I'm looking forward to joining the rural business team later this year. Now feels like the right time to look back and reflect on my first experience in the department.
I joined rural business as a first-year trainee in August 2020, I was delighted to start my traineeship in the practice area that I hoped to qualify into. Despite working from home, I quickly got to know my colleagues on daily Teams calls and learned more than I thought would be possible.
- What do rural trainees do?
Contrary to popular belief, a seat in rural business involves more than wandering around farms in a tweed jacket and wellington boots. In fact, I spent most of my time with the team working from home in my slippers!
The nature of real estate transactions means that as a trainee, you will be given a lot of responsibility from the outset. Within a month, I was responsible for running the sale of a residential property, with appropriate supervision of course. By the end of my eight-month seat I had completed a whole range of transactions, from preparing the lease for a hipster café in Edinburgh to advising a client on the purchase of a forest.
Typical trainee tasks take in all aspects of property transactions, from drafting documents, examining title deeds, to the more practical things like arranging where keys will be left when a transaction completes. The beauty of a seat in Real Estate is that the principles of transactions are (broadly) similar – what changes is the type of property and client, which keeps things interesting.
The rural team do work for a whole range of clients, from investment funds to estate owners and individuals. Throughout my seat I had daily contact with clients by email and over the phone. As someone who loves to chat, this aspect of the role was a real highlight!
- Who would enjoy a seat in rural business?
A seat in rural business would suit anyone who enjoys working as part of a team and communicating directly with clients while being challenged and given responsibility for running transactions. The department as a whole are a very sociable bunch and there are plenty of opportunities to get to know colleagues both in the office and at team social events.
I was encouraged to get involved in client work both within rural and across the wider Real Estate practice area., so the seat is ideal for anyone who enjoys variety in their day.
One of the biggest advantages of a seat in Real Estate is that there are always at least a couple of trainees at any one time. This gives you the opportunity to really get to know your peers and get an insight into the different types of work other teams are doing.
And last but not least, there's the satisfaction of being able to drive past a forest, or pop into a café in Edinburgh and know that you played a part in that business existing.
Apply today for a 2024 traineeship! Fill in our online application form by Monday 8 August 2022.
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Trainee
