Rate My Placement - Top Employers Guide 2012/13

In the coming weeks, students up and down the country will begin their placement search in earnest. While some of them will have already identified the companies they plan to apply to, others will be looking for information sources to assist with the decision making process. During the autumn term, my students will come into contact with a number of employers through placement lectures and careers fairs which helps to raise their awareness of some of the opportunities that are available. I also like to run ‘speed-dating’ sessions where returning students are available to share their experiences with placement seekers, providing insight into what it is like to work as an intern within their respective organisations.

While all of this provides a strong grounding to help my students to make informed decisions, I am always receptive to new resources that enhance the provision I offer. One such publication which I am very pleased to distribute to my students comes from Rate My Placement, who has just released the latest version of the Student’s Guide to The Top Placement & Internship Employers. The 2012/13 edition is 164 pages crammed full of advice, industry insights plus all of the details of the companies who were ranked as the Top 50 Placement & Internship Employers.

The table is compiled based upon placement reviews submitted by interns who have worked for the companies, and so this guide is essentially put together by students for students. Rate My Placement co-founder Oliver Sidwell explains the benefit of their giant bank of student placement reviews  - “We pride ourselves on being able to provide students with access to the information they really want to know about a company but are probably not going to find on a corporate website. This unique TripAdvisor style approach to placements and internships ensures students make better informed decisions when placing their first step on the career ladder.”

So which companies are rated by students as the Top Placement & Internship Employers? Well, as the infographic below illustrates, the banking and professional services industries dominate the top 10, with Barclays taking the crown from last year’s winner Grant Thornton. Jane Clark, head of campus recruitment, corporate and investment banking at Barclays said “we’re delighted that our programmes have been given such high recognition - to be rated top by the students who have ‘been here and done it’ is a great accolade for us.”     

Aside from the bigger names, Rate My Placement also include details of the best medium-sized and small to medium-sized employers, which I think is very important as placements within smaller organisations are just as valuable as working for a household name, and in some cases can offer broader experience and levels of responsibility. 

While I'm very happy to promote this publication to my students, it is not without its faults. I would not expect to see too many employers feature from more niche industries such as product design or the creative arts, but for other disciplines there is a dearth of employers in the Top 50. For example, aside from GSK who rank inside the Top 10, plus Cancer Research and Unilever, there is relatively few companies from the scientific industries which comes as a surprise given how many pharmaceutical companies offer placements and internships. Likewise, engineering seems somewhat under represented, with only Cummins, National Grid and BP flying the flag. With that in mind, Mechanical Engineering students may prefer to stick to the Gradcracker toolkit for information and advice more specific to their industry.

Those issues aside, the Guide remains essential reading for students who are looking for placements or internships, particularly from business, numerical or IT courses. Expect to find plenty of copies in your Placement or Careers Service, or if Rate My Placement are attending your Freshers' Fair be sure to say hello and grab yourself a guide. If you can't wait for a hard copy and want to check it out now, you can view the guide below.