities, the atmosphere was very positive but very focused when necessary.

Predominantly, the company invested their time and effort into helping me to progress. A wide range of people made a concerted effort into ensuring that I developed a number of skills across the week. It is easy forget that many of these people are very busy and therefore for them to give up their time is especially generous.

The insight week provided me with a great understanding of what its like to have a full time role with a firm such as Savills. I was exposed to numerous different scenarios, all of which I could encounter if I worked at the company permanently. I got an especially accurate understanding for what my first two years would be like having been given a great insight into the APC process.

The company culture is evidently very significant to everyone involved with Savills and it was important for me to understand that first and then go on to find out more about this culture and why it is held in such high esteem. I believe that it is this culture that puts Savills above its competitors in terms of appeal to graduates and employees in general.

The content of the week was very important and has shaped my thoughts on my future career path quite significantly. The way the week was structured with talks from numerous teams within Savills meant that you could definitely make sure the discipline within the property industry that you had chosen was the correct one.

Savills reimbursed each insight student up to £100 for the cost of train travel and food. I travelled quite a distance to get to the office each day and because of that the £100 didn't cover all my travel fees. However, £100 was very generous and an amount that I thought was correct.

Yes there was plenty of opportunities to network and develop sound contacts with other people on the insight week. As well as this we also had the chance to meet other Savills employees and tap into their knowledge of the industry. This was a very useful part of the week.

The networking/social event opportunities were very enjoyable and helped the insight group get to know each other much better in a much more informal atmosphere. The knock non effects of this are that I am much more likely to stay in touch with the other insight students because I knew them in a informal and formal manner.

On numerous presentations that we were lucky enough to be invited to, we were introduced to all the activities that employees can get involved in. These included sports and social activities, all of which sounded good fun and is another reason why the 'Savills culture' is maintained outside of work.

I would definitely recommend the insight to a friend. I have got such a large amount out of this week and I would certainly want someone else to have the chance to experience and learn all the things that I have during my week at Savills. It has been a great week.