brick mason

quantity surveyor

apprentice

customer care coordinator

site manager

Persimmon Homes

I was given a development of 28 plots to sell off plan.  The development proved very popular.

My weekends were taken up with appointments for people to view the show home and then to spend time with them afterwards  answering any queries they had regarding the properties, making sure they had all literature to take away with them if they were happy to do so take a reservation from them for whichever plot they wanted.

At my busiest time I could probably have about 35 to 40 visitors in one day, which is quite a lot for one person to deal with but I really enjoyed the challenge.

I usually worked on my own but did ask for extra support on a few occasions when the diary was quite full and I knew that there would be quite a few 'drop in' visitors.

During the week it was generally a bit quieter and this gave me the opportunity to make sure that all the paperwork was in order.  Raise any orders for carpeting, extra tiling etc that purchasers may require for their properties.

The most enjoyable part of the job was meeting people and being able to offer them what they wanted. As a large percentage of my purchasers were first time buyers it made the whole experience even more enjoyable and it was wonderful to get the very positive feedback from them when they picked up the keys and went into their completed property for the first time.

I think that I have learnt how emotional it is for somebody buying a property whether first, second or first time purchaser.  On a practical level I feel that I have certainly learnt a lot about the building of houses and also how the relationship between the sales team and the site team works.

I found my managers to be very supportive and always at the end of the phone should I have a query or should one of my customers have a query or if I needed further training on in certain areas. If my managers were not available I would ring another sales office to get some advice and found the other sales ladies to be very helpful and knowledgeable.

My typical day involves liaising with our construction teams and subcontractors, ensuring all works required for successful and timely delivery of high-quality homes are quoted and authorised. Alongside this, I work closely with other teams in the business including our accounts team for processing payments, our technical team for value engineering assessments, or our customer care team for arranging necessary remedial works.

I started as an Assistant Quantity Surveyor just over 14 months ago and in that time I familiarised myself with established procedure and systems and have since been promoted to Quantity Surveyor. 
It’s an intense environment in the commercial team of one of the country’s largest house builders but it’s been incredibly rewarding in the early stages of my career - I feel I’ve got as much out of it as I’ve put into it. 

I have come across some great professionals here and I’ve also gained an understanding of the impact a surveyor can have on a business.

I enjoy just about every aspect of my role but this is only possible with a focus on organisation and time management. The most difficult part of the job is justifying costs you’ve authorised and paid in your valuation but so long as you’re confident in your reasoning, you’ll have done your job well. 

One thing to know about Persimmon is that your experience depends entirely on which office you are based in. There are over 25 different offices across the country and the culture and dynamics are different in each of them. This makes reviewing Persimmon as a whole very difficult.

The Persimmon Graduate Scheme was very enjoyable and gave me invaluable insight into every aspect of how a Persimmon Operating Company functions. The small annual intake of Graduates enables the scheme to be very bespoke and tailored to individual needs. However, this also means that you have to work hard to shape your own path, being proactive and having limited reliance on the scheme leaders. The support available during and after the scheme was excellent. Additionally, there have been many amazing opportunities since leaving the graduate scheme. 

As an alumni of the scheme, you still get invited to Graduate events and are included in the Buddy system to act as a mentor to other graduates.

A typical day at work would be varied and the work itself was somewhat enjoyable however management was extremely poor. There was little to no support in place for me when I was going through a difficult period of my life they chastised me for it and I felt personally victimized by their comments towards my personality.
I would consider doing this job again if only under different management.
The staff  I worked with were nice enough though a lot of them had been working there for many years so the culture was not very varied. 
I noticed also within the legal team that men were treated very poorly in particular, I'm not sure if I might've been reading into things a little too much but it came across like this to me.
Conversations in the office were fairly muted, but that was more to do with the size of the workload each Conveyancer had.
Whilst working at Persimmon legal there was not a case management system in place, which is crazy considering how big of a company this is.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Poor management at all levels. Greed is main engine in this company. They don't care about anyone and anything. The most important for them is customer's YES on the survey and then no care for them. Don't buy from them any house. Poor quality is everything.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I was discriminated. Not equality opportunities for all operatives.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Stress. Rushing and pushing. Management is care about only for their promotion. No one appreciates your efforts.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Rushing for customer, getting phone calls with questions where are you, did you finish, I have another job for you, zip your mouth with the customer, don't tell anything about the company, don't advise the customer, try to take positive feedback for Trust pilot because our rating is too low and ect.

My typical day at work, I will arrive at our regional head office and  carry out a number of different tasks throughout the morning, this can be from reviewing sales data from the previous week & setting goals for the sales team to assist in meeting their targets. At around 10am, I will then travel to a development for the rest of the day, where I will assist the sales advisers with any challenges they are facing and provide guidance where required. I started as a Trainee sales adviser in 2014 and was based at a development in Bradwell selling the new homes, I was promoted to Assistant Field Sales Manager in 2018 & progressed to senior sales Manger in 2021.
One of the best things about my job is the opportunity to lead and motivate my team to success, I absolutely love seeing my team members excel in their role and take great joy in rewarding them. I love being part of the reason why the business continues to grow and am extremely grateful for the opportunities I have achieved to date.

Once I arrive I check that the forklift is working correctly. I then load out the bricklayers, carpenter, Plasterers, scaffolds' with material they need. I've learned that different trades have to be given their materials so now I know who to serve first and so on.
I will have a break at 10,30 for half an hour and then start again.
The management changes so often. Their are some managers that definitely know what should be done they will tell me which houses have to be done to reach target.
The hardest part of the job is when I have a manager that will not listen to when Im asking for another forklift driver because there are treble the work force because time is running out.
The enjoyable part is that the trades will have a laugh with you and pull your leg. Also when im trying to serve all the trades which have trebled they are really patient. I've done this job for many years and I fully enjoy my work I have also got many other skills to enhance it

Persimmon is a very fast paced/ results driven company. The sales advisor role is the least recognised/rated in the company. It is also a low paid roll compared to other house builders.  You are not included in their private health care scheme as they don't pay the poor wee sales advisors enough. The world is expected of you and mystery shoppers are out in force - with wage/pressure completely out of balance. Management look run down but are friendly.  You are constantly grilled about every person who walks into your sales office. Heaven forbid you miss putting a new visitor onto the system. It is a lot of pressure for floaters and trainees who really feel the pressure with a very low pay in return. Not s great company to work for if you are sales advisor. 

started collage as a 16 year old also managed to get a apprenticeship with persimmon homes it was a dream job for me and i loved every minute of it. i was very lucky to cover all aspects of carpentry and joinery during my 3 year apprenticeship completing things such as first fix second fix roof trusses and joists.also managed to construct numerous timber frame flats working as a team with other carpenters to a high standard the hardest part of my job was taking a lot of information in and completing the work based evidence to receive my qualifications,the most enjoyable part was handing over a house or block of flats knowing how happy the costumers were and seeing the finished product .

Selling New Homes is fun. It has it's challenges, but if you can have a good understanding with the site management team life can be very very enjoyable.
Getting deals exchanged on time was sometimes difficult.Because of my estate agency experience I always phoned any agent involved in a chain with us to introduce myself and talk about deadlines.This call enabled me to build a relationship with the agent which sometimes meant we could keep a deal together by working together.
I learnt that in the New Homes world it is crucial to have a good relationship with a mortgage broker and a firm of solicitors. With deadlines to meet we need clear information from brokers and solicitors.
I had a good relationship with my line mangers.
A really enjoyable part of the job was seeing the excitement on buyers faces on Completion day.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Brick mason 9 salaries reported	£15,648 per year
Quantity surveyor 2 salaries reported	£42,500 per year
Apprentice 2 salaries reported	£15,514 per year
Customer care coordinator 3 salaries reported	£25,500 per year
Site manager 2 salaries reported	£27,691 per year

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