PERSONAL PROFILE

Name: Tom Walker

University & Course: University College of Estate Management

Real estate management/valuation pathway: Development 

Tom Walker delves into his past 6 months as a Savills Apprentice in the Birmingham development team.

BACKGROUND

I completed my A-Levels in 2016, at which point I knew about the Savills apprenticeship but applications had closed. Despite having offers from both the University of The West of England and the University of Portsmouth to study Property development and Planning, I deferred my place for a year. I spent a year working in a local estate agent as I thought this would be a great point to have on my CV for future life and also to gain some experience of meeting clients, the property market, and negotiating sales - I even managed to get some deals done! I used this year to focus on my Savills application to make sure I had the best possible chance in securing a place onto the apprenticeship scheme.

Alongside my work, I attend both internal and external meetings which all have relevance to projects that I am dealing with. I use these as opportunities to network with clients and colleagues and learn about the job in hand.

day to day

Every working day is different, and I'm constantly learning new aspects of the job and the property industry.

My day in the office starts at 8:30am, after roughly an hours commute. I normally start the day by responding to relevant emails, checking up on the latest property news, and prioritising a list of jobs that need to be done. My work varies from sourcing comparable sales data, producing marketing reports, running valuations on schemes, conducting viewings on development sites/site visits, assisting on agency instructions and catching up with any university work that needs attention.

Alongside my work, I attend both internal and external meetings which all have relevance to projects that I am dealing with. I use these as opportunities to network with clients and colleagues and learn about the job in hand.

what is the best thing about the  apprenticeship?

I enjoy everything, I get to experience a variety of projects which make each day at work exciting and different. I enjoy being part of the wider Savills team where all take passion in their work which motivates me.

OUT OF OFFICE

When I'm not in the office I like to keep active, having been a competitive sailor up to the age of 18 I relish any opportunity to get back on the water. Also being an avid skier I enjoy going skiing as often as I can.

savills as a learning environment

The only hesitation I first had when I joined Savills is the thought of studying part time instead of full time. 6 months in and I think that the apprenticeship scheme is brilliant, I have dedicated times in my diary to study and some of the best professionals in the property industry to learn from. The scheme is a truly great way into the property industry.