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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

BobThebIlly

Distinguished Member
Premium Member
Dec 6, 2024
68
101
Thank you for the reply guys -- ill change it to higher

I have one more question about the work experience section. There’s an option to add “other” work experience in a separate box. Should I include my insight schemes there, or would it be better to list them alongside my main work experience entries?
 

wqueens8

Star Member
Jun 28, 2024
49
63
nah cos respectfully why would people take a 40k salary in the north over 100k for the job at the exact same firm in London (obviously I get that ppl may want to stay in the north but as a northerner myself I want GTFO and move to London esp cos it's busy and wayyyy more diverse - and the money is not bad either lol)
Ignoring other factors like diversity and business etc, i'm really debating over this for my next cycle.

I'm from near the peak district and could easily work in Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds. If it's 40k vs 100k then it's London no brainer. But for the higher paying firms like DLA piper, I'm not sure which to apply to. I'm keen to experience London, but if I can live at home and commute to Sheffield, earning 75k NQ (mind, DLA is an outlier), I would be RAKING IT IN. Could be putting 40k a year into savings/investments/house deposit. Vs earning 110k in London, and just about being comfortable.
 
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Tintin06

Legendary Member
Oct 23, 2019
858
2,067
Just to clarify:
  • in the past some GCSEs had a choice between foundation, intermediate and higher, but intermediate has been eliminated
  • now some subjects require teachers to choose between foundation or higher, where it is impossible to get respectively the highest and lowest grades when sitting that paper, while others are classed as untiered, meaning the same paper is sat by all candidates, and all outcomes (1-9) are possible.
  • an untiered paper is neither foundation nor higher. In this scenario it's an error by the form designers, who have failed to keep track with reforms from 10 years ago. If the form is provided by a third party, I'd send them an email asking them to correct their form, but I'd ultimately just choose 'higher'
I feel old with Foundation Science.
 

trainee4u

Legendary Member
Sep 7, 2023
241
514
Ignoring other factors like diversity and business etc, i'm really debating over this for my next cycle.

I'm from near the peak district and could easily work in Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds. If it's 40k vs 100k then it's London no brainer. But for the higher paying firms like DLA piper, I'm not sure which to apply to. I'm keen to experience London, but if I can live at home and commute to Sheffield, earning 75k NQ (mind, DLA is an outlier), I would be RAKING IT IN. Could be putting 40k a year into savings/investments/house deposit. Vs earning 110k in London, and just about being comfortable.
London is very broken, and standards of living in this country have been declining for decades due to the idiots we have governing us.

£75k is £54k take-home, whereas £110k is £72k.

If you're renting that's still a better lifestyle in London, but hours likely to be longer, and in the long term, the price of more substantial property in London is quite insane - it's over £1m for a 3-bed house that was historically for working-class people, and the sort of house that my grandfather would have considered a middle-class property is around £4m, and you're still likely to be mugged for your iphone on the way to work.
 

Jamil Max

New Member
  • Jan 31, 2025
    4
    2
    Hi all, does anyone have any experience or information about doing a vac scheme on a skilled workers visa? Would rather not lose out on my dream firm over visa regulations 😢.
    Are you a student in the UK, or are you already on a Skilled Worker visa? I know many international students who have completed vacation schemes. If you're on a student visa, you can work up to 40 hours per week outside of your university term time. So, if the vacation scheme falls during your holiday period, you wouldn’t need sponsorship.
     

    Jessica Booker

    Legendary Member
    TCLA Moderator
    Gold Member
    Graduate Recruitment
    Premium Member
    Forum Team
    Aug 1, 2019
    15,304
    21,384
    Ignoring other factors like diversity and business etc, i'm really debating over this for my next cycle.

    I'm from near the peak district and could easily work in Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds. If it's 40k vs 100k then it's London no brainer. But for the higher paying firms like DLA piper, I'm not sure which to apply to. I'm keen to experience London, but if I can live at home and commute to Sheffield, earning 75k NQ (mind, DLA is an outlier), I would be RAKING IT IN. Could be putting 40k a year into savings/investments/house deposit. Vs earning 110k in London, and just about being comfortable.
    Salaries are not £40k in the North West if a firm is paying £100k in London.

    For instance, DLA is £110k in London and £75k outside of London for an NQ role

    CMS is £110k in London and £62k in the North West

    Eversheds is £100k in London and £65,500 outside of London
     

    Jessica Booker

    Legendary Member
    TCLA Moderator
    Gold Member
    Graduate Recruitment
    Premium Member
    Forum Team
    Aug 1, 2019
    15,304
    21,384
    Also looking for this!
    If it is more of a written case study format, you could attempt our old written case studies. Unfortunately we no longer provide feedback on these, but they can be a useful practice assessment to at least try/attempt:
     

    trainee4u

    Legendary Member
    Sep 7, 2023
    241
    514
    Salaries are not £40k in the North West if a firm is paying £100k in London.

    For instance, DLA is £110k in London and £75k outside of London for an NQ role

    CMS is £110k in London and £62k in the North West

    Eversheds is £100k in London and £65,500 outside of London
    Right, and e.g. Simmons is £66k take-home in Bristol, £76k in London. The Bristol package is clearly better.
     

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