Events Apprentice Review

My role at Christie's consists of assisting with all the events. This includes being in charge of the events calendar, writing out event brief emails before and after the event, organizing digital events onto zoom, collecting registrant/guest data and putting it onto our system and generally helping the event lead on the day of the event.

As well as gaining a Level 3 Events Assistant qualification, which is very specific in my role, Christie's has helped me expand on my knowledge of art history through offering a range of high quality courses, via Christie's Education. I have also been able to gain confidence and communication skills, essential for the working world.

Although I started virtually, due to Covid-19, restricting me from the in person experience, the programme has been amazing. Everyone at Christie's is so friendly and helpful, whatever position they are in in the company. My team all want me to make the most out of my apprenticeship and get me involved with everything so I am constantly learning new things and having new opportunities. Coming straight from school, I was very nervous to join a large, global organisation but as soon as I joined, everyone helped me settle in and made me feel welcome.

The programme has been well organsied and structured right from the very start. In the first week, all apprentices undertook an induction week where we learnt about the business and did compulsory training. Since then, we have regular calls with the HR team, who are always there to support, and I have monthly calls with my tutor where she sets me tasks to work towards my qualification. In my team, we have calls every day and I have weekly review meetings with my manager. I always know what is happening well in advance with my apprenticeship which helps me manage my days and plan ahead.

My employer is always there to support. The HR team regularly check in with the apprentices to make sure we are all doing okay and to discuss any problems we may have. I also have weekly review meetings with my manager, allowing me to discuss any issues I may have and to ask any questions. My employer also offers a mentor scheme, allowing me to connect with staff from all over the company as well as having someone else to speak to if I need it. I have not yet needed to report a problem however, I feel confident that if I did, I would know who to go to and would feel comfortable doing so.

My tutor arranges monthly meetings where we speak about what I've been up to that month and she sets me tasks to do to work towards my qualification. I have been given her contact details so I can contact her whenever I need to. I think this is really helpful as if I ever have a problem that I would like to discuss with someone externally, I can do so.

The qualification has a clear criteria of objectives that I need to do within my role. I think the qualification fits perfectly in my role as it is widely based on providing evidence, meaning I am consistently trying to involve myself in my team so I can meet the criteria. So far, I have been able to apply my knowledge that I have learnt in my meetings with my tutor to my job. For example, learning about the event planning process has given me more confidence in the step by step process of planning an event and what my role is in each stage. One thing that I have struggled with is that the qualification is very much for people doing live events. Although I knew this would not be a problem in the future, once the pandemic is over, I found it more difficult to provide evidence for some of the objectives.

As part of the programme, we do social events as a cohort to get to know each other more. This is usually planned by the HR team. There are also groups that you can join including the untitled group, an open forum to interact with other colleagues, the CSR team, who organise events to raise money for charity and the equity and diversity group. These groups allow you to get involved more with the company and attend non work related events. For example, the CSR team hosted a wine tasting event to raise money for Marie Curie whilst also providing an informal event for staff to enjoy. The location of the office means that it is easy to meet up with friends and socialise after work, something I enjoy doing in my free time. The company also offer many benefits, allowing me to receive discounts on shops and companies to help me expand my extra-curricular activities (e.g. fitness).

Yes

As since being here, I have enjoyed every minute. They offer so many opportunities and I do not think I would be the person I am today if I did not take on this apprenticeship. They have helped me grow in confidence, improve my communication skills and welcomed me into the working world.

Application process - 1. Research the company at the very start of the application process – this will mean you can stand out from the start by showing that you have been proactive and taken the time to learn about the business. 2. Be confident in yourself – it’s easy to get in a negative mindset, especially if you’ve not had much luck with past applications, but by staying positive and confident not only will you naturally be yourself, you’re also going to enjoy the experience a lot more. 3. Look up competency type questions (e.g. tell us about a time when you were organised) and think/ write down an example for each one. I did this before the assessment day and it really helped me when I was faced with challenging questions because I had examples of times when I had showed a particular skill/quality fresh in my mind. Even if the assessor doesn’t ask you competency type questions, you can still use your examples to show that you have the right skill set for the job. Once you start, I would recommend just taking every opportunity that you are given and even ask for more. At the end of the day you are there to learn so you should try and make the most of your experience. I would of liked to have been told that it's okay not to know something and they expect you to make mistakes - don't be afraid to ask questions!