Banking Placement Review

I really did enjoy my work placement. This was my first proper work placement in a professional setting and this was also the first time where I was able to learn a lot about banking and what a banking job may entail as I had not really considered it before. There were many different presentation styles to give us the information we needed and this kept the placement fun and enjoyable as it was always different.

I did not feel that valued by my colleagues at the start of the placement. However as time went on, I was allowed to do more tasks in the company and more tasks of a higher value in the company and this made me feel more valued as they needed me for their tasks and I was able to help them and they were able to help me. We were working on a similar level by the end.

I was given a lot of support and guidance by not only my supervisors but also the other employees working at the company. I was given many presentations at the start of the placement to help support my knowledge of what I needed to know. I also received regular feedback from my supervisors so I knew exactly what I needed to do to improve and I knew what I had to focus on in order to improve.

I was never too bored or too busy on a daily basis. At the start, it was mainly learning so I did not have many tasks to do but there were always extra learning opportunities to partake in to further extend my learning and occupy my time. As the placement went on, I had more tasks and I found that it was sometimes hard to manage. I was able to ask for help from my supervisors with this.

I was given quite a lot of responsibility, particularly towards the end of my placement. At first, I was mainly learning from the other employees and they were teaching me about the jobs at the company and how I would do them succssfully. As the placement went on, I got more involved with these jobs and I was able to work alongside the other employees and I was able to form an integral part of the team.

I think that I developed many valuable skills during my time on the placement. Firstly, the knowledge I gained of banking will no doubt help me if I do decide to pursue banking in the future. However, these skills will also be wider transferable to the larger world of finance, which is a sector I will be pursuing. Also, I learnt many personal skills during my time there such as teamwork as well as time-management skills.

Generally, the atmosphere in the office was quite chilled and friendly. This made it easy to approach anyone and ask for help. I think the chilled environment is what really made the placement useful for me as I knew that when I was stuck, I could ask any of the employees without fear and they would be willing to help me. Furthermore, my supervisors were also really friendly and I was easily able to talk to them too.

I think that the overall work placement was set up quite well. They started off with a few introductory sessions about the world of banking and the tasks I would be doing before slowly integrating me into those tasks, before finally integrating me into a part of the larger banking team with the rest of the employees. There was also always guidance and support available for when I felt stuck and did not know what I was doing.

I think that the company did invest quite a lot in me. In terms of knowledge, they gave me a lot of knowledge during the introductory sessions. Furthermore, I also picked up a lot of knowledge from actually doing the tasks and being on the job. I also feel like them allowing me to do tasks for them was a big investment on their part because they allowed me to take a role in their company so I could learn.

I would not say that this placement will have increased my future employment prospects with them. Many other applicants will have had similar experiences so it might not be enough to stand out. However, I feel like the actual tasks that I did where I was working with the other employees are great practice for me for if I do have a similar job in the future. This will definitely help me if I get a similar job in the future as I will have prior knowledge.

There was a very good social scene amongst me and the other placement students. Everyone was extremely nice at the placement but they were also all professional. We were able to talk about our university experiences and we were also able to talk about our experiences on the placement and we were able to relate well. There was also a good social scene between us and the actual employees there as they were all really nice and made sure we did not feel out of place.

I did not have to move out but I would imagine it would be expensive. The cost of socialising was also expensive.

I did not really get to experience the nightlife in the area I worked.

There were a few opportunities to get involved in outside of work. In terms of social activities, there were some company parties that the placement students were able to attend. These were great opportunities to get closer with the other students and also with the employees in an informal setting so we could also have more fun. In terms of work-oriented activites, there were a few meetings that I was able to attend but just to observe.