2020-21 Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion

[Hele25]

I feel like it means tonight at midnight.

While this put the fear of god into me 😂 I do think it means tomorrow, as tonight is midnight 3rd of April. Also, when I try to create an event in my phone through clicking the highlighted date in the email, it comes up as tomorrow night.
I may be wrong though so everyone should do def what they feel is best! (Basically I don’t want to get out of my pj’s) 😂😂

 

[layla rose]

I was wondering how the training contract interviews (at the end of the vac scheme) are different to the usual interviews from your experiences? @Dheepa @Jacob Miller @Daniel Boden and anyone else with experience! Thank you

 

[courtneyherman6]

I've been offered a video interview with Womble Bond Dickinson for the vacation scheme/TC. Has anyone else had a video interview with WBD before and, if so, what questions did they ask?

Did you find out?

 

[courtneyherman6]

Would also love to be added to the queue for this! Would be super helpful to know the kind of questions that come up

Hey, did you find out what questions came up?

 

[courtneyherman6]

Would also love to be added to the queue for this! Would be super helpful to know the kind of questions that come up

Me too please!

 

[Jessica Booker]

I was wondering how the training contract interviews (at the end of the vac scheme) are different to the usual interviews from your experiences? @Dheepa @Jacob Miller @Daniel Boden and anyone else with experience! Thank you

They tend to focus more on what you have done since your VS interview, and obviously discuss more about what you have enjoyed and taken from your vac scheme with them (as well as any other schemes you may have done since). It also tend to be a little heavier on your motivations and commercial knowledge. Although competencies can still be assessed, it’s often easier to assess these (eg team working/resilience/time management etc) from your time on the vacation scheme, which usually gives more time to focus on your motivations and analytical skills.

 

[layla rose]

They tend to focus more on what you have done since your VS interview, and obviously discuss more about what you have enjoyed and taken from your vac scheme with them (as well as any other schemes you may have done since). It also tend to be a little heavier on your motivations and commercial knowledge. Although competencies can still be assessed, it’s often easier to assess these (eg team working/resilience/time management etc) from your time on the vacation scheme, which usually gives more time to focus on your motivations and analytical skills.

Thanks very much, that's really useful

 

[Resipsaloquitur]

Does anyone know if Gowling WLG's remuneration system is a 'lock-step' or 'eat-what-you-kill'?
Thank you

Out of interest, did you ever find out the answer to this question? Thanks in advance.

 

[Jacob Miller]

I was wondering how the training contract interviews (at the end of the vac scheme) are different to the usual interviews from your experiences? @Dheepa @Jacob Miller @Daniel Boden and anyone else with experience! Thank you

Unfortunately I can't offer a huge amount here from personal experience - I've never actually done a TC interview (dropped out of NRF and Travers made my offer without asking me to interview again). With that said, my general understanding of these post-VS interviews is that you've really got to place more reliance on things you've learned and done during the VS and how that's changed your position in terms of knowledge/ experience/ desire for a TC compared to before the VS.
With that in mind, you want to keep a really accurate log of everything you've learned/ done etc during your VS, who you've spoken to, what they've said etc etc so you can bring all that into the discussion.

 

[Kira]

I have done it twice before and will have the questions somewhere I’ll dig them out!

Please may I also be added to the queue? Thanks !

 

[33c]

Out of sheer curiosity, does anyone know what the conversion rate for VS to TC is for Latham? Given that they have a winter VS, and direct TC application, I assume its quite low.

According to chambers student 70% of trainees have completed the vac scheme

Also, according to my interviewer, they are aiming to recruit a couple more trainees this year. not sure if that changes things either way

 

[JJ]

Just wondering why people say 'incoming vacation scheme' instead of 'upcoming vacation scheme', which seems more natural sounding

 

[Jessica Booker]

Just wondering why people say 'incoming vacation scheme' instead of 'upcoming vacation scheme', which seems more natural sounding

Because you are an incoming vacation scheme student, but your vacation scheme would be upcoming if you were talking about the scheme rather than you as a person. There is probably some confusion with this difference.

So as a job title on LinkedIn, incoming would be most appropriate. If it was a description of the job, then upcoming would be the most appropriate.

So “I am an incoming vacation scheme student at Joe Bloggs LLP” is correct but so is “I have upcoming vacation schemes at Joe Bloggs LLP and Red & Blue LLP”

 

[Georgina Evans]

Anyone still to do the WBD VI, you have one option to re-record your answer for each question!!

 

[layla rose]

Unfortunately I can't offer a huge amount here from personal experience - I've never actually done a TC interview (dropped out of NRF and Travers made my offer without asking me to interview again). With that said, my general understanding of these post-VS interviews is that you've really got to place more reliance on things you've learned and done during the VS and how that's changed your position in terms of knowledge/ experience/ desire for a TC compared to before the VS.
With that in mind, you want to keep a really accurate log of everything you've learned/ done etc during your VS, who you've spoken to, what they've said etc etc so you can bring all that into the discussion.

Thank you Jacob! That’s very useful

 

[Selggib16]

I notice Vinson & Elkins only recruit 6 trainees per intake is it worth my time submitting a direct TC application or will they hire solely from their vacation scheme? I wasn’t sure if the 6 was direct or trainees as a whole!

 

[Jacob Miller]

I notice Vinson & Elkins only recruit 6 trainees per intake is it worth my time submitting a direct TC application or will they hire solely from their vacation scheme? I wasn’t sure if the 6 was direct or trainees as a whole!

Yes, it's worth submitting an app! In my opinion, it's almost never not worth submitting one - can't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket.

 

[JayC]

Because you are an incoming vacation scheme student, but your vacation scheme would be upcoming if you were talking about the scheme rather than you as a person. There is probably some confusion with this difference.

So as a job title on LinkedIn, incoming would be most appropriate. If it was a description of the job, then upcoming would be the most appropriate.

So “I am an incoming vacation scheme student at Joe Bloggs LLP” is correct but so is “I have upcoming vacation schemes at Joe Bloggs LLP and Red & Blue LLP”

I think the weird thing is that a lot of people post their job title as ‘Incoming Vacation Scheme’ which doesn’t make a lot of sense

 

[C157]

Anyone still to do the WBD VI, you have one option to re-record your answer for each question!!

Many thanks for letting us know. Any chance you could shed some light on the questions asked? Not really sure what to expect as its not competency based.

 

[Jessica Booker]

I think the weird thing is that a lot of people post their job title as ‘Incoming Vacation Scheme’ which doesn’t make a lot of sense

Would only really make sense as Incoming Vacation Scheme Student or Incoming Vacation Scheme Intern.

I suspect it’s a lot of people copying other people’s job titles, technically incorrectly.