TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Amma Usman]

Vantage + AllHires >>> CvMail. I don’t know how to work CvMail, especially the work experience entries. Those tiny text boxes are a nightmare and pain to navigate. Whoever designed the layout needs to go outside and touch grass. 🥲

I have yet to get past the application stage for a firm that uses CvMail as well. If Paul Hastings do get back to me with an interview invite, that might change things. That seems unlikely at this point though. It’s been 3 weeks. 🥲​

This actually made me laugh a bit.

One thing that helped me was indeed shortening my work experiences to only the key ones, as I know for some firms you can only include 4-6.

Another thing is that you usually can not go back to your application once sent off. Thus, it’ll be helpful to save a copy of it so as to easily refer to it during ACs and all. This is especially helpful for those firms that are not CV/application blind at interview stages.

 

[A worried graduate]

The top 20 is dominated by Magic and Silver Circle firms which all pay £100-£110k to their trainees and offer grants of £15-20k. It can’t be HL or NRF either as they offer similar amounts to future trainees. That’s at least 10 firms out of question, which leaves 10. 🤔

It is unlikely to be Addleshaw Goddard, CMS, Simmons & Simmons, Taylor Wessing, Osborne Clarke or Pinsent Masons as they also offer around £100k+ to trainees across their training contract. All these firms are top 20 UK headquartered law firms. The only exception is if OP’s TC was for a regional office, in which case it could be Osborne Clarke or Simmons & Simmons (Reading and/or Bristol). 🙂

The only firms it could be is one of these firms: Bird & Bird, Clyde & Co, Eversheds Sutherland or RPC. I suspect it’s probably Bird & Bird or RPC that the OP is referring to. These firms are all also in the top 20. 😮

It says the maintenance grant was in excess of 5 figures. I think this implies it was probably over £10k but below £15k, at least for the SQE grant itself. These firms have a SQE grant between that range, and/or trainee salaries above £90,000 but below £100,000 (see below):

1: Bird & Bird trainee salary is £47,000 (1st year) and £52,000 (2nd year). This adds up to £99,000. Their SQE grant is £15,000.

2: Clyde & Co trainee salary is £47,000 (1st year) and £50,000 (2nd year). This adds up to £97,000. Their SQE grant is around £10,000.

3: Eversheds Sutherland trainee salary is £46,000 (1st year) and £50,000 (2nd year). This adds up to £96,000. Their SQE grant is £7,000.

4: RPC trainee salary is £46,000 (1st year) and £50,000 (2nd year). This adds up to £96,000. Their SQE grant is £12,000.

Whichever firm it is, I think it’s really unfair to not give the person at least 1 chance to retake the SQE. To then demand the cost of fees back despite being such a major UK firm, is pretty surprising tbh. 🫤​

I think this whole fiasco actually will create a much larger problem of killing off social mobility.

If someone can’t or won’t self-fund, having funding vs having funding IF you pass is one hell of a distinction especially if it could lead to serious financial problems.

Furthermore, getting a TC means having to study at BPP and live in London, both of which will add a lot of costs, especially as I have been told that the largest firms ban part time working while studying the SQE and even one of the smaller internationals (80k or so NQ) have told me that they would require approval.

I do wonder how it will work for the grad sol apprentices

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi guys! I’ve been lucky enough to secure a summer vacation scheme this cycle. I’m quite new to the UK, and while I’ve done commercial law internships back in my home country, I have very little idea about how vacation schemes work. I get that you’re assessed on the work you do as well more formal assessments such as interviews, groups tasks, etc. My question is, what are the more subtle, unspoken things I’ll be assessed on/should keep in mind/ will help me stand out?

I’m particularly intrigued by the whole concept of “coffee chats”. How do you go about them? Is it strictly mandatory?

Is there anything else similar I should keep in mind?

Congrats on securing the vac scheme — that’s such a huge milestone already! Honestly, a large part of the process is learning on the job, so don’t worry too much about having everything figured out before you start.

The assessed tasks you’ve mentioned — written work, group tasks, interviews — are really important (enough that they’re formally assessed), so I’d definitely take those seriously. Make sure you ask questions if you’re unsure about anything and take time to understand the task fully before diving in. Quality matters more than rushing to finish.

Another thing is making the most of the socials. They’re not officially assessed, but they give you a chance to get to know people at the firm and learn about the culture from different layers — trainees, associates, partners. People do notice if you make the effort to show up and engage. My advice is to relax, be yourself, and enjoy the process. You’ll naturally stand out more when you’re comfortable and curious.

On coffee chats, I think being targeted is key. You don’t have to chat with everyone, but try to reach out to people in practice areas you’re genuinely interested in or with similar backgrounds. It shows you’ve done your research and are thoughtful about your interests. Plus, you get better insights that way, which might help when you’re asked “Why this firm?” later. It’s less about ticking a box and more about building genuine connections.

Other than that, just remember — your attitude matters. Things like being approachable, asking good questions, showing curiosity, and being proactive go a long way. You’ve already done the hard part getting the scheme, so back yourself! Happy to chat if you need any more advice.

 

[Amma Usman]

I was rejected yesterday for the summer scheme at SH - hopefully there is still hope if you haven't heard back yet

I’m really sorry to hear that — but honestly, getting to the vac scheme stage is already a huge achievement. It definitely doesn’t take away from how capable you are.

Rejections hurt, but they don’t define your potential or your journey. A lot of people don’t get their first-choice schemes but still go on to secure TCs at other great firms. You’re clearly doing something right, so keep pushing — it will happen.

Here if you ever want to chat - you’re not alone in the process.

 

[BobThebIlly]

Guys this might sound like a daft qs but should I be preparing for a potential PH interview even tho I have heard nothing from them since my initial app?

I don’t really know how long you have between the interview invite and the interview itself. I also don’t want to tire myself out by preparing in advance if I don’t have an interview to begin with 😭

 

[Amma Usman]

DLA Piper London Vac scheme offer!

Thanks so much to the entire TCLA team for your help, really appreciate everyone’s support

 

[Jessica Booker]

I think this whole fiasco actually will create a much larger problem of killing off social mobility.

If someone can’t or won’t self-fund, having funding vs having funding IF you pass is one hell of a distinction especially if it could lead to serious financial problems.

Furthermore, getting a TC means having to study at BPP and live in London, both of which will add a lot of costs, especially as I have been told that the largest firms ban part time working while studying the SQE and even one of the smaller internationals (80k or so NQ) have told me that they would require approval.

I do wonder how it will work for the grad sol apprentices

Solicitor apprentices, whether degree or graduate level, won’t have to pay back their fees. Employers cannot reclaim costs back from apprentices.

 

[Ruth A]

Is it even worth emailing PW at this point, when you haven’t heard back yet post- app? (Summer)

 

[Chris Brown]

I think this whole fiasco actually will create a much larger problem of killing off social mobility.

If someone can’t or won’t self-fund, having funding vs having funding IF you pass is one hell of a distinction especially if it could lead to serious financial problems.

Furthermore, getting a TC means having to study at BPP and live in London, both of which will add a lot of costs, especially as I have been told that the largest firms ban part time working while studying the SQE and even one of the smaller internationals (80k or so NQ) have told me that they would require approval.

I do wonder how it will work for the grad sol apprentices

It’s pretty ironic considering the SQE was supposedly introduced to broaden access into the legal profession, yet it seems to be having the opposite effect lmao. I think the exam fees have gone up again recently as well! 🥲

Why would a firm need to approve a future trainee working whilst studying the SQE? How exactly do they expect (socially mobile) future trainees to afford the cost of living in London with a grant that is less than £20,000? 🥲

To be fair, I read somewhere that future trainees studying the SQE with their cohort(s) together in London have a higher chance of passing first time than people self-funding and studying the SQE independently. 🫤​

 

[fxy]

Hey did anyone apply to the summer legal internship for bbc and heard anything back after the second stage?

was the second stage the video interview and questions or an AC

 

[👩🎓]

Hi @Amma Usman,

Do you have any advice on how to approach this question: What do you think you might find the most challenging part of being a Solicitor?

Any help will be appreciated, thank you.

 

[A worried graduate]

Solicitor apprentices, whether degree or graduate level, won’t have to pay back their fees. Employers cannot reclaim costs back from apprentices.

Interesting, I wonder if that puts off law firms from moving to GSAs or if the 95% is sorted regardless

 

[Andrei Radu]

Is it even worth emailing PW at this point, when you haven’t heard back yet post- app? (Summer)

I would say that the amount of time the firm has taken to respond to applicants despite having already organized ACs would be surprising if they did not have some type of waitlist or some further round of ACs - perhaps @Chris Brown or other forum members that have done PW ACs have more information on that. Thus, I would not necessarily infer you have already been rejected. Regardless, I do not think emailing them could have any negative impact on your progression chances. As such, if this is something that would give you more peace of mind, perhaps it is worth doing.

 

[A worried graduate]

It’s pretty ironic considering the SQE was supposedly introduced to broaden access into the legal profession, yet it seems to be having the opposite effect lmao. I think the exam fees have gone up again recently as well! 🥲

Why would a firm need to approve a future trainee working whilst studying the SQE? How exactly do they expect (socially mobile) future trainees to afford the cost of living in London with a grant that is less than £20,000? 🥲

To be fair, I read somewhere that future trainees studying the SQE with their cohort(s) together in London have a higher chance of passing first time than people self-funding and studying the SQE independently. 🫤​

The pass odds may be higher but it is not something that can be guaranteed, so it creates a risk.

I am surprised that law firms aren't working to develop an alternative to BPP/Ulaw as the tuition fees are continuing to rise and both have a rather poor reputation. If not the firms themselves then you'd expect one of the London unis to create something (For example Queen Mary supposedly offer an LLM with SQE yet presently outsource the SQE part to Barbri)

If I was the SRA, I'd be looking to standardise the test papers somewhat to make it cheaper to run and allow for tests to be resat within a shorter period. If they want to keep the toughness element then perhaps tightening the QWE aspect as those who qualify via that without the training are often struggling anyway.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Guys this might sound like a daft qs but should I be preparing for a potential PH interview even tho I have heard nothing from them since my initial app?

I don’t really know how long you have between the interview invite and the interview itself. I also don’t want to tire myself out by preparing in advance if I don’t have an interview to begin with 😭

I think in general firms give at least a one week notice prior to a scheduled interview. Unless you have other significant commitments, that should be more than enough time to ensure you are well-prepared. In my opinion, intense preparation for more than 4-5 days can actually have diminishing returns. As such, unless you have information to the effect that PH sometimes makes interview invites only a few days in advance, I believe investing lots of time in interview preparation may be premature. However, you could try to keep up with the news and generally work on your commercial awareness more in the coming days/weeks - that is a skill you can best improve a more extended period, as it can take quite a bit of time. This should also reduce your workload if you end up invited to interview with a shorter notice.

 

[Chris Brown]

Is it even worth emailing PW at this point, when you haven’t heard back yet post- app? (Summer)

To my knowledge, the application deadline for Paul, Weiss was 19/01/25. They sent out a lot of their online test invites between 30/01/25 and 31/01/25. I think others received online test invites in the first week of February. Paul, Weiss sent out a lot of post app and post test PFO’s around this time as well. 🥲

I think most of us received Paul, Weiss interview invites on 14/02/25 (Valentine’s Day). This was for the first batch of interviews. Other people received their interview invites in the following few days. From this first batch of interviews, Paul, Weiss made the majority of their Spring and Summer VS offers on 10/03/25. 🙂

Last week, a second batch of interview invites were sent out, which I think were to fill the remaining Summer VS slots (5 remaining). I think Spring VS for Paul, Weiss is full. If you haven’t heard back at all from Paul, Weiss (post application) since the deadline passed, it might be a PFO sadly. 🫤

Then again, some people have not heard anything since the online test invites were sent out. Also, a lot of people that interviewed with Paul, Weiss did not hear back post interview. It is hard to say ultimately as it’s their first recruitment cycle. If you feel that emailing them is worthwhile, I would say go for it (for ease of mind)! 🙂​

 

[FM302989]

Please can I remind people to keep things civil and avoid speculation, especially in conversations regarding a named individual.

Just as we wouldn’t expect judgement and negative comments within our community, it is not appropriate to direct the same behaviours to someone just because they are in the legal press.

I think the key takeaway from this news is the ‘dishonesty’ element when these decisions are published. That’s why the punishment has been severe. Whether it’s accounts breaches, behaviour, or the classic ‘briefcase left on train’ scenario, honesty is taken seriously

This is something that’ll come up when solicitor ethics/SRA principles are studied

 

[Starfish31]

Hey guys, ahead of my vac scheme at Goodwin I would really appreciate any good advice for maximising my chance of converting it into a TC. (For context the VS is a week long.)

My background is non-law and I have never done a vac scheme before so I would be going in blind in a sense. I'm also open to investing in any paid services that anyone would personally recommend.

I selected a few seat preferences but I haven't gotten any confirmation as to where I would be sitting. I know that there will be a written exercise task and a group assessment but that's basically all the info I have.

Separately, but quite randomly, I have been looking to reactivate my premium LinkedIn because I have ran out of personalised invites to send to Trainees at the firm but it's either £30 a month of £180 for a year. Is it worth the investment or should I seek alternative methods such as trying to email for a discount of leaving it altogether?

 

[ohnoselim]

does anyone struggle to get referees for applications?

none of my tutors at university were very helpful when it came to this (had some bad experiences and just stopped asking) , and now that I am a graduate I just think its difficult

for applications some specify having an academic referee, what do people do in this instance?

 

[broalabear]

Quick WG Assumption Q:

For humankind to survive, it must colonise other planets.
Assumption - There will be a time when the Earth can no longer sustain human life.

Am I right in saying that an assumption has been made here?

The only thing I can think of against this is that Earth may very well sustain human life, but not be sufficient. Then again, that would mean that it technically cannot sustain human life, and therefore, the assumption is made.

Also, if I were to invert this: There will be a time when the Earth can sustain human life, then the proposed statement becomes redundant, which should logically indicate that there is an assumption, no?

3.30 am yk, I hate these damn tests.