Mentoring excellence: How Muse is shaping careers for female work experience students

Encouraging the next generation into property is a challenge, especially when the industry has suffered from a lack of female representation in the past.

Over the last 18 months we have been seeking to make our work experience programme at Muse more accessible and attract a more diverse range of young people to the programme.

Over the last 10 years, there has been a significant change within the industry with more and more females taking leading roles; this has been no doubt assisted by some of the excellent programmes on offer including Mentoring Circle, Women in Property and Ladies in Real Estate.

At Muse we’re proud to be encouraging increased female representation, including Maggie Grogan who was promoted to Managing Director for Muse Midlands and shortlisted for the ‘Most Inspirational Woman in Commercial Development 2023’ at the IWiP Awards. Muse was also accredited as a ‘Great place to work for women 2023’ by Great Place to Work.

For our 2023 work experience programme, I was particularly delighted to receive applications from four female students who got to experience the property industry at Muse in Soho, London.

Hear from some of our placement students below:

Aainea McLean

Aainea studied at the University of Reading and came to Muse via the Pathway to Property which aims to widen access to the real estate profession by raising awareness of and aspirations about the vast range of careers available within the sector.

“I was impressed with the work experience because I was able to understand development more and everyone at Muse was effective in explaining their roles and what they did to get into the property sector. I found it particularly interesting when I visited Stevenage and how the goal is to make Stevenage a more attractive place to live and to fill up the empty spaces as well as the train station. Overall, I really enjoyed being at Muse due to the insightful site visits and the friendly and welcoming environment.”

Bethan Steenhuis

Bethan previously trained as a nurse but decided she wanted a change career and property was something she took an interest in. During Bethan’s week-long placement, she met with many colleagues throughout the business to understand the variety of opportunities available within the property industry.

“Muse is an excellent company to learn about the development sector and future career goals. Not only is everyone kind and welcoming, but they also have a great passion for what they do and are willing to take time out of their day to share their knowledge with you.

“Work experience at Muse is unique because there are so many people to learn from, I had meetings with the marketing department, surveyors, administrators and even spent some time on site at the Lewisham Gateway. I was able to freely ask questions and learn about what part of the industry is best suited to me, I learnt so much during my time there and would highly recommend work experience at Muse.”

Sana Niazi

Sana studied Geography at the University of Cambridge and came to Muse to gain practical industry experience to not only set herself apart but to also exemplify her commitment to professional development.

“My week-long experience with Muse gave me a great insight into the property industry. I had the opportunity to get a feel for both office-based work but also to go out on site visits to see the projects that Muse were working on at the time.

“Attending project meetings gave me insight into the lengthy process that development projects go through. I also had the opportunity to contribute to producing a report on Muse’s sustainable projects that will be published on the company website. This week-long experience reaffirmed my decision in pursuing a career in the build environment industry.”

Holly Horton

Having grown up in Bristol, Holly became aware of Muse through our Wapping Wharf project (which even played a part in some A-level coursework she produced). Because of this, Holly reached out to Muse and enquired about work experience.

“I am currently studying Geography at Bristol University and have a particular interest in social value and sustainability within planning and development I really enjoyed my insightful experience week at Muse! Everyone I had the opportunity to shadow was welcoming and eager to help me explore my interests.

“During my time at Muse, I was able to do a broad range of tasks including site visits with development managers, attend community meetings and various meetings in the London office. This week has really helped me to refine my career focus prior to my final year at university.”

It’s been brilliant to have these inspiring and ambitious young women at Muse over the course of 2023. We can learn so much from inviting new voices and opinions into the development process – including challenging long held views with fresh perspectives.

All of this is assisted by representation, where we have a balanced, diverse and inclusive workforce we will encourage a more diverse range of future voices in our industry.

If you are interested in applying for our 2024 work experience programme please be in touch with a letter telling us why you want to come and work with us: recruitment@museplaces.com