Urban Design Summer Intern Review

by Savills

Best Student Employer

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

Rating

4.1/5
  • The Role
    4.7
  • The Company
    4.2
  • The Culture
    3.0

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • It was a very enjoyable internship. It was a great insight into how a large scale property development firm runs. I was set on my own personal project, and was able to influence each individual step. Only reason for 9/10 is that some tasks did get slightly monotonous, although this is expected at internship level.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I was injured and on crutches at the time. I was taken care of extremely well, with the team catering for all my needs. It is a very open working environment. The work I was set on actually felt worthwhile also, and hence it seemed by the end of the internship my colleagues genuinely the valued the work I had done.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • I was given very good support when necessary, but able to get on with my work when I had that work on. I was getting used to new software such as InDesign and Illustrator, the team were very helpful in helping me get to grips with those. I was also given a lot of support in getting about on my crutches day-to-day.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • Most days I was kept busy, working on a personal assignment. Whilst working through a small scale development was very beneficial as I saw so many aspects of the design, due to its scale I sometimes found myself slightly bored. However on the whole it was a good work balance.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I was given a large amount of responsibility to get tasks done whilst on placement at Savills. More than I was expecting, which was very welcomed. Sometimes this work needed to be changed, but again this was expected due to only having worked for the firm for 4 weeks or less.

    5/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • The skills that I learnt at Savills will be extremely valuable throughout the final year of my degree, and wherever my future takes me. Particularly my skills learnt in communicating design, but also in professional skills in a working environment. Doing the placement has changed my outlook on where my career is going in a positive manner.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The office atmosphere on the whole was a lovely place to be. Due to the fluid relationship necessary between sectors within the industry it was a nice atmosphere to be a part of. The atmosphere was even better in the London office, being in a regional office was very convenient, and on the whole it felt like you were a more important part of the team.

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • Very well organised. There was constantly things for interns to be doing, such as departmental talks of what other parts of the business do. It was a very professional application process, as well as the team ensuring that they looked after you incredible well. The only reservation was that the regional teams sometimes missed out on online webinars due to technical issues.

    5/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • I was able to be a part of a couple of lunch and learn opportunities and I fortunuately landed myself in a training afternoon for new software. I was able to access all of the company software which was an investment for them. The salary was also competitive and hence a strong investment.

    4/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • National Travel

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • I would happily work for the company again. It is a fast paced environment, that I could easily see myself working in in the future. It has great scope for getting around the country and the World. On top of this, interns were made fully aware of the graduate opportunities here, and they seemed very appealing.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • From what I understood the social scene amongst other interns in London was very good. As I was the only intern in the Cambridge office I didn't experience this part. However, I did get the opportunity to socialise with colleagues at a couple of lunch times. Due to me being on crutches it was a struggle to get me around.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • Cambridge is an expensive place to be due to the density of people here, socialising was on the more expensive side. I lived from home so couldn't comment on the living side. However, I am aware that Cambridge property prices are very competitive. It does offer lots of opportunity for socialising around the office.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • I cannot comment on this as I didn't experience much of the nightlife. The pubs around the area were very good though, and there was always an option to watch the football when it was on. From talking to my colleagues I know that Cambridge does have a lot of nightclubs and bars to offer.

    3/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • There were oppurtunities to get involved in a pub quiz, and a cricket match. There were a few things on offer but not loads.

    4/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

East of England

July 2018


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