Prioritise your interests and what is going to develop you as an individual!

Name: Chris Moring
Course: BSc Business and Management
Placement Position: Business Development Placement
Location: RM Mortgage Solutions, Birmingham, UK

Post #3

This blog is just a check in really.

I have now had my first deadline – nothing that counts numerically towards a grade, but work that needs to be done in order to pass the year. Not only this, but it is that time of year when the modules for next year need choosing and (because next year contributes to the final grade more so than any other year) they need to be chosen carefully.

As it happens, I have taken some time shortlisting some modules that I am interested in but, because I am usually better at exams than coursework, I am having to make compromises regarding topics I find interesting and topics that are exam based.

As far as my placement goes,  I am still really enjoying my job and can potentially see a career in the financial services industry doing something or other. With this module selection for final year approaching, I have found myself looking forward to catching up with people and finishing off my studies.

Post #2

“What nobody tells you”

Currently, Christmas and new year have just passed and motivation is slowly building back up again, but there’s one thing that people just don’t tell you about and that is how hard it is to juggle your workload.

For my placement year I have a series of assignments to complete, on top of turning up to my placement. To be honest, it’s a lot harder than it first looks. I like everything to be perfect so tend to spend a lot of time on things. So with deadlines not a million miles away, I’m starting to feel the squeeze on my time. Its actually becoming quite stressful and I am struggling with the creativity of my assignment as well as keeping the word count of my essay plan down (the assignment is 1500 words and my plan is currently 900).

It’s really easy to find yourself feeling isolated when it comes to completing the important work that needs to be perfect. With the first two years at uni, your learning is centred around what the lecturers teach you, but on placement all assignments are tailored to your personal experience. This means that your learning and work are a lot more independent and I am still finding that idea daunting in all honesty.

As far as my placement goes, not much has changed, I’m still loving it and have built strong relationships with my colleagues.

Bonus: The fact that uni gives you personal placement tutors is fantastic and I couldn’t ask any more from mine!

 

Post #1

My placement at a small mortgage broking company started 4 weeks ago and I am really enjoying it. There is a great element of responsibility combined with learning and development. I feel valued and get along really well with my colleagues.

What I have been doing so far is working on the social media and posts for the company website. I have also been calling solicitors and lenders regarding a large array of situations such as finding out about the status of a mortgage being processed, finding out the cause of a problem which is delaying a mortgage or an insurance policy from completing and learning about who does what at each stage of a mortgage or insurance application. I have recently been sitting in on meetings with clients and lenders and learning about different financial products and how the mortgage application process all works.

When looking for a placement, prioritise your interests and what is going to develop you as an individual, as choosing the right placement will be beneficial to you and may even lead to a potential career.

A placement is ‘only’ a year but it is important that you try and get something that you see a future doing. If you are fortunate enough to get a placement doing something you are interested in then you will learn far more about a potential future profession and you will have a base of knowledge for when you graduate.

This was just an update on what is going on with me and some food for thought for any second years reading this applying for placements.