Hey everyone,

Just a quick update from the RateMyPlacement Intern camp!

Well it’s been a pretty manic couple of weeks here at the office with the passing of the Exclusive Summer Intern Party – which was a huge success (one we all really enjoyed, the free cocktails definitely went down a storm).

We have also started planning for the various careers and Fresher’s fairs that we will be visiting on our 2010 Campus tour, if you are around you MUST come along and say HI! In preparation for this both Sam and Alana have been re-designing the Stash (we are determined to look our very best). At the moment we are wrecking our brains trying to think of something to  go on the back of the hoodies. Enter our Facebook competition if you think you’ve got something catchy to offer us…

On to the more serious stuff that has been detrimental to the success of RateMyPlacement… we now have appropriate rules for the M-I-N-E game explained previously by Alana. The girls are refusing to do press ups so have therefore invested in a skipping rope… much to the annoyance of the office downstairs!

The office has also been shocked by the revelation that Amy had never been to Nandos (evidently she has lived a very sheltered life, which the team were happy to rectify…. a few greasy strips of chicken later, Amy was converted).

Topping the sales board this week was Sam, who made his first ever sale! WELL DONE SAM! We are all very proud and relieved that you finally got to ring that bell!

August marks the beginning of the RMP health kick which again is a major event in the RateMyPlacement Calendar, after all, healthy staff are happy staff (Ali keeps telling us this… we don’t believe him… we would rather eat doughnuts!)

Anyway let’s get back to some real work…

The RateMyPlacement Team

Want to know about Employment Law?! Look no further than our guide provided by All About Law

Put Simply…

Employment law covers all matters related to the workplace – whether you work in a small firm or are a cog in a big corporate wheel. Beginning with hiring, it moves through a complete cycle which can end in cessation of employment, voluntary or forced.

Thanks to the ever-changing global scenario, it is a given that Employment Law is always dynamic, jurisdiction-specific and is extensive in its scope and application. One can broadly classify the practice of employment law into two main areas – Non-contentious and Contentious.

Digging in deeper, the non-contentious section can be further sectioned into legislation; rules & regulations; policies & processes to be followed; and governing or regulatory authorities. Contentious employment law, on the other hand will cover breach in compliance with established principles, disputes on a variety of issues such as discrimination, remuneration, career growth, employer negligence & culpability and employee liability, misdemeanour, etc.

Further classification can be done in terms of whether the employment relates to private service, or to public sector work; employer/employee relations, conflicts; and individual versus group/class related matters.

What is involved in Employment Law?

What do you have to do if you want to be an employment lawyer? The obvious first step will be to identify the area in which you want to specialize, look for firms and opportunities where this requirement can be fulfilled. Like the two sides of a coin, employment law is concerned on the one hand with an employee & his rights and obligations; on the other is the employer or work provider, either an individual or a group of people or a large organisation/company; employers’ rights, duties and obligations. Into this equation come matters of legislation, statutory authorities, regulations of conduct and the actual processes through which the law is administered and followed.

A typical work cycle will comprise of hiring resources – advertising of job openings, the recruitment process, new joining formalities, remuneration, promotions/movements of employees, benefits & perks provided, organization restructuring, voluntary exits and litigation amongst many other things. While non-contentious work will be in providing advice, drafting, transactional tasks, and dispute resolution through arbitration and negotiations. Contentious work will cover dismissals, breach of contracts, harassment, redundancy/lay-off, discrimination on grounds of age, sex, religion, disability, age, etc.

Solicitors who represent individuals or a group of employees (a union) where the issue is common to the group; will work on collecting information & research; preparing documentation such as contracts, claims, pleadings, etc; providing advice to clients and conduct negotiations & settlements on behalf of clients.

Lawyers representing employers, on the other hand, will provide advice to companies/institutions on defence against claims, negotiation with employees and/or their unions; HR policies covering all aspects of employment; contractual content on remuneration, early & normal retirements, exits, non-compete clauses, workplace do’s and don’ts, etc.

What is needed for Employment Law?

To practice employment law, a solicitor needs to be agile and adaptable to operate in a constantly changing area, have a clear thought-process, good reasoning, communication and be up to date with the legal & commercial process. You must also have a genuine interest in subject matters on hand. Since this segment involves dealing with the good, the bad and ugly aspects of human nature, it is advantageous to be friendly, empathetic and balanced while handling issues concerning the workplace.

Being a solicitor will allow you to participate fully on the case from start to completion, including advocacy. It is important to remember that the final outcome will depend on the quality and approach you as a solicitor will provide, therefore it is vital that you have a good grounding in interpersonal relationships and have excellent legal research skills.

Current Climate for Employment Law?

New legislation or amendments/supplements to existing laws are a common phenomenon when it comes to employment law. Recent developments include: Introduction of regulations dealing with age discrimination (Employment Equality (Age) Regulations, 2006); employers will need to review their existing policies are in compliance and revise where necessary.

For example, job descriptions where number of years or qualification criteria can be interpreted to show bias/favour towards one set of employees.

To find out more on this and other interesting Law information from All About Law.co.uk click here

Volunteering is a word that many people seem to be scared of. Often, a stigma surrounds the industry, but the question is simple – why?

I will be the first to admit that to begin with, I was completely averse to indulging in Voluntary opportunities. However, as soon as I got one sniff of what there was on offer, I got the bug and couldn’t stop. So why should you get involved? I’ve included a few things below that might just swing your vote!

1. It’s very fun!

Volunteering is actually one of the best ways of meeting new people. If you are planning a weekend sat in front of the TV, relaxed on the sofa, don’t you think it would be more fun to actually get out there and embrace what there is to offer? Maybe restoration work isn’t for you, but what about helping out at a local sports day, or marshalling the London Marathon?

My time spent in volunteering has involved a huge social background – I have spent the day running an Art’s day for young children, with the night spent socialising with fellow volunteers.

1. Volunteering everywhere…

Some people seem to think volunteering involves planting trees. Quite simply, it is so much more.

There are so many different ways to volunteer, particular in the workplace. What a perfect way to learn more about possible roles or build vital contacts that could help you in the future.

As well as this, what about working with local sports teams in coaching, or refereeing? The possibilities really are endless!

1. Career Options

Voluntary work is a great thing to add to your CV. The more you do, the more you can add. As well as this, the skills developed can be applied in all areas of the working world. Did you realise that voluntary work is perhaps one of the most sought after extra curricular activities? A survey carried out by TimeBank through Reed Executive showed that among 200 of the UK’s leading businesses:

• 73% of employers would employ a candidate with volunteering experience over one without
• 94% of employers believe that volunteering can add to skills
• 94% of employees who volunteered to learn new skills had benefited either by getting their first job, improving their salary, or being promoted.

What next…

Whatever you decide to do, you can be sure that Voluntary work really is something special. The reward you get from seeing someone benefit extremely from your help is needless to say, priceless. For more information on Voluntary opportunities, check out you’re University section or these websites below:

Voluntary Worker – Advice on all aspects of Volunteering

Vinspired – Voluntary opportunities for 16 – 25 year olds

The London 2012 Olympics – Be a Games Maker at the upcoming games…

Good Luck!

Top tips for a placement student!

As a placement student myself, I’d like to think I understand the process quite well… from gruelling applications to tricky online tests – it’s not easy! However, I have included some of my top tips below that may just help that little bit!

1. Get the relevant experience

Any extra curricular activities that you can get involved in will be beneficial to add onto your CV and then elaborate on at your interview or assessment centre. Perhaps you have played for a sports team, or you have volunteered at a local event – both show skills such as Team Work, Dedication and Motivation, which will increase your Employability.

2. Start Early

If you are proactive with the application process then you will reap the rewards, so start early to avoid disappointment. Follow the same process you did when applying to University – research the different opportunities available, find industries or roles that you are particularly interested in, then short list your final choices and apply!

3. Know what you want

Although I do feel you should always explore all opportunities, if you are adamant that you do not want to work in a certain area of the country or you can’t afford to live on the wage that the placement is offering, then don’t waste your time applying. It’s a lengthy process as it is and if you know it’s something your not going to go for, concentrate on something that takes your fancy a bit more!

4. Do your research

If you are lucky enough to be invited for a telephone interview or an assessment centre, remember to do your research on the company! It will show that you already have an understanding of what they do and it will help you to portray your interest. It may just be the slight difference that sets you apart from the other candidates!

5. Never give up

It can be very de-motivating when you have applied to more than 20 companies and not succeeded with any of them. My advice would be to never give up. You never know what is around the corner and a lot of it is about being in the right place and the right time.  I have known people that have secured their placement years two days before they were due to return for their final year so remember, those who dare, win!

There it is! My top tips for a placement year… however, it can easily be applied to internships too! What are your thoughts? What are your tips? Feel free to add them below, we would love to hear what you have to say!

We take Rules and Regulations very seriously down at the RMP Headquarters; so much so that yesterday we had Jo doing press ups in the middle of a bar (with a private party) and myself returning to the office to retrieve the skipping rope and proceeding to skip for 10 seconds in the pub. Now I’ll explain the game…

Objective:

To get other people who are playing the game to say the word “mine”.

Rules:

1) Once they say the word “mine” you say “ten” and they have to do ten push ups. (However, some of us are not gifted with guns of steel and therefore a skipping rope was purchased as an alternative option.)

2) To get others to do push ups, you must get them to say the word in its possessive form. (example: mine or not mine)

3) The “mine” must be said in reference to a question previously ask to be required to do push ups.

4) Push ups must be done regardless of where the event occurs or how embarrassing it may be

So, now you know the rules… pass it on and start playing! Remember, you heard it here first at the one and only RateMyPlacement – the office full of fun, fruit and fitness!

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. S11 Launches

Since April we have heavily been involved in the planning for the summer 2011 launch from pricing to final brochure production. For the 2nd edition launch, there were a lot of late changes to the brochure pages prior to sign off and hotels that were featured, this meant that it was a very hectic time for us and the product team. Although it was a great achievement when the brochures were finalised and went to print and showed the hard work paid off!

360s

In May we received feedback from our 360 degree appraisals this was a great way to receive constructive feedback and areas for development from our colleagues. The 360 consisted of 3 sections that identified strengths and weaknesses and also looked at our personal levels of self awareness. We then made action plans with our line managers on how we can look to improve our development areas. This is something that has helped us get the most out of our last couple of months and can use in the future.

Go Karting

For our leaving activity all the placements and Tom, the placement manager went Go Karting. This was a chance to find out who was the new Michael Schumacher!! And everyone’s competitive streak came out! The winners got to stand on the podium to receive their medals. We then went for a feast at the local noodle bar.

Induction Week for new placements

We’ve had a three week crossover period with the new placement students to help them to settle into their new roles. We’ve been involved in the training of systems and day to day tasks. We have tried to think back to when we first started to make it as beneficial as possible for them – it makes us realise how much we have come on in the past year. This Thursday we will be having a welcome/leaving party in London. We’ve had a great year and both feel like we have progressed loads. We would definitely recommend a placement at TUI!! Now to the summer off before final year begins……….

A recent upturn in recruitment for graduates in the finance or accounting sector means more jobs are on the market. However, companies such as PwC and Barclays are looking for people with the right skills as the younger generation become ever more popular.

According to the Evening Standard, “latest job vacancies show a 61.6 per cent annual increase in job opportunities in the sectors, with some 32,000 needing to be filled”.

However, we all know what the common ethos is regarding graduates – floods of them are entering a market that is facing huge economic difficulty. In order to combat the situation, there are a number of skills that you can develop to set you apart from others. What better way to obtain these than through an Internship or Placement?

The Financial Services Skills Council has produced a list of skills most sought after by employers in the respective industries. Do you possess some of these below?

The Financial Services

• Cultural awareness
• Numeracy skills
• Languages
• Analytical Skills
• Understanding clients’ needs

Accounting and finance

• Common sense
• Tolerance
• Team Work
• Communication skills
• IT

No one can ever stop learning and each experience you take part in develops you as a person. It is clear however, that work experience is perhaps the best way to fast track your development, as well as your chance of securing top jobs. If you were ever in doubt about doing an Internship or Placement, my advice would be to do it! It’s a no brainer and unlike graduate jobs, you may only get one chance – it really is now or never!

In a recent article from RI5, the CIPD have put forward proposed ideas for a ‘training wage’. Their view is that interns should be paid just as apprentices are. On the flip side, the National Council for Work Experience feel that if this were to be implemented it would be “fundamentally inadequate and unfair.”

NCWE director Heather Collier believes that their remuneration should be treated similarly to that of other employees, rather than set at apprentice levels.

Heather feels that as “interns don’t usually represent a greater learning curve for employers than most other new members of staff, they should be treated exactly the same as employees, as they’re undertaking work duties.”

“Apprentices, typically aged 16-19, enter their profession after school with the intention of receiving intensive industry training for three years whilst mainly living at home,” she says. “Interns, whether student or graduate, offer businesses much more advanced skills and competencies; are often mature (21+) and have already experienced work; can bring professional/trade qualifications as well as HE learning; and have already invested in their learning and future careers, with many having incurred substantial debts (of £20K+).”

What do you think? Is a ‘training wage’ for interns a step in the right direction or does it contradict the ethos for work experience as a whole?

To read the full article click here.

The RateMyPlacement Team headed down to Kanaloa and began setting up for the night ahead… preparing the party bags, decorating the room and finalising the guestlist… All we had to do then was wait for the interns to leave their offices after a hard day’s work and head over to join us! Every guest received their first drink free and Kanaloa’s happy hour provided half price drinks until 8 o’clock which certainly got the party started! The night was turning into a great success and we were yet to announce the winners of the fantastic prizes we had up for grabs…Razorlight and Westlife tickets to name a few! We hope the lucky winners enjoy their prizes!

All in all, everyone seemed to leave with smiles on their faces, party bags in hand and requesting another event! What more could we ask for?!

Thanks everyone for coming and watch this space for more RateMyPlacement events…

The future of higher education is to be put into question today, when business secretary Vince Cable is expected to announce cuts to the higher education system during his speech at London Southbank University.

These could signal his preference for a graduate tax and two year university degrees as key areas for review when Lord Browne conducts his independent review of student funding.

What do you think…would employers be as impressed by two year degrees? Or is it education on the cheap?

Would you back a graduate tax system that potentially reduces the amount you pay whilst at university, but ensures repayment is more tightly linked to earnings later in life?

I suspect those looking at becoming Doctors, Lawyers or Investment Bankers will have more to say on the issue than Teachers and Social Workers….