Find out what the ASET Guest Bloggers are getting up to. Throughout the year we will be following the progress of the ASET competition winners as they find a placement or keep us updated as to what they are doing on their placement. Click here to read all entries from our bloggers or click here to meet them.

I was thrilled to be told that I would have the chance to work at Wormwood Scrubs for my placement year. The thought of working in HMP Wormwood Scrubs for my sandwich year 2008/2009 is mind blowing, I’m so excited. I have been interested in forensic psychology for as long as I can remember and would love to achieve a hands on experience of working with criminally minded individuals, gaining an insight into their world and what makes them commit crime after crime.

I am hoping to have lots of prisoner contact and the chance to interview prisoners and possibly deliver the different programmes I have researched, such as enhanced thinking skills and drug and alcohol abuse programmes. I would love to experience helping a prisoner in a way that changes their lives for the better and in doing so the victims of such people, whilst preventing possible future victims of crime in the community. The psychology department I am to be placed in is exciting and energetic with lots of projects going on and hopefully I will be given lots of responsibility.

I would also like to become more knowledgeable about the prison service, as well as other public services such as probation and the police force who work alongside prisons to prevent crime. As far as I am concerned working in a prison is not only about helping inmates lower their chances of re-offending, but also about keeping individuals in the community safe. I would jump at the chance to be someone that makes a difference.

During my placement I would also hope to discover a few things about myself. This experience for me is about gaining some direction in my life and choosing the right career path. At this moment in time I want to finish my degree and then go on to complete my MSc in forensic psychology and finally become a chartered psychologist after years of demanding training. On the other hand I may not enjoy my time at Wormwood Scrubs and may decide I want to do something slightly different. Either way this experience will be worthwhile and I know I will learn a lot.

Find out what our Guest Bloggers are getting up to. Throughtout the year we will be following the progress of our Guest Bloggers as they find a placement or keep us updated as to what they are doing on their placement. Click here to read all entries from our bloggers or click here to meet them.

Hello guys,

Easter has been and gone, so back to full time work once again and back to waiting for the next bank holidays and not that long to wait either !!! Well I went to Stratford upon Avon it was a nice picturesque town and the weather wasn’t too bad, me and my girlfriend looked at various Shakespeare relics and realised there was a big con underway to scam the tourists of there money. But it was soon back to selling the shiny stuff of legends. It is also getting ever closer to the deadline for my coursework hand in and I am yet to get into practice of once again being a student, a nice 4000 word essay to remind me of where I come from!!

So it is health and safety week here at OutoKumpu distribution, it feels like the office is empty the majority of time due to people going on various activities and so an so on. It is nice to have a break from work, but it feels like the productivity of the office and the work is falling and people are slacking due to the vast amount of activities taking place, some mandatory and most just a waste of time.

It is still busy though, probably even more busy than usual with all the health & safety activities going on. I am still holding the fort whilst my manager is in Las Vegas gambling his salary away, also my main manager has just gone on paternity leave and has had a little baby girl – baby grace. HAPPY TIMES. This has made the office environment quite jubilant and in the near future baby showers may be in the air. So now most of the managers have disappeared many authoritative decisions have to be made on my own, so a lot more stress is being placed on us which is ok as it makes me feel more part of the team and have more power to make a change within the business. So I will take this opportunity in my placement to show my worth and possibly may give them the idea that they will want keep me when I have finished my studies.

So the end of another blog, a couple of nice activities coming up, I am going to see the Tempest at the theatre. I realised that I quite like theatre and it makes you look quite intellectual which is also a plus point. Will be bank holiday’s again soon and I may have a cheeky couple of days away if the weather is nice and my wallet is singing. My girlfriend is quite stressed with the workload of university it is the worse months I think of uni – April and May. At this time I am glad I am not there!!

Bye.

Find out what our Guest Bloggers are getting up to. Throughtout the year we will be following the progress of our Guest Bloggers as they find a placement or keep us updated as to what they are doing on their placement. Click here to read all entries from our bloggers or click here to meet them.

Ok so we are back from Easter, which was a great little few days off even if all I did was sit around eating chocolates, drinking beer and doing very little else.

What’s going on in the world of Outokumpu I hear you ask, well me and one of the other placement students at a different site suggested a big one off 11 a-side football game, me to set up one team here at Distribution and him to set up a team down at SMACC which is the site he is working at. That’s all been arranged now, the team is pretty much sorted, Ben Duffy included (Superstar winger) with me upfront (Superstar Striker). This match is happening on the 6th of May and it may take a last gasp winner or a 40-yard screamer to settle things. I’ll let you all know how that goes anyways, it should be good though and everyone seems pretty excited. Its health and safety week at work this week, exciting stuff I know!! Everyday there are a number of sessions people can attend such as ‘Learn to Salsa’ and ‘Fire extinguisher Master Class’. I haven’t decided which ones I am attending yet as I was not around when we were told to book the sessions we wanted to attend, but i’m sure I will head down to a few, see what they are all about.

Nesting is still pretty much the same. Nothing wild or exciting to report back on that, just the same monotonous job day in day out and even after asking my manager if I could do something different for a few weeks (and him agreeing) nothing has happened. After reading Ben’s last blog saying make sure you stick your head out and get involved, its seems here as much as I try, nothing ever comes of it. So in your job interview make sure you know exactly what is expected of you and that the management cares about your experience, because if I had not fallen for a well written job description and asked a lot more questions about what opportunities are available to me, I would have chosen somewhere much better to work than Outokumpu.

So expensive month for me unfortunately, just booked a holiday, following in Ben’s footsteps, going to Zante, but I’m going September though so it’s a little cheaper meaning more money to spend on alcohol when I get there. Got my car tax due and have to buy the girlfriends 21st present, so bring on payday!!

The wonderful world of Google informs me that some people eat theres fried, some three at a time, others have them in a McFlurry or on a sandwich (eww). Slightly more traditionally I like to bite off the top and scoop out the inside, Ollie gives them a little nibble, Chris definitely has a ‘hole’ in one and Ali has a Butler bring his to the table in a silver egg cup with the top sliced off so he can dip flapjack soldiers in.

Incase you haven’t already guessed we’re talking about Cadbury’s Creme Eggs!

This blog is written as a testiment to our Easter Spirit; we recently sent via first class post over 200 Creme Eggs to our lovely friends at rec-ad agencies around the country.

Lucky for us, the Royal Mail came up trumps and delivered them in one piece and in quick time.

So, we would like to know ‘How do you eat yours?’

As a young company we want to keep our finger on the pulse; therefore we have to make sure we adapt to all new media and social networking crazes and figure out how we can use them to provide you guys with key information on Internships, Placements and Work Experience.

In light of this we are not only re-developing and updating our Facebook groups and fan pages, but we have ventured on to Twitter and a second introduction for the day is required. Welcome to Student_Jobs

For those of who who haven’t heard of Twitter before now, officially it “is a free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time”. Between you and me that means the ability to follow (stalk in some cases) celebrities, presenters, comedians and to have a general nose into their daily lives.

Twitter also gives you the opportunity to follow us Student_Jobs to make sure you receive daily news on upcoming opportunities and deadlines, guest bloggers to the site and new employer reviews. We can help you stay one step ahead of the game…and the competition.

So, what are you waiting for add Student_Jobs to your Twitter and add RateMyPlacement on Facebook. See you soon!

Exciting times for RateMyPlacement.co.uk at the moment…

Not only did we get a delivery of 3 large boxes of Nestle treats the other day (see photo) but almost as exciting, Cara Redford started as our first ever employee.

Cara comes in as our Student Marketing Manager, essentially making sure the website is better known to students and university staff on campus during 2009 and beyond. Cara was a student at University of Central Lancashire and then spent 9 months working as “Campus Cara” for a London Marketing Agency, so already knows a thing or two about life as a student.

Cara lists her interests as travelling, shopping and eating – apart from the travelling and shopping she will fit right in…

If you are interested in becoming a Campus Rep or you work within the university you should be hearing from Cara soon, however if you can’t wait that long you can email her on cara[at]ratemyplacement.co.uk

Find out what our Guest Bloggers are getting up to. Throughtout the year we will be following the progress of our Guest Bloggers as they find a placement or keep us updated as to what they are doing on their placement. Click here to read all entries from our bloggers or click here to meet them.

Hi Everybody,

Well it’s Easter time and my Easter eggs are piling up, and I am looking forward to vegging out on chocolate. As well as having a nice little break from my placement and just chillaxing. So I expect many of you are finalising your placement details and finishing your essays and preparing for your exams, during my time here on placement I have realised that it is a valuable part of the degree. As I have learnt more about the working life than anything I have learnt in a book, yes it is true that some placements are a bit boring but you are just a bit part in the company. If you want to make something of the placement stick your head out get noticed, be active, be responsible and basically get your head in everything you can. As soon as you start to learn the skills, your peers will be able to trust you and therefore give you more responsibilities, but if you sit in shadows and get on with it they are going to think you are not capable and not give you anything to do, as it is their ass on the line realistically not yours!

It’s been a busy couple of weeks, but things are starting to become more settled or I am becoming more natural in my job role. One of my manager’s has just gone a nice little break to Las Vegas (3 weeks) so now I have been promoted to PFS Manager (Precision Feed Stock) as I am the only person in the office who knows how to do the work basically. But this will be a good challenge for me and will look good in the essay I have to write at the end of the year, as it shows good progression from knowing nothing about stainless steel and starting out as a bit part, to been fully trusted with a whole department and been able to manage the activities of it.

So I have got a few days off of work and I am having a little adventure to Stratford – upon – Avon, maybe have a spot to eat, watch a little theatre and enjoy the high life of been an executive. I hope everyone enjoys there Easter break and I will speak to you all soon!!

Bye bye

Below is a random, but quality email we got from Frank Meanbest (I’m guessing it’s a fake name….) Definately worth a post though, and maybe a viral campaign.

I am writing not only to congratulate you for creating such a wonderful website but also to extend the offer of a friendly ear of a fellow basement lover should you ever need some advice or guidance.

At the ripe old age of 73 I think you will agree my days of rating basements are well over. I have however maintained a casual interest in basements since my retirement in 1998, an interest that I have held since boyhood. During the course of my career as a Basement Ratings Officer I became a fellow of both the RICBS (Royal Institute of Chartered Basement Surveyors), and the NFBR (National Federation of Basement Raters) and was lucky enough to travel the world as a basement ratings expert. I spent six years working for Ace Substructures in Abu Dhabi as chief basement ratings officer to the royal family. This involved the careful grading of the entire portfolio of the royal family’s basements, ranging from 5* gold plated games rooms right down to upgradeable dingy cess pools but I had non-stop fun the entire six years.

Enclosed with this letter is a picture of my basement at home in Surrey, I know a man of your stature will appreciate the subtle beauty and sensual functionality of this marvellous space. I suppose that is the underlying motive for this letter really; to gain approval from one of the most respected and decorated basement raters in the world of my personal foray into basement creation.

I would be ever so grateful if you could cast your eye over the enclosed photo and offer some feedback.

I have to admit that I have been slow to embrace the technological advances of the last ten years and as such, only now do I find myself enjoying the vast knowledge pool the World Wide Web affords us. During a recent surfing session it was to my delight that I discovered your website, ratemybasement.com; it is comforting and refreshing to come across a fellow basement lover, we are after all a rare breed!

In the weeks that have followed since my discovery of RMB I have particularly enjoyed your articles on basement care and I was overjoyed to read “Gaining a Basement in the Current Economic Market”, also very informative were “Basements: Storage or Living Space? and “A Critical Analysis The Availability of City Basements”.

My opinion is that basements will become increasing rare as the economy depresses and those with decent basements will do exceptionally well to hold onto them bearing in mind that all and sundry are prepared to pay astronomical amounts of money for sub-surface space. The basement ratings market however is likely to go through the roof as more and more people want simple, no-nonsense, impartial basement grading.

Anyway, I digress I wonder if you would be so kind as to send me some pictures of your top ten basements, “The Hot Ten”; along with an autograph from you and the lads. It would go a long way to making an old man happy!

Yours Sincerely,

Dr. Frank Meanbest Esq. BA (Hons) . FRICBS

 

Series 2 of the new comedy The Inbetweeners is out and showing on E4 every Thursday… As a big fan of the show – which is all about four school students and their trials and tribulations growing up – I was sent a preview of the second episode out this Thursday… all about work placements, which gave me an excuse to stick it on the blog…

Here’s a 1 minute preview from The InBetweeners fan page on Facebook… Highly recommended comedy!

The Inbetweeners - highly recommended comedy!

Find out what our Guest Bloggers are getting up to. Throughtout the year we will be following the progress of our Guest Bloggers as they find a placement or keep us updated as to what they are doing on their placement. Click here to read all entries from our bloggers or click here to meet them.

So I’m now 21 and still feel exactly the same as when I was 20. Had a great little week though, firstly got my office spruced up by some of the other placement students and then had a mini party in the canteen, then I had half the week off and went back home.

I’ve been skiing and on Saturday went paintballing, which proved to be a very painful experience! Especially as I had to wear a bright white jumpsuit with a huge target on the back, coupled together with being placed in a shooting range at the end with everyone shooting me from right close range! Then it was on to the night out with people which was good, and I managed to get home ok, which is quite impressive for me when at my mates 21st I was sent home early in a taxi, thought that for my own birthday I may end up in a hospital but I survived.

Work has again been chugging along slowly, I don’t really have the stress that Ben has as I do not have to deal with the customers, although it’s slightly aggravating when I do my job and then Ben phones me up to say “actually don’t do it because its wrong” at which point the paperwork has already gone out and the guys on the shop floor are just about to start the laser up, thankfully I got there just in time to grab the paperwork off them and tell then not to fire anything up, close shave that one.

I have my finish date now, the 26th of June so only 3 months to go and I can’t wait for summer, my last one before I have to start a career, scary stuff, especially as I’m still no closer to knowing what career I want.

This year has certainly been useful and will look good on my CV but it is not a job I wish to go into as it is too monotonous, I really want something when the product is a lot more bespoke, and not just steel each and every time as this would mean doing something different week in week out, which is something which I would enjoy. The clocks have now gone forward as we all know so its still light when I get home from work, which is good although my body is well confused thinking it should be far earlier than it actually is in the evenings, but its all good, the BBQ will be out soon so good times!