Leisure Agent Review

I loved my placement at Savills. The company is extremely entrepreneurial and gives placement students a great deal of responsibility and freedom to be proactive and gain as much as possible from the job. I found colleagues throughout the company to all be friendly and enthusiastic. It is no wonder why so many people at Savills stay with the company for many years. They provide a great style of work and allow flexibility around your home life also.

My colleagues at Savills went above and beyond what I could have expected from them during my placement year. They encouraged me to take every opportunity and involved me in all of their work. I felt I had their full support throughout the year and I was not afraid to ask questions or suggest new ideas. The structure of the company is flat therefore even those much senior to myself I felt I could approach easily.

My line manager provided fantastic support and guidance throughout the year. They were sure to involve me in all their work so that I was able to gain as much experience as possible. They pushed me to do work independently and get out of my comfort zone. They also provide useful guidance as to the future of my career and possible paths I could take. I can say they involved me completely as a member of their team.

The beginning of my placement, understandably was relatively quiet as I got to grips with the work and learnt how things worked. The second half of my placement then became very busy, my team were extremely hard working and due to the nature of the job sometimes working to tight deadlines this may involve working through lunch or past the end of the working day. Despite this I can say that all of your time is highly valued by the team and it really pays off to be as involved as possible in the work you are doing.

I was given a great deal of responsibility during my placement. From independently meeting with clients and taking charge of viewings, to helping write reports and produce work for clients. I found this is the most effective way to learn in the job as you are thrown into something completely different. The support is always behind you however they encourage you to be as independent and proactive as you can. I enjoyed this work style.

These skills will be hugely helpful in my future career and employment. From communication and teamwork to professionalism and technical understanding, I have gained so much from my year at Savills. I can say that I believe this will make me a much more employable individual when I come to look for graduate jobs compared to prior to the placement. A year of work certainly will make you stand out from the crowd when you apply.

The general atmosphere is extremely hardworking and also enjoyable. People can be in the office early and leave late however this hard work pays off and you are able to enjoy time with your team over lunch or drinks. The atmosphere is very entrepreneurial and people are encouraged to come up with new ideas and be ahead of the game. Ultimately there is a competitive nature to the atmosphere as we represent a well known company in a competitive market.

The placement was organised well. HR were very good at setting up events for learning about the company and other topics within property. They also set up initiatives for graduates in order to encourage networking and innovation. The team itself also was organised well and communication was effective and efficient. Speaking over the phone or in person was encouraged rather than email to speed up communication and allow for ideas to be bounced around the team.

During my placement there was a large amount of training available to me. You were provided many resources to encourage gaining experience and knowledge for your APC. You are also provided with a mentor who will help you through the APC process and point you in the right direction. Any additional training you are interested in you are encouraged to do. Your colleagues also try to provide as much training to you as they are able.

Provided you receive good feedback from your team and hold a good reputation within the company you will stand a good chance at helping your future employment prospects with the company. Having completed a placement year you may be fast-tracked to an interview and given a graduate job. Alternatively your appraisal from the year will help hugely with the interview for the grad job and will allow the company to understand how you work and what you are like.

The company encourages networking amongst grads from Savills and also other companies. This provides a good social scene so you can get to know people throughout the business and the wider market. This is very helpful for your work as you may need to help of someone in another team or company. I would encourage mixing with as many people as possible and this will have benefits in the future when you come back to the industry.

Being in Oxford Circus it is a relatively expensive area to socialise. Travelling into work as a commute is expensive (although less expensive then rent in London). Drinks and food can be expensive however if the socialising is networking and is part of your work you are able to expense this therefore some socialising may be subsidised depending on what the purpose is. Despite this, London has very many interesting and great places to socialise which are worth the money.

The nightlife in London is good although expensive. As a commuter it was more difficult to socialise late in to the evening however there are many places you can go after work and socialising with your team and colleagues is a great way to get to know them and to bond with the team. I would definitely encourage making use of being in central London whilst you are working there as you are surrounded by many great places.

Savills has many clubs like netball, football, hockey, running etc. Which you can get involved in. These are great at helping you get to know people from around the company. They also have the added benefit of often socialising with a drink or food after the training. I would definitely encourage getting involved with these clubs. Savills also has charity events that you can attend which involve many more people in the company and are great fun.