Summer Scheme Placement - Graduate Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement with Savills and felt it was a good introduction into the world of property. I did feel that I was given work to do that would be of use to my colleagues, although by the end of the month the responsibilities I had been given were a tad repetitive. Nonetheless, I benefited from some fantastic experiences, such as site visits to One Hyde Park, London, and built strong relationships with my colleagues. I could only have enjoyed it more had I been given a few more diverse and demanding responsibilities, but overall it left me with very clear direction as to where I want to go in the industry, and also consolidated my desire to go on and work for Savills.

All my colleagues were extremely friendly and made me feel very welcome, as though I had been a long-term member of the team. I couldn't thank them enough when I left.

We attended a series of talks and meetings on different areas of the industry, which left me with a huge amount of guidance as to where I may or may not enjoy working. With regard to the work I was given, I always felt comfortable asking for help and was gladly assisted, which was nice.

I was certainly busy, and always had things to do, but felt I was capable of offering more. When this was the case, I was advised not to worry about working at home or outside of normal hours, which was a big bonus!

I would have liked more responsibility - it would have been nice to follow up the work I had been doing on certain projects with a seat in client meetings. My work was very much office-based (other than site visits), so I would have felt more responsible had I been given the change to meet clients face-to-face. This didn't happen because meeting rooms were full, which is completely understandable. Despite this, much of the work I was given ended up forming part of written or verbal reports for clients, which certainly gave me pride in the work I was tackling.

I think the skills I have developed in my degree were certainly useful in my placement, so I wouldn't say my placement added skills to my armoury that have helped me going into my final year. However, I did gain some vital commercial experience and insight into the world of professional work, which will prove invaluable in my progression beyond my degree.

The team I worked with were superb - there was a great camaraderie and we had a handful of working lunches/after-work drinks over the course of the month.

My placement was superbly organised - I knew my plans and commitments for the month by the end of Week One.

I would agree that plentiful time and effort were invested in me in making sure I got the most out of my placement. I certainly felt I had something to contribute, although sometimes I felt like a bit of a distraction when asking for work!

I am currently preparing for a prospective final interview in January and am more motivated than ever to secure a job with Savills as a result of the placement.

We had a great group and I made some good friends, some of whom I remain in contact with. We went out for drinks together on a weekly basis, which was a nice touch.

The costs in C. London are extremely high!

Didn't really experience too much of it, though there were some excellent bars and restaurants to head to.

Yes - post-work rounders, drinks, team activities etc were plentiful.