Student Employment Services (SES) - Recruitment and Employment Agency specialising in student and graduate placements, internships and apprenticeships, graduate jobs, student jobs, placement job, paid job, summer jobs, career advice

Not knowing what graduate scheme would suit me best, I wanted to gain some broader experiences in areas in which I felt may interest me as a future career, such as Products & Marketing. Working for an established and successful retail bank would not only help me discover my desired career path, but also allow me to gain some valuable experiences which would improve my job prospects for the future.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my time at NAG and would encourage students interested in banking to consider it.

I would recommend SES on the basis that there are some very good employment opportunities on offer for undergraduates and graduates alike. They have also managed all the communications and administration very efficiently. So no criticism there!

Rory Maccabe, completed a 12 month placement with National Australia Group

I was attracted to this placement as I wanted to gain relevant and practical experience, and apply the things I’d been taught at university to real life situations. I also thought that a placement year would help me to acquire skills and knowledge that would give me a better chance of applying for jobs in the future.

I enjoyed the responsibility involved in my post at Thompson Reuters and have gained confidence dealing with a wide diversity of clients. I really feel that I made a valuable contribution in my role.

SES provided a great deal of support. They were responsible for our contracts documentation, holidays, monthly salaries and payslips, and dealt with any problems promptly.

Joy Chukwu completed a 12 month placement as an IT analyst with Thomson Reuters

My placement lasts for a year and it takes place at Commerzbank AG in London in the Corporates and Markets Department in the Financial Institutions Marketing team. The team covers institutional clients for Structured Products (Equity, Commodity and Fund Derivatives).

The main responsibilities of the role are primarily to support members of the team with such things as putting together term sheets, marketing presentations and, coming up with the structuring teams, product ideas and themes.

One good thing about SES is the fact that they offer a wide range of placements and, nonetheless offer great opportunities for students to earn experience in areas where they want to work in the long-term.

Julia Osoianu, University of Plymouth (undergraduate)

My placement is with Westminster City Council. It was supposed to have lasted for one year, but my contract has been extended so the duration of my placement is coming up to two years. When I first started the placement I was just completing my portfolio. But now I have completed and passed it, along with the professional interview, but am waiting to find out if I have passed the professional exam and graduate from my MSc course.

I have been working with Westminster’s Food Safety Team and have been allocated my own reactive cases to investigate. Once I am fully qualified I will be able to carryout fully programmed Food Hygiene inspections inside restaurants and not just investigate reactive cases. I have thoroughly enjoyed doing the placement. Everyday has been different and I have had the opportunity to work with very talented and experienced officers that have been very accommodating.

I found that SES was really easy to get into contact with, if ever I had a query. I also found that they were very quick to action any requests that I had.

Christine Le Blanc, Kings College London

I wanted a placement with an investment bank in order to gain experience in a trading room, if possible as a structure. When the opportunity with Commerzbank appeared, it was perfect for me.

I am part of the Exotic Equities Structuring team, which means I create financial products designed to satisfy the clients’ demands. Moreover, I am involved in the preparation of presentations. I am learning really fast, interacting with traders and sales, and am really enjoying the experience. In addition, my teammates are very friendly and always available.

I can only think of advantages regarding my situation, since SES took care of everything for me from the establishment of the contract. Once in London they check regularly that I am enjoying my placement and they answer all the questions I had really fast.

Fabrice Pineau, CommerzBank