TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[User5678]

Thank you so much! that was really motivating. I won't give up!! But seeing all those LinkedIn posts about uni students getting TC's and VS is really disheartening sometimes 😅

I’m sure you’ve got this!! you will get there eventually!

On a lighter note, I swear I’ve deleted linkedin for a while and I’m a final year student😂

 

[Heartofglass]

Welp that's all my VS applications rejected for this year. 22, turning 23 this year and not a single VS

I'm in the exact same age and situation as you are right now. But I have come to terms that maybe this is a blessing in disguise because of the SQE shenanigans out there. Maybe it's better for us to do 2 years paralegal then the SQE to ensure that we'll win.

 

[aphelion]

Welp that's all my VS applications rejected for this year. 22, turning 23 this year and not a single VS

I would echo a lot of what @Chris Brown said in his reply to you. I'm 24 turning 25 and this is my first year with any VS offers (and my first year getting any ACs since my second year of uni, which was in 2021). I know how frustrating it can be - it feels like everyone in my uni cohort has started their TCs or are doing their pupillages at amazing firms/chambers while I'm still grinding away.

Everyone is on their own journey though and I'm a true believer in the idea that no experience gained is a waste. Everything you do, even if it feels like you're falling behind and losing time, will help make you a better candidate. For example, my gap year put me behind my peers by a year, and I hated the minimum wage care home job I did for that year, but I talk about it in interviews all the time. A few years lost at the start also really means nothing when you consider the context of a decades-long legal career.

The biggest thing is to believe in yourself and keep pushing, and also to surround yourself with people who believe in you. If you can have parents, friends, partners, colleagues etc. rooting for you, it becomes so much easier to keep going. Basically, if you can find a way to develop near-delusional levels of optimism, it helps a lot.

All it takes is one yes!!!

 

[legalskills44]

Quick question - if a law firm requires you to take a conversion course with a specific provider, do they tend to care where you take it across the country or are they normally flexible? Thank you!!

 

[badmintonflyinginsect]

Apologies for any confusion on this (that is my fault), the Accelerator is only for Gold subscribers due to the bespoke 1-2-1 advice provided as part of the programme (which is in addition to the 1-2-1 calls and application reviews generally included in Gold).

Thanks so much! Do you know when the Vac Scheme tasks/classes will start?

 

[Ninakarolina44]

How long do Travers take to respond post-interview vac scheme? And are unsuccessful candidates emailed or called?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Quick question - if a law firm requires you to take a conversion course with a specific provider, do they tend to care where you take it across the country or are they normally flexible? Thank you!!

If the provider has different locations, they tend to not worry about where you do it. I have known with some firms that maintenance grants to be slightly lower if you are not going to be based in London though, so that may be something to check with the firm at the offer stage/before you accept.

 

[abbiewhitlock03]

If the provider has different locations, they tend to not worry about where you do it. I have known with some firms that maintenance grants to be slightly lower if you are not going to be based in London though, so that may be something to check with the firm at the offer stage/before you accept.

As a follow up question - if they only have a London office and expect you to complete the SQE in London, would they mind if you didn't live in London? I know that the commute would obviously be something to deal with, but would they expect you to live in London in order to get the maintenance grant they offer? E.g. to use for commuting to London etc.

I appreciate you may not have an answer, and I would definitely ask the firm if it ever came to it. Thank you!

 

[jta227]

As a follow up question - if they only have a London office and expect you to complete the SQE in London, would they mind if you didn't live in London? I know that the commute would obviously be something to deal with, but would they expect you to live in London in order to get the maintenance grant they offer? E.g. to use for commuting to London etc.

I appreciate you may not have an answer, and I would definitely ask the firm if it ever came to it. Thank you!

Might depend on the firm but I don't think this is the case generally - you can use the grant for whatever you want and the grant is tied to the location of study only. If you have to attend classes in London and live slightly outside it then that's actually a further reason to require the money to pay for travel.

Many more senior lawyers don't even live in London, they move to a more quiet commuter town/somewhere on the outskirts of London with their family, but they still make a London salary!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thanks so much! Do you know when the Vac Scheme tasks/classes will start?

The webinars have already started, as well as the 1-2-1 calls, which are available now to book into. The first webinar is recorded and available on the courses platform if you were unable to attend.

The vacation scheme exercises will be available from last April.

 

[Jessica Booker]

As a follow up question - if they only have a London office and expect you to complete the SQE in London, would they mind if you didn't live in London? I know that the commute would obviously be something to deal with, but would they expect you to live in London in order to get the maintenance grant they offer? E.g. to use for commuting to London etc.

I appreciate you may not have an answer, and I would definitely ask the firm if it ever came to it. Thank you!

For the GDL, you generally don’t need to be in London. It’s not a bespoke course, so if their course provider has different locations, I strongly suspect you’d be able to do it at any of the locations.

It would only be of the firm has a very bespoke conversion course that you might be limited to London.

If you are commuting into a course in London, then your maintenance grant is likely to be based on you being in London.

 

[fairbourne]

does anyone know if Haynes Boone recruits on a rolling basis?

 

[OrangeCherry1800]

anyone heard from OC?

 

[chlawstudent]

Anyone who did Cripps AC last week heard anything yet?

 

[Kodak123]

Anyone heard back post AC for ropes?

 

[jojo23]

Nothing from stephenson harwood guys?

 

[Applebanana425]

anyone heard from OC?

They are taking their time! (unless offers are already out)

 

[jfb]

Nothing from stephenson harwood guys?

Nope! I am refreshing my emails constantly. I think because some spring people heard on Monday I have hope we'll hear soon but who knows...

 

[Pinksilly8]

Nope! I am refreshing my emails constantly. I think because some spring people heard on Monday I have hope we'll hear soon but who knows...

Some people got offers on Monday?

 

[jfb]

Some people got offers on Monday?

Yeah, a few people commented on this thread that they got a spring VS with Stephenson Harwood.