Summer Scheme Student Review

I really enjoyed my internship at Savills and felt I learnt a lot from the experience.

Everyone in the office made me feel very welcome from the outset. I was given a mentor who I mostly worked with and who I could ask any relevant questions too. I was also thanked for the work I carried out for Savills and also given feedback on some of my work, aiding my learning whilst on placement.

I had a mentor who I could speak to regarding guidance on any work and who I could ask questions too. I was also given access to the HR team who we could email if we had any questions or issues whilst on placement. It was very easy to get support if needed.

I was given plenty of work to do independently on a daily basis, as well as being able to attend site visits and client meetings. Therefore I was always busy, but this meant that I got to see many sides of the business and the role of a surveyor and certainly never got bored. Being busy and being able to get involved with many different areas also meant that I was able to learn broadly, thus giving me an invaluable experience.

I was given enough responsibility in the sense of carrying out a lot of work independently, often being left on my own and to use my initiative in tasks when in the office. However I was not allowed to lone work outside the office due to health and safety reasons, ie attending site visits by myself. I feel I was given sufficient responsibility for my experience.

The Savills Summer Scheme was an invaluable experience, allowing me to gain and improve skills. Through the placement I have gained knowledge I will be able to utilize in my final year of university, as well as improved necessary interpersonal skills, including communication and presentation skills through meeting and working with clients and colleagues. I have also gained new technical skills, ie computer software used by surveyors which I now know how to use.

There was a hardworking atmosphere in the office, but also the sense of team work. Everyone got on really well, and made me feel part of the team. It was often lots of fun.

The internship was exceptionally organised. We were given timetables of events through out the month as well as check lists we must complete by certain deadlines, therefore I was very aware of what needed to be done and when, and where I needed to be.

I was able to learn from colleagues around me, thus developing my skills. By giving one the opportunity to have a 4 week internship you could say that Savills invested their time into me.

I hope the internship will increase my chances when applying for the Savills Graduate Program in October. The Appraisal at the end of the assessment also allows your office to recommend you for an assessment center, thus appealing to future employment prospects within the organisation.

I was the only placement student in the office. However, there was a good social scene among colleagues, we all got on well.

The area itself was not expensive, but since my placement with Savills was away from home I stayed in a B + B and thus this increased my living expenses.

Whilst on placement I didn't really experience the nightlife, since I was in a smaller scaled location and there were no other placement students. I did go out for dinner and drinks one night with a friend from the area however, and the area is good for that.

There were a few opportunities to get involved with activities outside of work, but not as many as I would have liked.