Summer Scheme - Planning Review

I really enjoyed my time with Savills and the opportunity pushed me to try something new and learn new skills. With the office based in Cardiff city centre, I was able to experience the city and better understand the context of the Welsh Planning system. Working within the office was a pleasure, and all staff within my team made time to tell me about their work and background, which supported my personal development and understanding of the job role.

Upon arriving at the office, I was introduced to the entire team immediately and time was taken to ensure that I was comfortable and felt welcomed. The atmosphere in the office was very warm and friendly, and it seemed like everyone got on really well, which was surprising for a company that I had previously imagined to be quite corporate and strict natured. Throughout the week, all members of the team made an effort to strike up conversations beyond work topics and this helped to feel better connected to those I was working with.

I was provided with a project for my week in the office which was clearly explained with comprehensive instructions and well suited to the skills I developed as a student, whilst still offering a challenge. I was able to ask various team members for their support at any time without ever feeling like a burden or that I was detracting from their time. I was provided additional small tasks by various members of the team throughout the week who made sure to be available to assist me with anything that was new to me.

As a town planner, there are many different forms of private consultancies with varied functions and types of projects. Having previously worked in other consultancies in different sectors, the summer scheme with Savills enabled me to explore the role of planners in commercial real estate. Most importantly, the scheme has provided clarity on the nature of work within the real estate industry, supporting me in deciding what I want to do as a graduate. Additionally, the scheme has provided practical skills and familiarity with industry processes which I will apply within my University assessments, many of which are practically focused.

Due to coronavirus limitations, the summer scheme was shortened from 4 weeks in Summer to 1 week just before starting my masters. I am really grateful for Savills committing to providing an opportunity with the company at a time where pretty much all other companies in the sector decided to cancel their summer internship opportunities. Despite my reduced time in the office, I felt that I was able to experience just as much of what the company is about because of how well structured the insight was. Savills organised a series of 5 zoom presentations throughout the week which were hosted by members from all of the various company sectors to provide a thorough understanding of what the company does and how all of its departments operate for all students on the summer scheme. This meant that I had a good knowledge of the company as a whole, beyond just what my immediate team was doing, which I really appreciated.

The office atmosphere was as good as a consultancy can get. Team members were friendly and approachable, and were happy to make conversation beyond work topics. The team made time to provide a site visit out of the office to experience the city and our work more directly, which I appreciated because it showed they were willing to go above and beyond to make my experience interesting. As any planning role, the nature of the work necessitated working alone on my main project for extended periods, and with social distancing measures limiting the number of people in the office, I was slightly further away from staff than a typical intern would be. Despite this, my work was made exciting, interesting, and relevant by the supportive team members who were keen to introduce me and guide me through new systems and skills.

The company provided a series of 5 'Departmental Overview' Zoom webinars which introduced summer scheme students to the wider functions of the company. These included; Rural, Valuation, Investment, Property Management, and Worldwide Occupier Services. Additionally, time was taken to ensure I understood the technical software and neccessary functions to contribute useful work to the company. The company made time for site visits which developed practical quantity surveying skills beyond what I was expecting, purely for my own personal development.

The summer scheme was reduced in length from 4 weeks to 1 as a result of the summer 2020 lockdown, and therefore the amount of work I could be exposed to was likely limited compared to normal measures. Despite a reduced summer scheme period, I was able to contribute to varied projects providing different planning functions, such as Planning Appraisal, Site Land Ownership Research and Local Contexts research for potential sites. I felt that I had a good idea of what it would be like to work with Savills in the long term and the staff made time to explain their personal experiences, such as how the company supported them through their 2 year APC as a graduate.

While many schemes in summer 2020 were cancelled due to lockdown measures, Savills made a commitment to their offer of work experience and to getting me to experience the office. Above all else, the commitment of the company to hosting a physical scheme showed an evident care for their prospective employees. Over the week, I was able to observe how team members in the office interact and work together, which would not have been possible if the opportunity was hosted virtually.

As a BA Geography graduate starting an MSc Planning degree, I felt unsure of the various options of public and private sector work, as well as the varied nature of consultancies. The scheme with Savills provided insight to the nature of working within a small planning team within a larger office of development consultants in a commercial / real estate company. I now have a better understanding of planners support the real estate process and the extent to which I am interested in pursing this as a career path upon graduating.

The typical 4 week Summer Scheme is a full-paid opportunity. However, amidst lockdown measures, my delayed and shortened 1 week work experience was unpaid. Savills offered to reimburse up to £100 of transport, housing and lunch expenses for the duration of the experience. The financial support is really useful for those who are hoping to work in a new city and can contribute to hotel costs or train tickets, opening the opportunity up to those who may not typically be able to access work experience.

Savills provided an allocation list with the names of all other students participating in the summer scheme in an email. This allowed me to contact the other students and inquire about their own experience as well as developing my network. The 'departmental overviews' hosted through zoom directly connected me to members in other departments of the company across the country, enabling me to ask questions and inquire about the nature of work in different avenues with Savills

Lunch times were self-organised and I spent them with the other summer scheme student eating and chatting in the park. It would have been nice to go for lunch with the team, but only a few members were in each day due to home working and most would work through their lunch break or eat at their desk. Over the week, I was invited to attend a staff members birthday drinks after work, which I appreciated and was made to feel welcome. With restrictions imposed by social distancing measures and the limited 5 days spent in the office, the situation wasn't well suited to socialising, but regardless I was able to chat to the staff in my team as much as needed.

I inquired about the social activities and was told about annual parties and events, such as attending RTPI socials and networking events. There was a lack of advertising for anything being hosted by the company outside of work hours, however, this may be because the company was only just returning to the office after lockdown and was limited by social distancing measures. Staff members discussed playing sports together amongst each other so it seemed that there were some self-organised activities going on.

I would recommend the Savills summer scheme to anyone with an interest in Planning. The scheme developed key competencies and guided me through producing planning appraisals and other functions which are typical of working in the industry. Working with Savills provided a perspective on Real Estate Planning specifically, and so I was also exposed to associated functions such as valuations, property management and surveying. This opened up my mind to commercial functions and helped me to understand how planning fits into wider commercial processes.