Hi my names Joe, im relatively new to Studentcircle, I applied for an apprenticeship with them and haven’t looked back since joining them! Ive been with Studentcircle for just over 6 months and I’ve got to know the ins and outs of how things work of the Coventry and warwick student property market.
Let me tell you about my highlights so far…
Getting to know the properties In my first couple of weeks Aidan and Alan took me around the properties on viewings and inspections. During this time I learnt and experienced the student lifestyle and accommodation; I also got to know the tenants in our properties. When I got used to the Coventry area, I started to go out on maintenance calls and repair minor issues. This could be something small like pressurizing a boiler to discovering the cause of shower leaks; which really opened my eyes to how involved this job is. When out doing remedial maintenance jobs, I have really got to know the students and landlords. The students I have met are easy going and friendly; you really can talk to them on a personal level which makes the job more enjoyable. However, when talking to landlords it is more of a professional approach as we are managing their properties therefore business is the main topic of conversation.
My first viewing After learning the ropes for a couple of months, I took a group of 5 prospect tenants to see one of our houses in my first independent viewing. I had arranged to meet them at the property, upon arrival I introduced myself to the group. We entered the property and I took them for a personal tour of the house, asking them what they thought of the place and whether they would want anything adding if they were to stay there for the next academic year. After having the discussion about the fees and deposit, one of them asked if they could have shelves installed in their room; which we did for them and we often do similar alterations to help the students feel more at home.
The team We regularly socialise together, we try have one staff night out a month, we even take our office dog Otto. It’s important to get on with your colleagues, and we have a great work/life balance here at Studentcircle, where we are able to socialise together and switch off from the ‘office’. The team is very diverse as we have a mix of male and female staff at all different ages, this makes for a great working atmosphere and the different experience everyone brings to the team helps us to run the office day to day. Overall I have really enjoyed my first 6 months at Studentcircle and feel like I have learnt a lot about how the Student letting industry works, and I look forward to what I am going to learn in the future.