Year Out Cost Consultant Review

I enjoyed my placement a lot. I worked with some great people who always kept me busy. As I was always busy I was never bored. There was some great socials which were also very enjoyable.

I felt very valued by my colleagues. EC Harris have sub-teams working on different projects. I felt like a very valuable member of both the sub-teams I worked in.

There was lots of support and guidance by supervisors. I would have regular progress meetings with my boss where we would review the work I had done. These were very useful to gain feedback. On top of this, whenever I need guidance on a particular task my supervisors were always happy to help.

Very busy.

It increased as the placement went on, which you would expect. By the end I felt I had quite a lot of responsibility, which I enjoyed.

My skills developed are assisting me in my final year degree studies to a very large extent. This is because my placement was directly related to my degree (quantity surveying). As for 'beyond', I learnt valuable people skills which will help throughout my career.

It was a happy and warm atmosphere. Everyone seemed to get on with everyone else. The 'hot desk' policy works very well as it keeps the office tidy and means you can interact with all different members of the company.

Very well. There were a few other year outs in my department so it is a regular thing at EC Harris. There was a structure in place from the start which included a 1.5 month review, 3 month review, 6 month review and so on.

They invest a lot. As all employees want to be members of a professional body (CIOB, RICS etc.) there are internal sessions run which present topics within these charters. I also had personal training on other things including measurement software and BIM. The firm therefore must invest a lot in the development of staff.

Very appealing. There is a clear structure in place in terms of roles which ranges from graduate - partner. To become a partner you must first be an associate and both these roles are very appealing.

There was a very good social scene within the company. Within our department we had 4-6 social events in the year which were all lots of fun. As well as this there is a free bar in the head office on weds and thurs which is great for socializing with work colleagues.

I worked in London so the costs were high. Luckily I could live at home with my parents so living costs were quite cheap. Socialising costs are expensive however as it is quite a lot to go out in London.

Very good. Central London.

Yes. I played for the company 11 a side team which was fun. There also golf, netball and many other sports teams and tournaments. As mentioned, there were lots of social activities outside of work.