TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[abbiewhitlock03]

@Andrei Radu @Ram Sabaratnam @Amma Usman Hey! I am working on an application which has a cover letter and 7 separate questions. Could you please help me out with how I can make the responses for these questions different? I am finding myself using the same experiences for them and there is a major overlap with the skills part too. I was just wondering what I can do differently to make sure I don't repeat myself in the answers. Thank you!

How do you fill your time outside of work and studying and why? (250)
What positions of responsibilities have you held and what skills have you developed as a result? (250)
What skills have you developed which are transferable to a career as a solicitor? (250)

Hi! I’m not sure if this is Farrer, but I applied for their vac scheme which has similar / same questions and I got to AC. I sort of divided it into:

How do you fill your time outside of work and studying and why? - I spoke about my hobbies and interests (e.g. reading, instruments, sports, extra-curricular etc). I spoke about skills it taught me less here, as the question doesn’t really ask for it and I wanted to save that for the later questions.

What positions of responsibility have you held and what skills have you developed as a result? - things like if you have been on the committee for a society, extra-curricular projects done at uni, working part time jobs, volunteering

What skills have you developed which are transferable - sort of expanding on the above, but relate it to skills a trainee / solicitor needs. So, work experience (law and non-law), university work and maybe balancing priorities (i.e. if u work whilst studying).

There is definitely some overlap, but I just tried to talk about different skills in each. Sorry for jumping in randomly lol!

 

[jojo23]

Another day of nothing from CRS?

 

[Mug Fan]

@Andrei Radu @Ram Sabaratnam @Amma Usman Hey! I am working on an application which has a cover letter and 7 separate questions. Could you please help me out with how I can make the responses for these questions different? I am finding myself using the same experiences for them and there is a major overlap with the skills part too. I was just wondering what I can do differently to make sure I don't repeat myself in the answers. Thank you!

How do you fill your time outside of work and studying and why? (250)
What positions of responsibilities have you held and what skills have you developed as a result? (250)
What skills have you developed which are transferable to a career as a solicitor? (250)

Lol, this is the type of app I get halfway through and say “no, eff that, I don’t actually wanna be a lawyer anyway.”

On the upside there’ll probably only be about 10 applicants that can be bothered to apply!

Good luck.

 

[a3736y]

Thank you! I am a Gold member, however I am unsure about how to access the relevant resources and support (for Path 1), including upcoming live sessions and the Guide. If possible, could you please provide further guidance? (Or perhaps the programme has not quite started yet?) Many thanks!

Would like to know this as well if that's ok. I'm looking at the members page (I'm a Gold member as far as I'm aware) but I couldn't for the life of me find it as well. Thanks so much in advance!

 

[jojo23]

Lol, this is the type of app I get halfway through and say “no, eff that, I don’t actually wanna be a lawyer anyway.”

On the upside there’ll probably only be about 10 applicants that can be bothered to apply!

Good luck.

Hear me out; every response you give will get progressively more passive-aggressive as your frustration builds 🤣🤣

You don't know how many times I've wanted to answer "why law" (or any grad job at this point) with: I want money and im broke (mentally and financially 🤔)

 

[Paul Jules Steullet]

I've been working my way through TCLA's training contract interview question bank and have come across - "Tell me about a time/situation that made you feel emotional"
Is this actually a typical question that interviewers ask??? This seems either super personal or just quite confusing.
Does anyone know the best, professional way to answer a question like this?

Wouldn’t say typical- I’ve never been asked this but it’s similar to other questions I have been asked like tell me about a time you had to deal with disappointment or failure etc. I think the question is looking for how you ultimately handled the situation from a position of strength and emotional maturity. So this could be literally anything- death in the family, failing an exam, falling out with a friend etc. The main thing is to highlight how you managed your emotions- I paused, took a deep breath…..and what actions you took to deal with the underlying issue. For eg staying calm, assessing the situation from a dispassionate perspective, seeking input from someone older or more experienced, maybe researching what needed to be done.

On my GD first interview with GR I was asked how would you deal with harsh verbal feedback on work I had done. I said that ultimately we work in an extremely stressful profession with very high stakes and the reality is that sometimes people aren’t always going to be as polite as we would like them to be. The key I have found to deal with this is to roll with the punches, don’t take things personally, focus on the actual message rather than the delivery. If someone says something that really really bothers or offends me, I have a private conversation with them; we are all human and make mistakes. When I said that I could see both their faces instantly light up.

 

[Jessica Booker]

If I received 125/200, should I have reported it as 62.5% or 63%? I've put 63% in all my applications—would that be considered incorrect, even though it doesn't change my overall percentage? @Jessica Booker or anyone else. And did so for all my modules with a 0.5.

It won’t really matter if your university doesn’t use percentages and if it doesn’t have a round up/round down policy, as it will be clear that it is a 0.5 percentage when calculated manually.

 

[lawstudent2]

I haven’t done premium but I’ve done the commercial awareness course and would recommend it. It’s kept me consistent and also given me an indication of the level of detail I should know for topics. CA is one of those things you could just research forever but this course makes me feel like I know I’m on the right tracks.

okay perfect I might do that instead as that's more what I am looking for, thanks

 

[NJS]

Does anyone know for written exercises in an AC if there could be an instance in which they don't provide any materials? And just ask a question, kinda like an essay? @Jessica Booker have you ever seen something like this?

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Does anyone know if an elevator pitch is usually around something you are passionate about? Or would it be more likely to be something around the firm? Should I prepare for both circumstances?

I would be grateful for any advice please! @Jessica Booker @Andrei Radu @Ram Sabaratnam @Amma Usman

Hiya @acb0410

Great question! From my experience at assessment centres, elevator pitches can vary quite broadly. I've met candidates who've spoken about personal interests, covering topics from fashion trends to ESG policies to sports investments, as well as others who focused specifically on aspects relating to the firm or industry developments. I've personally found it helpful to focus on more commercial subjects or areas where I had strong knowledge and genuine interest (usually issues of regulation and politics/economics). There isn't usually a fixed expectation around the topic, so it’s good to be flexible here. I think the most important thing to remember is that you're not just giving a very short pitch/presentation on a topic, but also that you need to (1) clearly present a viewpoint or proposal in relation to the topic and (2) that your views should be presented in a structured way so that the audience can follow what you're saying in such a short timeframe.

Another thing I'd encourage you to remember is that you may have to field some follow-up questions. During an assessment centre at a US firm, I was pressed to elaborate further, and needed to come up with a concise, structured responses of around 40-60 seconds.

Overall, I'd encourage you to discuss a topic that you're really interested in and, if you can discuss a commercially relevant topic, that's great too. Just make sure you take a view, are structured in your short pitch, and are prepared to answer any follow up questions concisely. Hope that helps and best of luck with the pitch!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Does anyone know for written exercises in an AC if there could be an instance in which they don't provide any materials? And just ask a question, kinda like an essay? @Jessica Booker have you ever seen something like this?

Yes - this is possibly. For instance I have seen written exercises where you are given a topic and you have to write either a “for” or “against” response.

 

[tomsmitg]

Hi, is it appropriate to email a firm after an AC after a week of not hearing to ask when a decision might be made if I have an upcoming deadline to sign for another VS which clashes with that firm? Thanks!

 

[Chris Brown]

Hi, is it appropriate to email a firm after an AC after a week of not hearing to ask when a decision might be made if I have an upcoming deadline to sign for another VS which clashes with that firm? Thanks!

I think it depends on which firm is your top choice. If you prefer the firm which has already offered you a VS, I think it would be better to sign their VS offer sooner rather than later. If your top choice is the firm you haven’t heard back from yet post AC, I think it’s best to sign the VS offer you already have. Once you get the VS offer from the other firm, you can always renege on the first VS offer. However, all of this depends on whether it’s a Spring or Summer VS. If it’s for Spring VS, I think it’s better to act quickly as the schemes start soon. If it is for Spring, it might be a good idea to send an email asking for a rough timeline for decisions post AC. I think @Jessica Booker can give a better answer than this though. 🙂​

 

[Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha]

Any updates from Reed Smith?

 

[lucylul123]

Hi, does anyone know how I can review an application I submitted via the CVMailUK platform? I find it quite easy to do on AllHires, but I can't seem to find a way to do it on CVMail.

 

[Chris Brown]

Hi, does anyone know how I can review an application I submitted via the CVMailUK platform? I find it quite easy to do on AllHires, but I can't seem to find a way to do it on CVMail.

I think you normally have to download the application before you submit it because I don’t think CVMailUK gives the option to review applications once they have been submitted. I had to do this for my Paul Hastings application. 🥲​

 

[A worried graduate]

Just completed the hill Dickinson vi and test, cameras were on throughout test

I think I bombed it 6,6,4,7
Mid for both numerical and verbal

Vi was a bit hard for me as well because it was asking to cover too many sub parts for one broad question in two mins

6,6,4,3 for me so don’t worry too much

Not sure how they graded it

 

[A worried graduate]

Hi, does anyone know how I can review an application I submitted via the CVMailUK platform? I find it quite easy to do on AllHires, but I can't seem to find a way to do it on CVMail.

You can’t

It’s that bad

 

[lucylul123]

I think you normally have to download the application before you submit it because I don’t think CVMailUK gives the option to review applications once they have been submitted. I had to do this for my Paul Hastings application.​

Thanks for letting me know. I just checked my downloads, and luckily, I did download it!!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi, is it appropriate to email a firm after an AC after a week of not hearing to ask when a decision might be made if I have an upcoming deadline to sign for another VS which clashes with that firm? Thanks!

If you have another offer that you need to decide upon, then yes, it’s okay to contact the firm and explain this is why you would appreciate if they could provide an update on your candidacy by X date.