research assistant Review

ipsos was a wonderful place to work. i felt supported constantly and there is a vast amount to learn in the role. there are many ways to access training during the year and learn more, plus plenty of opportunity to show your skills. you're also able to meets lots of people and interact with clients and different teams.

my colleagues from day one made me feel very welcome. you're treated as a key part of the team and youre able to get involved in whatever you would like to. everyone is understanding that youre there to learn and develop skills and theyre always willing to help. Setting goals with a manager each month and getting feedback at the end of it also makes you feel very valued by team members.

I was able to have regular catch ups with my manager to see how my work load was, how i was coping etc, they were very supportive and always understanding if i had uni deadlines/events i had to attend. if i felt like work was becoming too much my manager would contact my account and try to resolve any clashes.

some days are slow if the process has gone smoothly and there's quiet days however the majority of the time youre busy. there is usually always something that needs to be done or to be looked at. if your accounts are not busy and you have time you can also try to help others and learn about different account or projects.

During my placement i had ownership over a market on my account, I was shadowed by my manager but you are in charge of running the monthly process and contacting the client or relevant people/teams. I was also able to go away and learn key skills from other departments to help my accounts and then use these skills.

The skills I learnt on placement have made me more confident in my abilities. I learned a lot about market research and marketing techniques which will help during my final year on my degree. But i also learned a lot of people skills and built confidence up which will help me further on in my career dealing with clients and different teams etc

The office is usually busy, everyone is nice and friendly and often there are people chatting in the kitchen. people usually talk around desks theyre sitting at too and go for small breaks at lunch together in the summer. Some days there are team drinks at the office with snacks and people often bring things in for everyone too

My placement was quite well organised, it took some time for me to start getting into the role but once i had a basic knowledge i was able to get to grips more with the tasks. however, you are supported throughout with check up interviews during your placement to see how it is going

there is a service in the company that allows you to look online at all their training and do courses online and tests, theres also multiple training sessions throughout the year that you can book on to in the office and go to during the day in order for you to learn more. keeping track of your goals with your manager also get you more involved in the company and makes you want to do better

The graduate scheme at Ipsos seems really good and as i enjoyed my placement would take this up. They have a network of graduates which is great to get in to and they often do graduate events to get everyone networking and create a culture. They offer an MRS certification too and train you on the graduate scheme.

There are regular events set up by the social team for bar/pub crawls and evening drinks, there are also company events and parties throughout the year such as at xmas and the summer time. The early careers team also put on lots of graduate and placement/intern events such as lunchtime pizza or drinks

I commuted in from home for my placement and the travel was quite expensive, the social aspect was also fairly expensive as it is located in london. There are not many shops within a quick distance from the TMS office so it can be expensive if buying lunch etc. There are a few bars which are cheap however.

The nightlife was quite busy as it was located right next to tower hill, there are lots of bars and pubs and restaurants in the area and surrounding areas, its also very near the tube and train stations so it is easy to go to other areas on a night out

There were often volunteering days that were shared around the company where you could take a day to go volunteering, they encourage each employee to use these days. Individual teams often have account team days around xmas etc to bring the team together and have fun