Assistant Review

by Bloomsbury

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.3/5
  • The Role
    3.3
  • The Company
    3.5
  • The Culture
    3.1

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I enjoyed my work placement experience scheme very much. For most of my young adult life, I have wanted to work in publishing and very specifically at the place I worked at because of its reputation. I found that the work environment was very positive and relaxed, despite the fact that the publishing house is very respected; the employees all seemed very respectful and happy, quite enjoying their jobs and careers. There were plenty of options for employee benefits and perks, and the overall environment was conducive for people of all backgrounds.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • The team I worked with was very small so I had the opportunity to interact with the same people on a weekly basis. Everyone in our part of the office was very kind and respectful. In particular, I loved how everyone seemed passionate about their specific role in the overall function of the department. Personally, I felt valued because I was able to directly contribute to the success of a publication and always exceeded expectations, which meant that I was helping meet the team's goals.

    3/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • My supervisor was very helpful when it came to training me with the software which is where I needed the most help. Otherwise, she let me work independently, which is my preferred style of working. When I needed help with a certain factor, she (the supervisor was also the managing editor) was keen to help and tell me exactly why we would be doing it a certain way. I liked how she supported my ideas and plans for action, as we worked together quite well. She was also very supportive in the sense that she wanted me to have a good balance between workload and 'benefits' such as the lunches, talks or events, free books, etc.

    4/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • I made myself quite busy because I set a goal to meet certain expectations every time I worked. Most of my job was quite repetitive but at the same time I had enough to do to keep me busy all of the day and into the next work day. I wouldn't say that I was busier than anyone else who had a lot of things going on. I was able to pace myself very well so that I could get multiple things done a day, but I was only expected to make progress on one thing at a time.

    3/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I was given about neutral responsibility but enough to have an impact on the overall project. Essentially, I was responsible for updating a substantial portion of a facts-based, statistics-driven section of a book the team was aiming to publish. As a result, I would be trusted to enter the correct details as they would not be double checked, which means that what I entered needed to be very accurate; as the editor would be trusting my judgement and ability to enter this information, I would consider myself to have minimal responsibility in this sense.

    3/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • My degree isn't directly related to the work placement, but I used skills from my degree content when compiling the data for the projects I worked on. I think that the most important things I will take away from this work placement experience is experience in a different culture's workplace, experience working for a renowned name in publishing, experience using publishing software, and the training for the webpage management.

    3/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • Everyone in the office (small, around 6 people usually) got along very well even though we shared an office space with a separate project team within the overall department. The way the office was set up was basically a small space shared between two project teams -- one of which also shared with a separate member of a different department. Despite this, everyone shared resources, space, and respected each other's projects; in fact, it was often the case that people would come across departments to ask for help or advice. My favourite parts about the atmosphere were 1) everyone seemed passionate about their role so the morale stayed high and 2) the project atmosphere fostered an appropriate amount of independent and group work.

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • The interview was informal and casual, but the placement is highly sought after. That being said, the actual placement was interesting because it allowed for workers to be given tasks which were most akin to their general interests or area of study. This could be anything from cultural icons to music to international politics. As a result, there were a lot of different opportunities for learning and advancement in different areas. One of the better things about the set-up of the placement was the professionalism displayed on behalf of the finances department which oversaw the payment scheme for the work placement members. We always were paid just as if we were as important as full time employees.

    3/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • Like stated before, the work placement position fostered a sense of independent working. That being said, there is a sense that the company is investing their trust and giving the worker a lot of responsbility because what they are doing is directly impacting the project (publishing a facts-based book). The training provided was mostly software based which is a good thing for anyone wanting to go into publishing, as it might be unlikely that the person has been introduced to in-house style and software before working at the particular publisher. There is room for improvement in this area but I think they do the appropriate amount and could do more if needed for the particular worker.

    3/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    Working from home

    Travel loan

    5/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • I have always wanted to work for this particular organisation; it is a very highly known and recognisable workplace, and as a result, many people apply to work there. When I interviewed, they said that most people who do a work placement get a role within the company or at least a similar company. That being said, I haven't actually applied for any additional full time roles as of yet, but I am really interested in doing so. The opportunities seem promising.

    3/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • I never saw the other work placement worker in our department because we had to share equipment in a small office, so we came in on different days. That being said, 95% of the people you would come across within the company were excellent and social with one another, very kind and it seemed that the overall company fostered a sense of social cohesion because there were so many opportunities to get involved with social things such as events, talks, lectures, sports teams, charity events, etc. even outside of work hours.

    3/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • The cost of living is extremely high, as is socialising. I worked in central London, right in the middle of a very affluent area. That being said, there were many universities and schools around, so there were student-priced opportunities as well. Additionally, it is a strong tourist area so there were many cheaper options if one wanted to go out for lunch or to socialise after or during work. For example, there were a few casual coffee spots and pubs, as well as a movie theatre, bookstores, grocery outlets, etc. There is no shortage of things to do in the area, but the costs are not cheap.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • The nightlife was quite excellent! Around the block there are theatres, restaurants, many interesting bookstores and other stores, and museums. A lot of the options close a bit early, but if you walk down a bit more past the block on which I worked, you can have no shortage of things to do and see. There are plenty of theatres for plays, movies, and short films, as well as concert venues and places to get almost any type of food or drink.

    4/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • Yes, they offered a variety of different things that I was made aware of by e-mail but did not directly participate in. Things I saw included lecturers, talks, events within the company, as well as things held after work hours. One of the most unique things was a sports team (baseball, softball, and football), some of which were raising money for charity projects in the area. There were also a few book clubs I saw posted.

    4/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

London

June 2018


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