Planning Summer Scheme Student Review

My insight placement was hugely enjoyable and I was given the chance to find out lots more about the planning profession as well as other property sector jobs operating from the office I was working in. I was given the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects and find out about more complex projects being done by colleagues - this covered a wider range of work than I had expected and I was able to learn a lot during my placement.

Throughout my placement I felt like a proper employee rather a student on work experience - I was working alongside others, doing similar work, and was not left to do jobs like filing at any time. I felt like I was contributing to the team by helping with initial site appraisals that my colleagues would then develop for further work. I was invited to all social events and generally made to feel like one of the team with my own responsibilities and deadlines. I had expected to be doing odd jobs to help out around the office but found that I was able to get involved in current projects which was really engaging and interesting.

I always felt that I could ask questions and that I was receiving the support I needed. Whenever I had any problems my mentor, and other colleagues, would carefully explain when I might need to look to find my answers; as such I felt that I was being challenged but not overwhelmed by the work. My work was always checked by the team and I was given feedback about how I could improve each piece - I feel that I learnt a lot as a result of this.

I was able to develop a number of skills including report writing and communication as well as specific planning-related skills. Practice writing in a formal manner will help with my degree studies and future work and I have learnt about operating in a professional manner. During my placement I was also able to discuss my career options with colleagues and received advice as to which postgraduate courses may be useful and the different types of work done within the property sector; this helped me to research my future career options more effectively and should help me to ensure that I choose high quality, and useful, courses to study.

Before I started my placement I was informed of several activities that I would be doing and when these would take place, on my first day I also found out about many other activities. This clearly showed that effort had been put into planning the placement. I was given the opportunity to go on a site visit and was given a suitable amount of work to ensure that I was occupied every day. At no point was I left with no work to do. In addition to work set by the team I was given a project by head office which helped to ensure that I always had something to do even when the team were otherwise occupied.

Everyone in the office was really helpful and I felt able to ask any questions. On my first day I was introduced to everyone and after that people made an effort to include me in all social activities. Whilst on my placement I celebrated my birthday and the office kindly gave me a card and present, this had not been expected and really made me feel like a valued part of the team.

Rather than leaving me do to basic tasks that would not have required training I was shown, and taught how to use, a variety of the systems and documents used. I had no previous experience in planning but effort was made to ensure that I learnt enough to be able to fully understand what I was doing. Some programmes were too complex to be able to learn to use within four weeks so I was briefly shown how they were used and this was explained.

I was treated as a proper employee of the company and as such found out what it was like to have a full time role there. As well as the projects I was given I was shown other work which highlighted the range of work that I would be involved in if I had a full time role.

Work in the office and social activities helped me appreciate the company as a whole and find out what it would be like to work there permanently. As I spent more time there I found out more about the culture of the company.

I found the placement really useful and it has clarified my interests for the future. I have been able to find out more about working in the planning sector and it has confirmed that it is something I would like to work in the future.

A range of social events were arranged during my placement and I had the chance to speak to many colleagues at these as well as in the office. A lunch was specifically arranged as a chance for me to chat to managers in the office and find out more about working for the company.

I was invited to all social events being held and was effort was made to ensure that I felt included at all times.

I found out a little about sporting activities that employees can get involved with.

I would definitely recommend this placement, it was much better than I had expected and really enjoyed the whole experience. I had been treated so well that by the end of the four weeks I was sad to leave the company!