A week at Marriott Harrison as a Summer Vacation Scheme Student
Having had a friend who had previously done a Summer Vacation Scheme at Marriott Harrison and really enjoyed it, I applied for a spot and was accepted. Given the size and expertise of the firm, I was excited to have the opportunity to put my best foot forward.
Rocking up to the firm's brand-new Cheapside office I was quite nervous, but my nerves quickly disappeared once I entered the office. Struck by the friendliness of the firm, I was immediately put at ease. The morning began with me and the other summer vacation schemers meeting with David Strong, who heads up the Venture Capital team and Graham Halliday, who is a partner in the VC team. They provided us with an overview of the week and gave us an opportunity to ask any questions and get to know one another. It immediately set the scene that everyone at Marriott Harrison was approachable.
Throughout the day we were introduced to other members of the team and went out for lunch with a couple of people who were trainees at the time. We were able to ask them questions about their experiences as trainees and it solidified the view that I had formed throughout my first day – Marriott Harrison was a firm that was genuinely interested in getting to know you, no matter your experience.
At the end of day one, we met with Daniel Jacob, the Managing Partner. He introduced himself, asked us questions about who we were, our interests and answered any questions that we had. I had imagined a Managing Partner in a totally different way to how Daniel presented, he was way more friendly, approachable, and interested in us! This culture that I’d describe as ‘people first’, I felt everywhere at Marriott Harrison. No feeling of formal hierarchical barriers to approaching people, and Daniel was leading from the front.
The rest of the week went quickly. There were a few set tasks that we had to do. One was a debate where the summer vacation schemers had to work together to present arguments.
Other than the debate, the week was mostly ours to own. David and Graham encouraged us to seek out the work we were interested in rather than being constrained by a strict schedule. This was quite easy to do as the office is open plan and people are super approachable. Corporate had stood out to me when I was applying for the role, so I approached the VC team and asked them what they were working on. In return, I was sent some tasks to do on a live matter the team was working on. The real-life work gave me a taste of what it would be like as a trainee at Marriott Harrison.
The week went fast and before I knew it, I was coming to the end of my vacation scheme. Reflecting on my time, I felt that I had formed great relationships with the majority of the team and the combination of set activities, social events and doing real work meant that I left feeling like I had maximised my time at Marriott Harrison.
Since accepting my training contract last year, I have felt fully part of the firm. I’ve been invited to every event they’ve had, and I’ve been able to build on the relationships and meet more of the team. It meant that when I started my training role, I felt like I was already a part of the furniture, and like I had never left.
