Olivia's Experience of Chesterton House

Olivia joined us for a week’s work experience from De Lisle College – here are her thoughts!

I attended Chesterton House Financial Planning, Legal and Accounting Services for work experience from Monday 12th to Friday 16th February. I thought I would come out of each day with numbers, charts and pound signs spinning around my head, but my experience was a very positive and eye-opening outlook on working life, and what it means to be part of a successful, well-oiled team.

If I was asked to describe Chesterton House in three phrases, my first would be:

Homely Atmosphere

When you walk into the 200-year-old building at No. 2 Rectory Place, you feel like you’re entering an area of warm, professional grandeur. As I walked through the door on my first day I was welcomed by a lovely reception team, that offered to make me a drink and showed me to a comfortable seating area. The interior somehow manages to be formal and relaxed at the same time!

As a student, I had never really thought about the financial industry. I originally thought that financial planning was all about money, but after learning what the planners do for their clients I discovered that it was about inspiring people to achieve their goals. It is about gaining a quality of life they didn’t have before, and Chesterton House wants to build relationships with people, forming a family of sorts with their clients. This brings me round to me next phrase to describe Chesterton House:

Friendly & Understanding Staff

My initial expectations were that it was going to be a bit too formal and over-official, however I found that it has been very interesting discovering all the different services they offer. I learned that the main services offered at Chesterton House are Financial Planning, Accounts and Legal, and was given introductions and tours around each department before spending some time working with some of them.

As I was going through each department, it was obvious that everyone was very busy with their daily activities, however people genuinely seemed pleased to see me and took the time to show me what they do.

Hard Working & Knowledgeable

I learned a lot about the behind-the-scenes of financial planning during my time at Chesterton House. I spent most of my time in the Administration department, learning how to book progress meetings with clients, producing the necessary documents and valuation spreadsheets and how the department functions as a team with handovers and the Buddy system.

After this I spent time with Reception, who act as the first point-of-contact with clients. This department help to set the warm, homely atmosphere at Chesterton House by greeting people both face-to-face and over the phone, while also sorting the post, creating the Meetings calendar and keeping the place clean and tidy.

The final department I experienced was Marketing. Anything that promotes the company, whether it is brochures, signs, mailing, banners, websites or the Chesterton House App, is created by this department, while they also write the blog that features on the website. This helps to get the brand across to clients, spreading the message that Chesterton House is a warm, friendly and informative place to go for all your financial planning, accounting and legal needs.

Overall, I had a great time at Chesterton House and definitely learnt a lot – if all work is like this then I’m really looking forward to it!

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