Technical Support Assistant Review

I was challenged during my placement, but felt like I was learning valuable skills, so that certainly contributed to my enjoyment. The work was varied which kept my engaged.

I feel I have been valued by my colleagues as I have been asked to take care of work with the expectation that it would be done. I have also been explicitly told when my work was good, which fostered a good environment where I knew what work was going well so I could keep doing it in a way that was good to my colleagues.

Over the course of the placement I had two formal sit downs with my managers, and they provided good insight into how I was doing and how I could improve. Outside of this however I received feedback in a casual setting that informed my performance as well.

Business varied from month to month, with some months being incredibly busy and others being relaxed enough to allow for additional projects during the work day.

I got a reasonable amount of responsibility, and as I was treated as a normal employee it allowed me to explore different aspects of the role, whether that was helping development or carrying out projects for our department.

So far the skills I have learned have helped me in my day to day at home in terms of troubleshooting, and phone and e-mail etiquette

The general atmosphere is accepting and friendly, and if I ever needed help I didn’t feel bad asking. Everyone is generally friendly and the higher up staff respect those below them, which fosters a good feeling of trust within the departments.

The placement itself was well organized, though placements don’t do a special workload, instead simply doing the job their permanent colleagues do, which I feel is much more valuable an experience.

I was given general training at the start alongside the other placements, but then later on in the placement I was also offered the opportunity to take part in other training sessions, both directly related to my job and valuable skills that I can use elsewhere.

Many of the managers in the company started as placements a few years ago, so the possibility of moving up in the company from being a placement after I return from university is there, and depending on performance, very attainable.

The department I worked in had several social nights that I could take part in, such as bowling and dining out. There was also the chance for company wide events such as the Christmas party and Henley Regatta that allowed a more friendly atmosphere to get to know my colleagues.

Oxford itself was fairly pricey, but I was able to find a proportionally cheap flat when sharing with another placement. There was also the opportunity to live in High Wycombe, which is considerably cheaper.

I didn’t personally go out so this isn’t relevant to me, but I believe that it was fine in the town centre, and cities nearby offered good options as well.

There were a lot of opportunities such as the events mentioned in a previous question, and they were always open and inviting. At least 4 events a year were available on a company wide basis, and more within the departments. I was also again able to take part in a games night group after work with five other colleagues.