TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[pleasepleaseplease]

Did mine middle of december and got the ac invite late jan. I believe they are holding ACs right through until the middle of march so I hold out hope!

thank you so much! that does provide some relief. all the best with your AC!

 

[BobThebIlly]

Hi everyone, I signed up for the TCLA Premium Gold subscription today, but I'm having trouble locating the example application answers. Could anyone guide me on where to find them? Thanks!

 

[TonyStark]

Yes - although I’d wait until your vacation scheme to ask for this and you can ask graduated recruitment directly while on the scheme. Again, they may not provide it - but there is no harm in asking.

That makes sense, thank you

 

[SamiyaJ]

Patiently waiting for PW to shatter my dreams like..

 

[law121]

Anyone hear back from mayer brown post AC for spring ?

 

[latome19]

Every firm is different… Based off of what this person has said and they were still rejected it seems as though P,W are taking a different approach no?​

I think the person who got a PFO said they think they got rejected because of their sjt

If you're trying to say that other firms, for some reason, prioritise extra-curricular over test results, I don't see why you would think that, tbh

Similarly, with Paul, Weiss, I feel that thinking that you will definitely get an AC invite because you were invited to their open day is equally flawed

 

[slot123]

Hi I was wondering if anyone has heard back from the Milbank AC's yet?

 

[MaryAra299]

And as expected just received PFO for PW. So surprised to see many people with higher scores receiving it. What do they want?

 

[dlc3266]

Does PW tend to send all emails in the same day but staggered, like with the SJT? Can we expect to receive all PFOs today

 

[confusedbird]

Hi @Jessica Booker @Andrei Radu and actually anyone else who might have opinions on this:

I received a feedback call after being rejected post-AC today. They said I performed well in other areas but not so much in the interview. They pointed out a few areas of improvement which I was grateful for but I am left confused because of its contradictory nature:

1. Building a rapport - they said that I had failed to build a rapport with the interviewers and this left me confused because my interview ended with the partner talking about his life outside of work and his wife's work (this was in no way connected to my question and he had no reason to feel the need to tell me aside from just wanting to). While I was leaving the office, I had a chat with the receptionist and we were just exchanging pleasantries when she offered to look up all the people I had interacted with on the day and tell me what she could - She was surprised that I got the Partner to talk about his personal life because it was way more than what she had gotten out of him.
Additionally, they said building a rapport is very important as they are a people business and it is an essential ingredient in relationship building. This is what confuses me more because they said that I had done very well in the other exercises and my relationship building skills clearly shined through.

2. Detail Orientation - They said I fell below the mark for this and advised me to structure my answers in a manner that has sufficient detail and thoroughly and properly answered the interviewers' questions. I asked them for an example for the same because I believed my answers were sufficiently detailed. The example question they chose for me was not relevant to my situation and I told them that I had done what they expected and more in the interview. Since I was confused, I asked if they could give me more direction but they simply said "oh! well unfortunately we can't go into other questions at this time".
There was also the fact that my interview lasted exactly for the duration scheduled and I have a habit of asking if they would like me to go into more detail for questions where I felt more elaboration could help. I was reassured that wasn't needed and my answer had properly addressed the question.
Additionally, they pointed out my detail-oriented nature as a strength in the other aspect of the day.

3. They mentioned a scenario question in passing because I asked for more areas I could improve and they believed I could have performed better in that question whereas in the interview I was told I answered parts of the question they thought I might miss and gave me an impressed look.

I left at 3am for this AC and did a uni exam on my way back. I honestly would appreciate any input someone might have as to how I could improve (if I have the chance to) in the future. I genuinely just want to see where I went wrong or if I'm missing something.

I'm sorry for the long post but just feeling a little defeated and feeling my RSD kick-in making things worse😞

 

[legal18]

That’s really annoying! it seems as though most scored quite badly on the test so that wouldn’t be fair if they focused on that😭

Do/did you do any extra curricular that wasn’t focus on eduction or career building etc? As I found that many at my ACs were all the same… high achievers standard committee positions on law, finance, commercial societies etc. All great things to do btw but no one stood out Imo. congrats for getting on the in person open day!!😆​

Hockey

 

[simplyfaith]

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker @Andrei Radu and actually anyone else who might have opinions on this:

I received a feedback call after being rejected post-AC today. They said I performed well in other areas but not so much in the interview. They pointed out a few areas of improvement which I was grateful for but I am left confused because of its contradictory nature:

1. Building a rapport - they said that I had failed to build a rapport with the interviewers and this left me confused because my interview ended with the partner talking about his life outside of work and his wife's work (this was in no way connected to my question and he had no reason to feel the need to tell me aside from just wanting to). While I was leaving the office, I had a chat with the receptionist and we were just exchanging pleasantries when she offered to look up all the people I had interacted with on the day and tell me what she could - She was surprised that I got the Partner to talk about his personal life because it was way more than what she had gotten out of him.
Additionally, they said building a rapport is very important as they are a people business and it is an essential ingredient in relationship building. This is what confuses me more because they said that I had done very well in the other exercises and my relationship building skills clearly shined through.

2. Detail Orientation - They said I fell below the mark for this and advised me to structure my answers in a manner that has sufficient detail and thoroughly and properly answered the interviewers' questions. I asked them for an example for the same because I believed my answers were sufficiently detailed. The example question they chose for me was not relevant to my situation and I told them that I had done what they expected and more in the interview. Since I was confused, I asked if they could give me more direction but they simply said "oh! well unfortunately we can't go into other questions at this time".
There was also the fact that my interview lasted exactly for the duration scheduled and I have a habit of asking if they would like me to go into more detail for questions where I felt more elaboration could help. I was reassured that wasn't needed and my answer had properly addressed the question.
Additionally, they pointed out my detail-oriented nature as a strength in the other aspect of the day.

3. They mentioned a scenario question in passing because I asked for more areas I could improve and they believed I could have performed better in that question whereas in the interview I was told I answered parts of the question they thought I might miss and gave me an impressed look.

I left at 3am for this AC and did a uni exam on my way back. I honestly would appreciate any input someone might have as to how I could improve (if I have the chance to) in the future. I genuinely just want to see where I went wrong or if I'm missing something.

I'm sorry for the long post but just feeling a little defeated and feeling my RSD kick-in making things worse😞

It’s very difficult to give further context on your feedback without being an assessor from the day.

What I would generally say on the points you raise are:

1) Rapport needs to be something built from the start of the interview. Although your interviewer may have spoken about themselves at the end, I wouldn’t necessarily say this signals rapport. I can’t say this is what happened in your interview but rapport generally comes down to:

- eye contact
- smiling
- if you have two interviewers, making sure you engage with both of them, not just the one asking you the questions or the one who is most senior.
- active listening - ensuring you really listen to what the interviewers are asking if you and adapting your answers accordingly.

2) Detail - interviewers can often be looking for the detail in your initial response/answer rather than it having to be drawn out from further follow up questions. From what you have said, there is likely to have been a mismatch in expectations as to what they thought was sufficient and how detailed you perceived your answers to be. It’s hard for me to give further guidance on this based on what you have said. Feel free to PM me with further detail of the question you felt wasn’t relevant to you and we can potentially explore this further.

3) Scenario based question - this is likely to have assessed different elements. Although it maybe that you impressed in certain aspects and that was reflected on what was said in the interview, it may have been that other elements were missing. I wouldn’t necessarily expect interviewers to always give you feedback in the interview itself to give you clarity on what you had and hadn’t presented well, so it maybe that they just focused on the positive elements to keep the interview energy levels up and in a positive way.

 

[Star Light]

I was asked to give my availability over two weeks for an interview. I received an email today confirming the date but I realised it's not the most ideal date for me. Is it okay to ask to change the date or do I risk reflecting badly?
@Jessica Booker

 

[fitzer401]

If anyone is waiting on Ashurst post interview please PM me if they call you tomorrow. I know that their final interview slot is tomorrow midday so hopefully we can expect to hear back this week

 

[AnAnonymousDuck]

hate to sound like a broken record but has anyone else heard back from w&c for the spring vac scheme?

 

[tobywstress]

Has anyone heard back about Linklaters summer VS other than being on hold? Also, does it make a difference if there is a tick next to candidate review?

 

[jacksollaf]

Has anyone heard back about Linklaters summer VS other than being on hold? Also, does it make a difference if there is a tick next to candidate review?

No, and for the second part, please don't worry about it being 66% or 77%, with a tick or without... I feel like everyone is emphasizing on the percentages and ticks, but it really does not mean anything; i know we are all desperate to hear back from them, me included, but I also feel like we're over-reading into it, and traumatizing everyone else by seeking an imaginary comfort...

Please guys dont take what i am saying negatively or in an insulting manner, i really mean it with good intentions; i just feel like everyone is worrying over something that doesn't even exist; the percentages don't mean anything really... Just pray for the best and try not to overcomplicate your life by focusing on percentages that add no value... because some have 66% but will get an invite while others may have 77% and still not get through...

 

[Jessica Booker]

I was asked to give my availability over two weeks for an interview. I received an email today confirming the date but I realised it's not the most ideal date for me. Is it okay to ask to change the date or do I risk reflecting badly?
@Jessica Booker

With the back and forth so far, I would recommend going ahead with the date unless there is a clear commitment you have on the day.

This is why it’s really important to be clear upfront to the dates you could do. If the date wasn’t ideal for you, then it would have been better to not include it when responding with your availability.

If something has changed since you sent them your availability, then explain this and they may be able to reschedule you.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker

Which written exercise would you recommend for Freshfields?

Thank you!

We would recommend the SPAG exercise for Freshfields:

Written Exercise (SPAG) | The Corporate Law Academy

Simply order below. 1. Select your preferred time slot the next working day in your order notes. 2. You will be sent the written exercise, together with the instructions, at the beginning of the time slot. 3. You will email your response in a Word document. 4. We will provide you with...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com