{"id":4628,"date":"2019-02-11T15:56:34","date_gmt":"2019-02-11T15:56:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/student-voices\/?p=4628"},"modified":"2025-10-27T15:47:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T15:47:09","slug":"industrial-placement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/student-voices\/2019\/02\/11\/industrial-placement\/","title":{"rendered":"Management placement year: halfway through"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u200bIt\u2019s hard to believe I\u2019ve reached the halfway point of my Management placement year. It feels like just yesterday I wrote my first blog<\/a>, telling you how nervous and excited I was about starting! Time really does fly when you\u2019re having fun!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just to remind you, my name’s Katy and I\u2019m an Accounting, Business Finance and Management student. I\u2019m currently doing a Management placement year with a company called Audit Partnership Ltd<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No week is ever the same <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s difficult to describe a week in my life as a Chaser to you, as no week is ever the same, which actually makes it nearly impossible! But I\u2019m going to give it a go because it\u2019s important you know what it\u2019s really like to be on placement. I want to show you that placement life can have a good balance of both work and fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some parts of my week are consistent week in\/week out. On Mondays we have our weekly meetings, where the whole team catch up and calls out any successes and problems they\u2019ve had over the last week. We work together to plan how to reach our targets. On Wednesday mornings, I have a one-to-one with a more experienced Chaser, who makes suggestions on how I can improve, but also encourages me and tells me when I\u2019m doing a good job. Then Wednesday afternoons, I send out a weekly email to motivate us and push us to work as hard as we can to meet or beat our target. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Mondays and Thursdays, I attend an onsite fitness class to prepare for Yorkshire Warrior. I\u2019m excited to see if Yorkshire Warrior lives up to its reputation. People have told me it’s a great work out but that you hurt quite a bit the next day. I think I should probably be more nervous than excited because I\u2019ve seen how people walk the following day…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day to day on placement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In terms of more general day to day goings on, I normally get into work for about 7.45am and start by printing out a list of everyone I need to speak to that day, making a note of exactly what it is I need to do for each of them. This really helps keep me focused as I know exactly what I have to achieve and most importantly, I don\u2019t forget what I need to do because some days my memory really isn\u2019t the best! I also really love crossing things off my list with my highlighter, it\u2019s probably something to do with the sense of satisfaction I get when I see my workload physically shrinking!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Priorities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once I\u2019ve got my to-do list, the next thing I do is check my inbox. It\u2019s important my inbox is up to date and that I send out any responses as promptly as possible. This gives me a better chance of recovering profit for the client. Responses can come in at any time and can vary massively in length and detail. It\u2019s key that I stay organised, as it\u2019s so easy for my priorities to change suddenly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With my priorities changing so much on a daily basis, some days I don\u2019t speak to everyone I need to, but the beauty of being a Chaser is that I pretty much set my own daily workload. Yes, I have a big list of companies that I need to speak to, but I don\u2019t speak to them all every day (if I did I\u2019d get nothing else done!). I get to decide when and how often I speak to the
companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Normally, I finish work at about half 5. I don’t like finishing too late, so I like to stay on top of everything and then prepare a bit, ready for the next day. I have been known to leave work at half 6, although two of those three occasions were when my housemates set off home without me because they didn\u2019t realise I was still there…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Always laughing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Chasing can be quite fast-paced and intense at times, but that’s the way I like it. When I\u2019m under pressure I tend to perform better as I know that I have deadlines to meet and everything has to be completed. Whereas when it\u2019s more relaxed, it\u2019s easier to lose track of time and it can be harder to stay focused. To be honest, even when I\u2019m under pressure and up against tight deadlines, it\u2019s always quite a relaxed atmosphere. Chasers are always laughing about something or other, whether we are laughing at someone who\u2019s had a really bad week on Fantasy Football, or laughing at the person who put a ridiculous answer for the ‘brew round’ question and has to go brew up! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you can probably tell, we\u2019re quite a competitive bunch, so what better way to start the team night out than with an escape room? Sadly, Team Cheeseboard were defeated\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, it\u2019s definitely not “all work and no play”. Being able to finish any time after 3pm, it makes it really easy to have that work\/life balance everyone tells you is so important. After 6 months on placement, I can honestly say that people are right to tell us to have that balance. I love my job, but it really makes me appreciate the times I can let my hair down and grab a coffee with my friends or go out with my housemates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m having so much fun this year, I\u2019m doing things I never thought I\u2019d be able to and I\u2019m learning a lot. If you get the chance to do a Management placement year, absolutely go for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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