Policy and communications assistant Review

Item: Policy and communications assistant at Financial Ombudsman Service
Rating: 4.4
Author: Anonymous

at Financial Ombudsman Service

Higher Level Apprenticeship

Finance

Canary Wharf

Review Submitted: May 2021

Overall Rating

4.4 /5

The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!

4.5/5 - Overview of Role

4/5 - Skills Development

4/5 - Structure and Support

Overview of Role

Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

4/5

My typical jobs include scoring our media coverage, writing our weekly coverage report, answering enquiries from journalists and writing our daily media enquiries email.

To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

5/5

I am thoroughly enjoying my programme. Being able to learn on the job is a great way to gain experience and it allows me to not only develop my understanding of the team I am working in but also the surrounding teams in my department.

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

4/5

During my time in my job role, I have developed my written communication. This has been done through answering the enquiries from journalists and by writing our daily media enquiries email. I have also developed my organisational skills.

Structure and Support

How well organised/structured is your programme?

4/5

My programme is structured very well. Every month I have a workshop which is spilt into two parts. After this workshop I will also have a 1-2-1 coaching session with my ADC to answer any questions I have and to go over what I have done in the past month.

How much support do you receive from your employer?

5/5

I receive a lot of support from my employer. Every week I will have a 1-2-1 session with my manager, where I am able to express any concerns I may have. I also receive a lot of support from the colleagues in my team.

How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

4/5

I receive a lot of support from my training provider. As stated previously, I have a monthly 1-2-1 session with my ADC. I also know that I can contact my ADC at any point if I have any questions or if I am struggling with my assignments.

How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

4/5

I am learning key skills, like pitching to journalists or using a media database, in my apprenticeship workshops, which I am then able to apply to my job role. This means that when I have to use this skill in my role, I already feel comfortable in doing so.

Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

3/5

I am currently working from home, however, when I start to go into the office, this is something I would want to do.

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend Financial Ombudsman Service to a friend?

Yes

Why?

The Financial Ombudsman Service has provided me with a great deal of support, not only for my new job role but for helping me to accommodate to the new environment of working from home.