The UK’s top placement and internship employers have been announced based on over 2,500 student-written reviews which document real-life experiences across many of the nation’s most prestigious firms.

The third annual ‘Top 50 Placement & Internship Employers’ league table compiled by  student-generated review website RateMyPlacement.co.uk shows professional services firms dominating the top 10.

Barclays Investment Banking arm takes this year’s top spot, having jumped up 13 places from last year’s ranking of 14. Accountancy firm Grant Thornton comes in at number two, closely followed by PwC in third position, whilst Linklaters and Ernst and Young follow to complete the top five. The biggest climb comes from pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline, which was rated 25th in last year’s table and is seventh this year.

New entries in the Top 50 table come from the entertainment and fashion sectors which have broken into the Top 50 Employers table for the first time. Entertainment companies Warner Bros and The Walt Disney Company come in at 37 and 46 respectively with online fashion retailer ASOS making its debut at 44. Other sectors in the table include manufacturing with PSA Peugeot Citroen making its way in at number 39.

When leaving a review, students are encouraged to rate their experience constructively based on 15 questions covering: amount of responsibility given, whether they felt valued by colleagues, impressions of the company overall, training and development opportunities, and transferable skills gained.

Additional factors such as opportunities to socialise with others, cost of living in the area, and company location are also rated to give future students a well-rounded picture of what it would be like to work at that company.

Oliver Sidwell, co-founder at RateMyPlacement commented: “Placement and internships are rewarding experiences which equip students with the skills and confidence they need to enter the world of work. In today’s climate with rising tuition fees, relevant work experience is now a ‘must have’ for employers, so given their increasing significance we think it is important to recognise and showcase the companies that offer the best schemes.

“We pride ourselves on being able to provide students with access to the information they really want to know about a company but are probably not going to find on a corporate website. This unique TripAdvisor style approach to placements and internships ensures students make better informed decisions when placing their first step on the career ladder.”

Jane Clark, head of campus recruitment, corporate and investment banking at Barclays said: “Barclays strives to offer constructive experiences for both internship and placement students, through programmes that provide a real insight into the organisation and allow students to develop their skills and knowledge of the industry. We’re delighted that our programmes have been given such high recognition – to be rated top by the students who have ‘been here and done it’ is a great accolade for us.”

Over 13,000 reviews from 2,000 companies feature on RateMyPlacement.co.uk. Those qualifying for entry into the ‘Top 50 Placement & Internship Employers 2012-2013’ table must employ over 250 people to qualify.

For the full 50 please visit www.ratemyplacement.co.uk/top-employers