Apprentice Review

During my placement I worked with other apprentices doing filing and data organisation related tasks, such such as opening letters, getting them to the appropriate department, sending letters, writing internal emails and doing some administrative tasks too. I also had an opportunity to work with other departments, such as marketing, finance and management.

During my placement I developed a number of new skills which I found to be really useful when it comes to my studies. While debt recovery and enforcement field specific skills are not the most useful for my field of study, teamwork and communication as well as other soft skills I have learnt are immensely valuable and did (still does) help with college, university or job interviews.

I found the insight quite enjoyable as during the two weeks I have spent there I got the chance to experience what it is like working for multiple departments, such as accounting, data organisaton, marketing and finances. People were very nice and helpful all the time, which made the experience overall enjoyable, even though debt recovery or enforcement is not a field I wanted to go into.

Although my manager did support me during the insight I would not necessarily say I felt extremely valued during my stay, which is possibly due to my inexperience in the field and inability to provide that much value myself. However as I mentioned I was trusted with working on important data and files as well as the company website.

The insight was very well structured, on the first day my manager laid out a programme for me, showing what I will be doing each day, who I will be working with and what my tasks will involve. This meant there was no confusion what I needed to, and enabled me to get a taste of what the company is about in a well constructed and smooth way.

I did not have a training provider.

My manager supported me from day one with everything, helping to understand the company, what they do and how I can become an effective team member. She was always very helpful and did not mind me asking questions. Other employees, no matter what role, were also very keen on helping me whenever they could and when working with them they always made sure to explain everything thoroughly and encouraged me asking questions.

It was an unpaid placement as I only stayed there for a very short time, however other apprentices doing the full programme have got their travel and food costs covered, as well as received a standard salary for the job.

I was not informed of any not work related opportunities.

Yes

Overall I would recommend this insight to a friend, but only if they are interested in debt recovery and enforcement or one of the fields associated with it or within the company, such as marketing, accounting, social media or marketing. The environment for me was a bit boring and uneventful for me, and there were no events outside of work. If you are only there for work and a specific area that interests you I think The Sheriffs Office can be a great place.

Although the application process was fairly straightforward you definitely need to show the employer that you are hard working, passionate and are capable of providing value to the company. On the interview make sure you're dressed smartly as it is a corporate environment, talk clearly and confidently about yourself and your future.