Vacation Scheme Student Review

by Herbert Smith Freehills

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

2.7/5
  • The Role
    3.0
  • The Company
    2.6
  • The Culture
    2.4

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • Pretty good firm with really good people. They do some really top-notch work as well.

    4/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • Trainees generally appreciate where you've come from (as most of them have done the vac scheme as well) and partners are really approachable.

    3/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • Really depends on the supervisor and your willingness to ask questions, but they were all pretty good if not great.

    4/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • It tends to vary by department and seasonality - my second seat was particularly quiet. More generally, the firm is at its most quiet (due to the summer) throughout July and August.

    3/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • I received a variety of work that ranged from simple tasks such as proof-reading to more complicated ones like drafting documents from scratch.

    3/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • It's useful to properly experience 'real work' which is really quite different to university life...

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • It depends on how big your department is but, generally speaking, every body is really friendly.

    3/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • The organisation of the scheme was really good.

    3/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • As vac schemers they tend to spend a bit of money on you, but I suppose it really comes down to how receptive your supervisor is to teaching you things. Some of mine were, but some others don't tend to volunteer advice or feedback to you, which can make it a bit awkward because you don't want to consistently seem like you're 'bugging' them.

    3/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Subsidised Canteen

    Sports and Social Club

    Company Parties/Events
    2/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • It's a pretty decent firm

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • Generally, we were all a really socialable bunch and some of us went out which was cool.

    4/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • You're in the City... EVERYTHING is expensive...

    1/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • It's ok... you have to do a bit of travelling though (about a 10 min walk away from the office before you hit anywhere decent)

    3/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • A little bit of sports and pro bono stuff but nothing substantial was really offered.

    2/5
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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

London

July 2012

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