This can happen if you have track changes in your Word answer. They sometimes carry across.
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2020-21 Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion
- Thread starter Jaysen
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If you don't believe in yourself, nobody will!
You've gotten this far over hundreds of applicants. You ARE special, and you're going to ace this. It's normal to undervalue yourself, but remember that if anyone can get you through this AC, it's you. I used to work with the crypto industry, and a moniker there was:
'Make it easy for them to hire you.'
Make it easy for them.
So I see three things:
1) Negotiation exercise - check out @Jacob Miller's crazy good resources on being successful at negotiation here.
2) Case study - again, Jacob beat all of us to it. See it here.
3) Presentation - is it a spontaneous presentation or a prepared one? I know anonymity is important for you but if you mention the firm some people might have experiences with the AC that they're willing to share! Alternatively, you can search around the forum using the 'search' function to look for people who've done the AC, and then private message them. Look at yourself in the mirror and practice your speaking, and make sure you can convince yourself of your own confidence!
edit* if this is somehow for a firm that rhymes with LoFo, this thread might be of some use.
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Anyone who has done an Osborne Clarke AC before were there a lot of competency questions in the interview?
Hi! I am a second year law student and I haven't managed to secure a VS this application cycle. I will try again next year (which is my final year at uni) and I was wondering whether or not that means that if I secure a TC then, I will have to take a gap year between finishing uni and starting either the LPC or the training contract. I know some firms offer winter VS for finalists but I'm unsure to which trainee intake they apply to.
Final year law here. I didn't apply for anything in my second year, and I have two VSes coming up in my first cycle applying.
Firm up your applications for the winter season - plenty of my friends got VSes and conversions into TCs then.
Start clearing your schedule for September and October - while you apply for Winter VSes, you'll also have to churn out Spring and Summer VSes.
Depends on the firm. Sometimes they have space in the 2023 intake, but I think for most firms for you it will be the 2024 intake, for which you'll have quite some time before starting your TC after the LPC.
*I'm taking a gap year to either work in ministry or to do aid work with my previous NGOs because I know the 2022 intake is saturated and cut-down because of COVID. So I probably will have to enter in 2023 if it all works out. Depending on the intake sizes, you'll have to ask your firm how many spaces there are.
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Same, I haven't heard anything either.
I think it varies a bit but the one I did recently involved proof reading, drafting a letter and filling a document. All the info was based on some documents related to a particular case study.
Weird thing I got rid of 2 words and it apparently removed 7 words but thank you very much for this.
Simmons VI invite! Not really a big deal but only application to be progressed this entire cycle and I've done like 12 😳🥴
Btw does anyone have any tips for the written exercise and interview as I don't want to mess up what may be my only chance this cycle!
Btw does anyone have any tips for the written exercise and interview as I don't want to mess up what may be my only chance this cycle!
Hi!
Hope you're feeling okay (and it's completely fine and normal if you're not)!
I also went through 2 cycles at university without securing any vacation schemes despite having submitted 10+ applications both cycles, attending so many open days and networking events, and having my application reviewed by careers service and future trainees. I managed to get through to two interviews/ACs but I didn't perform that well and in hindsight, I don't think I was quite ready at the time. After I graduated, I decided to self-fund the LPC with the help of my parents and apply for paralegal roles whilst also continuing to apply for vacation schemes. That year, I didn't get past the application stage for any of my vacation scheme applications but towards the end of my LPC, I managed to secure a paralegal role at a MC firm. I figured that spending time as a paralegal would offer me a much better insight into a career in commercial law compared to a 2 week vacation scheme. When I felt confident that I had built up enough experience, I decided to scrap the vacation scheme applications and apply for direct TC applications instead. Balancing a full time paralegal job alongside doing applications was quite tricky as I simply did not have as much free time compared to when I was studying so I ended up submitting fewer applications and taking a much more targeted approach. I also took some time off for myself. If I had a busy or stressful week at work, then rather than forcing myself to do more applications at the weekend, I would take time off to do things I enjoy and just try to switch off so I could rest my mind and body. Mentally, my mindset had also changed. I went from thinking that my entire life would depend on one application to taking a 'if I get it, I get it' approach and 'if I don't get it, then that's not the end of the world'. This really helped me because I used to invest myself so emotionally into my applications and so when I didn't progress to the next stage, I would be really disappointed in myself.
Have you tried getting your applications reviewed by others? E.g. careers service, TCLA, future trainees, even friends and family. They might be able to provide some pointers and it can be helpful to have a fresh pair of eyes look over your application sometimes.
I know it can be scary graduating without a a VS or TC but I would really suggest taking some time off to relax for a bit (it can be for a few weeks, a month, a few months, whatever you need). Then hopefully you will be able to come back feeling refreshed and ready for the next cycle and perhaps consider applying for paralegal roles as well as for VS/TCs.
Hope this helps and happy to chat if you need someone!
Has anybody heard back from Travers Smith this week?
I know that a few interview invites were given out on Friday last week, but I'm not sure if anyone has heard anything else since then
I know that a few interview invites were given out on Friday last week, but I'm not sure if anyone has heard anything else since then
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