TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[User5678]

Update: they’re rescinding the offer because I’m on a student visa and can’t do more than 20 hours. I’m actually heartbroken. Please if @Jessica Booker or anyone has an idea of what I could do it would be greatly appreciated (I already emailed my uni to know if there’s anyway they could accommodate my term times around the vac scheme)

Hi, I am so sorry to hear this! Is this the spring scheme or summer scheme? If you’ll have university spring break or summer holidays even if it’s not the end of the year I think you will be allowed to complete your VS as it will fall out of term time (I am sure of this as I have worked for more than 20 hours in my spring and summer hols and have always been legally allowed by the companies)! I am also an international and get how frustrating this is especially in this job market and with difficult sponsorship criterias

 

[trainee4u]

this is acc infuriating, I'm going to university to get a job and it's that university that prevents me to get a job

it's very poor. Similar issue with graduate visa - once you are on it you can do whatever you like, but to get on to it you have to wait for the university to certify your results, and there's no flexibility with the process or attempt to distinguish between students at reputable unis who are highly employable in skilled jobs but face visa issues, and people at degree mills who might be doing some random course with the primary intention of being able to work in unskilled labour in the UK

 

[Andrei Radu]

Thank you so much for your answer. I've also read that successful TC offer holders often go out of their way to knock on people's doors/ go up to people to speak to them (not during lunch but during working hours) to make themselves known. Is this actually typical and recommended? Or should I just get on with work and focus on socialising during lunch/break or events?

In my experience it can also be the case that some hyper-social vacation schemers end up not converting for this very reason. Firstly, like Jessica pointed out, doing this will likely mean you have less time to invest in your work; and for many firms both the quality and quantity of your work product is a key assessment criterion. Secondly, being extremely socially proactive during work hours might not be as best received as you would think by the people you are interacting with. While they might not say no to meeting with you out of politeness, many of them also have very busy schedules and are constantly stressed by deadlines. As such, prologued meetings with no obvious purposes outside break times might actually annoy them. This is why I would advise you to first speak to your supervisor/trainee buddy before you decide who you want to invite for a coffee chat. They might be able to tell you a lot more about which people or which teams are more and less busy at the moment; and which specific team members enjoy chatting and socializing more.
They might also be able to tell you whether it is better to approach certain people in person or via email/internal messaging systems. At any rate, in my experience socializing beyond the point of your team members generally knowing who you are and seeing you as a nice person does not impact your conversion chances that much.

That said, I will caveat this by saying that it may not apply at specific firms. Different firms have different recruitment strategies and assess vacation schemers on different criteria. Many will care a lot about the work you do, but I know some that place only minimal importance on that. My best advice is to try to speak to graduate recruitment and current/future trainees and get their view on the following questions: what are the most important things the firm is looking for? How would you advise a vacation schemer to invest their time? How should I approach people to get to know them? You should then modify your strategy accordingly.

 

[trainee4u]

Hi, I am so sorry to hear this! Is this the spring scheme or summer scheme? If you’ll have university spring break or summer holidays even if it’s not the end of the year I think you will be allowed to complete your VS as it will fall out of term time (I am sure of this as I have worked for more than 20 hours in my spring and summer hols and have always been legally allowed by the companies)! I am also an international and get how frustrating this is especially in this job market and with difficult sponsorship criterias

it depends on the type of course. For a (one year) masters, there won't be a summer holiday: it's classed as term time when you are (theoretically) doing your dissertation.

 

[lawlol420]

Has anyone who did the Dechert Written test post 12th Feb heard back?

hey, was this for the spring or summer vs?

 

[lawlol420]

Has anyone heard back from Davis Polk post interview? (mine was last week)

hey, was this for spring or summer vs?

 

[Amma Usman]

hi hi has anyone heard from Forsters yet. I've been so nervous all day and I genuinely cant get my mind off it

I’m so sorry to hear you’ve been feeling this way. I know how tough it can be when something is weighing on your mind. Maybe try going for a walk…no headphones, no distractions…just to clear your head a bit. Prioritizing self-care is so important, especially during times like this. Be kind to yourself, you’ve done your best!

 

[Amma Usman]

Addleshaw Goddard VS offer!!

Huge congratulations on your Addleshaw Goddard VS offer! This is such an incredible achievement and a true reflection of all the hard work, dedication, and effort you've put in. You should be so proud of yourself for making it through. Take the time to celebrate properly…you’ve absolutely earned it! Wishing you the best as you embark on this exciting opportunity 🎉

 

[Amma Usman]

Thought Of The Day

The moment you stop trying is the moment you close off possibility. Progress often happens quietly, beneath the surface, like roots growing before they reach the light. You might not see change right away, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening. True strength isn’t found in ease, but in the courage to keep going, even when the finish line feels distant. Every setback is a stepping stone, and every doubt is a chance to grow. Keep moving forward… because each step brings you closer to becoming the person you’re meant to be.

 

[emma.d]

Anyone heard anything from Willkie?

 

[Chris Brown]

I know it’s only been like 5 days since the deadline, but has anyone heard from Stephenson Harwood yet for their Spring and/or Summer VS?

Does anyone know from a previous cycle when they usually get back to people post application with test invites?​

 

[Amma Usman]

Can any1 suggest good questions to ask at an AC in the interview, ive got some in mind relating to the firm itself but are there any good ones which are bit more general or specific to the interviewers I can ask?

Hi there,

I don‘t have much to add to @Andrei Radu ’s great response on this. One thing I personally enjoyed doing was building up through a question at the end, a topic my interviewer and I had discussed. This enabled me to get insights from them and I thoroughly enjoyed doing this as it enabled me to go outside the scope of what I already knew. The way I saw it, even if I didn’t get the offer, I would have walked away from that experience with more knowledge than I had coming in - and that was really important to me. Another thing is you could ask them how a topic discussed, one heavily on the news, (or just anything you’re curious about, really), could impact their work. Again, it helps you learn more about the work and showcases some element of being able to welcome fresh perspectives, which is a key skill for a trainee!

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi, I just wanted some advice with regards to reapplying to a firm.

I interviewed at a firm last year and was unsuccessful. I want to reapply, and was wondering what I should do differently at application stage since I was successful previously and the questions more or less remain the same :/

I did ask what the reapplication policy is like and recruitment said its fine.
Thanks

I think you are fine to keep most of the general themes and substantive motivations the same: firstly, because they were judged good enough to have your application progressed in the past; secondly, because the firm will have no expectations for your fundamental motivations and candidate profile to have drastically changed in the space of one year. However, you also do not want to seem like you are unmotivated to work on improving yourself and your application. As such, I would aim to include any new experiences or achievements that you can. Similarly, I would try to add new insights you have learnt about the firm: for instance, has it worked on any new major deals/cases, or received important market recognition? Adding these points could strengthen your analysis and make your motivations look more persuasive. Finally, review your writing critically to see if there are any potential improvements regarding style: can you express yourself in a a more concise way? can any points be better phrased? should any sentences be shortened? etc.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hello, does anyone have any advice for the assessment centre group interview task on how to prepare? I am terrified of someone asking me to talk more

Hi @Kakaboo as some other forum members have said, I think more often the problem with group exercises is that you will not be able to contribute as much as you would like, as everyone will be constantly fighting over airtime. The only context in which you would be asked to say more is if you are particularly quiet and one of the other attendees wants to show team spirit - one of the pieces of advice regarding group exercises I have very often come across is to show collaboration/leadership skills by seeking to include the person who is speaking up the least. I never personally implemented this as it seemed to me to come with a significant risk of both putting the person on the spot and in signaling them out as 'inactive', which can do more harm than good.

That said, I have seen other people do this is a very direct manner, stopping the exercise just to say to someone "Is there something you would want to say here?". I imagine this can be a quite anxiety-inducing experience and I think you are right in aiming to avoid that. To do that, the best strategy is simply to seek to be among the more active people in the room (which independently of this I would also argue is the right strategy to maximize your chances of scoring well). To achieve this despite the fight over airtime (and just for generally elevating your performance), consider doing the following:

• Offer to keep the time: this shows a proactive attitude while not being very demanding as to your mental focus. It also enables you to (i) avoid taking the responsibility of any required writing, which is more demanding; and (ii) naturally intervene at certain points in the discussion to mention time considerations, which is also an opportunity for you to add substantive points.
• Try to introduce structure and organization: although many candidates will want to immediately start the analysis, instead of simply throwing yourself into discussing substantive points, try to introduce a framework: what points will you discuss, in what order, how much time will you spend on each, and what relevant assessment criteria should you keep in mind when analyzing the points? This will ensure a more comprehensive overview and a more clear output.
• Focus on finding more niche/less-obvious analysis points: as you are given a brief for the group exercise task, you will normally have a bit of preparation time during which you can think what points to bring up. You will find some points that are really intuitive which you will know the others likely also thought of. Instead of focusing on those and fighting with everyone to get to express those obvious points, I would use that time (and the extra thinking time in the initial discussion phase when everyone is fighting to say the obvious points) to find relevant ideas that others may have missed. The, as the discussion is winding down on that subpart of the task, I would mention these more niche points. This will avoid making you seem competitive and also showcase ability for more nuanced analysis.
• Focus on synthesis and weighing: another similar strategy for impressive contribution which may not require too much fighting over airtime is to once again seek to contribute as the discussion on the substantive points is winding down. What you can do here is intervene to summarize what everyone has contributed, weigh their points, and then make an informed argument as to what the decision should be.

 

[1234578]

Has anyone heard from boodle Hatfield post interview?

 

[anna57492]

Does anyone have any insights into RWK Goodman VI? I can give insights into CRS, CMS and Bird & Bird

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hey all -

I received a VS offer and am being asked whether I would prefer the summer or spring scheme. As I think is the norm, spring is only one week, whilst summer is two. I am very unsure as to what choice could be better and would really appreciate any advice.

Whilst two weeks could be more beneficial in showing off abilities and also gives more time to prep, spring would be over quicker and requires less holiday days off from work. I did also consider that the spring cohort might be tougher, with there being more individuals who are currently working rather than recent graduates/ at uni.

Has anyone dealt with a similar dilemma and/or has any advice on how to choose?

In my experience when the caliber of candidates is very high, some firms have a tendency to give more TC offers in the spring. As Jessica said, firms will never offer all the TCs in the spring, but I know firms which made a number of offers of representing around 60-75% of the available TC spaces. There's a number of reasons for that, including the fact that some people with competing offers might not accept (and thus the firm needs to 'overshoot' its hiring target); and the firm's consciousness of the fact that some of the best candidates who accepted a summer VS might not end up attending because they sign TC offer following a spring scheme at a rival. It is also the case that if the firm really likes one batch of candidates, in the spring there are simply more spaces open so the firm can decide to be more flexible. In the summer, since only a set number of TCs will be available in view of the spring offers, it will be more difficult for the firm to make more offers as that would require changing the overall recruitment target.

That said, there will be many firms to which this does not apply, and there are also reasons why you might choose the summer VS, such as the increased preparation time or the extra time you might have to impress people in the firm. My advice would be to not overthink your decision and simply go with your instinct or with what suits your schedule best.

 

[toad92]

Should I assume PFO if I have not heard from White & Case post AC more than 2 weeks ago? Has anyone emailed to ask?

thinking the same but with VI done almost a month ago 😶

 

[Wannabe_Lawyer]

Does anyone know how many vac schemers Orrick take on? Given the small size of the TC intake, is there any point in making a direct TC?

 

[Leveraged]

Anyone heard anything from Willkie?

Yeah got a PFO on Monday