Summer Scheme Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at Savills. I had a warm welcome and this continued throughout my time at the company. The staff I worked with were engaging and helpful, with graduates acting as guidance in each rotation and different department. The placement was reasonably well structured and a variety of work, mixed with client meetings and some site visits gave me a real taste of graduate life in the company and working within the industry.

I felt as though I was a valued member of staff as soon as I arrived. I was introduced to team members and assigned my own desk. I was given full access to software and database information to help my work and felt included in projects that I worked on. Interns were also granted holiday and it felt like we were treated as normal members of staff.

If I had any questions or queries, they were always helpfully answered by team members. I was informally assigned graduates to work alongside who helped me transition into different departments and become familiar with my team. We had a 'mid-internship' review with a graduate recruitment officer to check how things were going which was nice.

Initially we set individual targets/objectives to complete over the course of the month which encouraged us to develop ourselves. My technical understanding of how different departments work has greatly improved and the day-to-day jobs have been creative and engaging. I have developed my networking skills at various events and the practical element of working will definitely compliment any masters courses I undertake in the future.

The placement was pretty well structured. It was challenging as I was on a rotational placement whereas most interns stay settled within one department. So moving between departments could have been smoother but on the whole it was well organised. We were given a calendar of events for the month and informative 'webinars' which were streamed across the UK from London. At times I felt as though I had to search out work myself but this was most probably because the placement was in August (reduced summer workload).

The atmosphere was great from day one. I was invited to represent the company at a sporting event on my first day and this inclusivity continued throughout the month. Being invited on lunch breaks by members of staff and mixing with current graduates made the office seem welcoming and a friendly place to work.

We were given access to software and the general database which we could utilise for our work. Whether it was simply paying for land searches or being taken on a site visit, members of staff invested time in our development and ensured we were kept busy. This was productive not just for ourselves but for the company. The informative webinars gave us a real understanding of the company.

The insight was a perfect taster as to what expect in a full time roll with the company. Working alongside graduates who are on the next level above you definitely helps to see different routes into the company and industry. Being immersed in an office environment for a month gives you the a great understanding of what life would be like working there permanently.

As mentioned, we were given webinar presentations to understand different aspects and departments of the company on a national scale. Before we started, we were given a complete booklet of information on the company, its values and culture which prepared us before we started our placement. The insight definitely made me realise how much the company invests in its graduates.

As I knew before starting the internship I wanted to continue within the property industry and down this career path, the content did not particularly change my mind as I was already confident of where I wanted to go. It nevertheless instilled these beliefs and made my excited for the possibility of a future career in the industry.

I was paid a reasonable monthly wage which was not my motivating factor to work but nevertheless helped my financial position post-university. I was spending money to travel to work and on lunch so being paid for the internship definitely helped cover these expenses. I did not need to by anything while working for the company so I did not have any expenses to be reimbursed, however it was made clear throughout the internship that this was available.

There were several networking events organised which interns were encouraged to attend. One was specifically organised for insight students, with members of staff invited to attend and network. Other external networking events were organised and we were also invited to these. Even more casual drinks after work were good opportunities to get to know other employees outside of work time.

Some of the networking events were really successful and others could have been better organised. The more casual sporting events were often good fun as people were relaxed and wanted to be there. Other events could have been organised better, with graduates in attendance but no senior members of staff which would have been beneficial.

I did find out, as previously mentioned I was asked to represent the company outside of work hours at sporting events on a couple of occasions. I found out about other opportunities such as charity events that employees can get involved in, however none of these were taking place while I was working there.

I would absolutely recommend this insight to a friend. The experience was eye opening and has given me a real understanding of working at a large, industry leading company. The experiences have developed me professionally and I hope that the placement will carry a bit of weight and look good when I apply for graduate schemes.