Paid work placement student at Shoosmiths

8.0/10

About You

10.0

The Organisation

8.3

Everything Else

5.5

About You

1. To what extent did you enjoy the insight?

I very much enjoyed the one-week paid placement I undertook at Shoosmiths. Not only was the team I was placed in incredibly friendly, but the whole office. This made it a genuinely enjoyable week. In addition to this, the work was really interesting, again adding to the great experience I had.

10/10

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2. To what extent did you feel valued during your time at the company or firm?

I felt genuinely valued while I was on the placement. Although it was only one week long, everyone in my team and around the office took the time to get to know me as a person, making feeling a valued member of the team. In addition, I was praised for the work I undertook by my supervisor but also partners in the office.

10/10

3. How much guidance/support did you receive during the insight?

I received a good amount of guidance and support. My supervisor, the partners and other lawyers in the team and a lot of individuals in the wider office were more than happy to sit and chat, answering any and all of my queries, whether they were about my future career development or the task at hand.

10/10

4. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and information you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

Everything I learnt and developed set me up really well for my future career plans/ studies. The experience on the placement gave the me confidence and inside knowledge to do well on the assessment day. I had built a solid understanding of the firm and its culture, but was also given specific advice for me on the day.

10/10

The Organisation

5. How well structured was the insight?

The placement was very well-structured. The graduate recruitment team struck the perfect balance of legal work and other tasks. The legal work I was given was of good variety and was real and useful work that a trainee might be expected to do. In addition, the graduate recruitment work tested other important skills such as commercial awareness, presentation and time management.

10/10

6. How was the general atmosphere during your insight?

The atmosphere on the placement was fantastic. Everyone was really friendly and made a genuine effort to get to know me. Everyone in the office was clearly very friendly regardless of my presence. We were taken out for lunch a few times and it was obvious that a lot of people in the office socialised outside of work.

10/10

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7. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

5/10

8. To what extent did the insight help you to understand what it would be like to have a full time role with the company or firm?

Because I was given genuine work that a trainee would be expected to undertake and because I felt immediately comfortable in the team, I very much felt like I knew what it would be like to be a full time employee at the firm. It did not take more than a couple of days to feel like this.

10/10

9. How much did the insight help you in understanding the company culture?

After only a day at the firm, their values (which I had previously come across on the website and in promotional videos), were very obvious to me. Shoosmiths really does espouse relationships and results. It is clear that the firm is made up of personable and hard-working individuals. Lastly, I could see the progression to an agile working environment through laptops and docking stations.

10/10

10. How valuable was the content of the day in helping you to decide on your future career path?

5/10

Other Information

11. Were you paid or reimbursed adequately for this experience?

I was paid the market rate for a week at a law firm and reimbursed expenses for the week. Although I was not paid for my travel to and back from work everyday, I was paid for a journey that I undertook while working there. I was also given a food allowance everyday to cover my lunch costs.

12. Were there opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company or firm?

5/10

13. How were the networking/ social event opportunities?

There were reasonable opportunities for networking and social opportunities. Thanks to the trainees in the office, we were taken out for a lunch on a number of occasions. My supervisor also encouraged me to network independently, which proved really useful in getting to know the different departments. However, I wish there had been a formal networking event to guarantee this to all placement students.

7/10

14. Did you find out about activities that employees can get involved in outside of work?

5/10

15. Would you recommend this insight to a friend?

5/10

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