Business Support Administator Review

My role involves completing admin tasks around the team. Admin can mean different things to different organisations so I'd like to clarify that I am treated the same as everyone else and I am not asked to make cups of tea for people! I do tasks such as: creating spreadsheets for the team, attending meetings to take minutes, creating power points for my manager for her to take in to her meeting and a mix of PA work. There have been so many opportunities for me to get involved in other projects within the organisation. I have helped with event planning for a network, i wrote a blog post for our website and I work with a different team one day a week allocating cases. We also have 20% of our working week to focus on the theory side of the apprenticeship, I use this day to complete my assignments and prepare for exams. I have learnt a lot since working at the Financial Ombudsman and I have grown in confidence.

I have learnt how to communicate with all levels. On a daily basis I am speaking to people of all levels whether it is about work or just a friendly chat in the kitchen. This has improved my confidence and made me realise that people will treat you exactly the same as they would an executive. I have also learnt to be proactive and manage my time. I have also had to prioritise tasks and use my time wisely. I have stuck to tight deadlines. Everyone in the team wants to help me do well so if there is any area I can improve on, they will help me to do so.

I have enjoyed being an apprentice as the Financial Ombudsman. I am hoping to continue my journey once I have completed the course. Of course some tasks are more exciting than others but I was not expecting to have been given the opportunities here that I have been. I have chosen to take on more work and get involved with as much as I can. In the whole 7/8 months of working here, I have never left work feeling like I've had a bad day.

I have a clear learning plan. Me and my manager have a scheduled weekly catch up where we speak about how the previous week has gone and different things I can do the following week. We also look at the different skills and behaviours that I need to include to pass the apprenticeship. She gives me tasks that will help me develop these so it gets the best out of me. We have face to face days with the training provider and monthly webinars. My manager is understanding of this and knows when I am going to be out of the office.

My manager is very supportive. If i am ever unsure about something, she will be there to guide me. My team are also very supportive. They push me to better myself. The employer is also very supportive with issues that aren't related to work. We have mental health drop in sessions where you can speak to a mental health first aider. Everyone wants to help each other here. I have also been given 2 'buddies' to help mentor me and if I ever need anything, I go to them first.

I have a telephone call every 6 weeks with my coach. Sometimes the communication with BBP isn't the best it could be. There has been some confusion over one of our exams and it took a while to get confirmation of the exact date and pass rate. If I need anything I would email my coach. At the beginning, coursework took a long time to be marked and BBP did not stick to their deadlines but since then our coach has changed and things have improved. The face to face days with BBP are informative and we have a virtual learning environment to prepare for our exams which is useful. I don't usually need to contact my coach now as I rarely have any issues/questions.

I have learnt a lot about what goes on in the areas that I don't see. I have also done a lot of work around project management. This has given me a better understanding of how a project works. I have used this knowledge to create my own mini projects in the workplace.

Yes. There are lts of different networks and they organise different social events. We have things such as: cinema nights, meals, going to the pub, sporting events, wine and cheese tasting. We also have external people come in to do workshops with our staff. We have a on-site gym that offers free classes.

Yes

I am genuinely happy at work. I have made some amazing friends an met some inspirational people. I used to think of work as a chore but working here makes me feel valued and I enjoy it. My successes are recognised and everyone supports each other. My manager truly cares about my career development and people want you to succeed

Be yourself. The financial ombudsman looks for diversity. You don't have to put on a front in an interview. Each of us 35 apprentices are all so different but we get on so well. It's not about looking the best or being the smartest in the room, it's about being you and wanting to do well.