Apprentice Receptionist and Admin Assistant Review

by University of Oxford

Best Apprenticeship Employer

Rating

9.2/10

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

I am mainly based at the Reception desk, letting in visitors to the department, monitoring emails and answering the phone. As admin assistant, I also help the different areas of the team with their admin so doing a bit for for HR, Admissions and IT. This also includes recruitment work and setting up events.

10/10

2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

I have built on my pre existing skills using Microsoft Office but have also learnt some new ones such as how to use the recruitment system, how to raise a purchasing order and lots of various university specific processes. It also has helped me build confidence in meeting new people.

10/10

3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

I am really enjoy it so far - more so the job experience than the college work as much as I love academic tasks. I have found the college to be disorganised compared to the university so maybe they could improve on this going forward. I still think it is the best way for me to learn.

8/10

4. How well organised/structured is your programme?

As stated previously, I have found the college side of things to be quite disorganised and it has taken a while to get into the swing of things because of this. On one hand this has helped me settle more into the job role as it has had to be my focus.

7/10

5. How much support do you receive from your employer?

My employer is amazing - they have been really understanding of any help I’ve needed and have always been full of praise when I’ve completed a task. Everyone I’ve met at work has been so friendly and welcoming, genuinely interested in helping me learn and progress in the role.

10/10

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

They always ensure I have the national standard of 6 hours off the job time to complete any training or coursework. I can always openly communicate with them if I feel I am falling behind in any way and they arrange extra time for me to focus on my studies.

10/10

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

If I am ever unsure about a process they are happy to help walk me through it. They also think of new things to train me in to make sure the course stays fresh and that I am learning as much as I can. They help me feel passionate about the role.

10/10

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

I have actually become an Apprentice Ambassador which is a network and I get to go to various events at schools, job fairs etc to help spread the word about apprenticeships to young people. It has been really fun so far and has given me a strong sense of pride about my role.

9/10

9a. Would you recommend University of Oxford to a friend?

Yes

9b. Why?

There are so many great benefits available to all staff - including apprentices! They are so flexible with my childcare which was a bit worry for me and they have an amazing sick pay scheme, discounts for travel, very generous holiday allowance more so than other places. They also pay apprentices minimum living wage which is amazing as many don’t.

10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to University of Oxford?

Remember to present yourself as eager to learn - if you act like you know everything they won’t see that you have a drive to learn new things and you might be likely to cover up mistakes and avoid asking for help. We are all human and as long as we do better going forward it’s okay to present this way.