2020-21 Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion

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Abbie4329

Distinguished Member
Jul 21, 2020
64
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Congratulations on your vac schemes! Have you found your employer is receptive to you taking leave for interviews or schemes?
I also work full time. I don’t work in a regulated industry as such but I would need to get permission from my manager and HR in order to undertake vac schemes as they count as employment. The other thing you have to consider is that realistically you won’t be able to do very many vac schemes due to holiday allowance (usually 25 days but will vary). Employers won’t always be happy with you taking your full amount of annual leave and then asking for unpaid leave on top of that. You may also struggle asking for time off to do long vac schemes i.e. longer than 2 weeks. I have also found that although vac schemes for students are convenient as they’re during terms breaks the schemes will often clash with regular school holidays so if you have parents in your work team it’s unlikely your request for time off will be prioritised (but again this will vary). I have also found that some vac scheme offers can be given very last minute. Normally you have to give your employer twice the amount of notice of the time you want off. So if you want to book 1 week off your employer will usually require at least 2 weeks notice (again will vary depending on your contract).

I would definitely recommend getting a more commercial job rather than working on a checkout etc (nothing wrong with this btw, I worked in hospitality for 4 years) . I think for me, the experience has been excellent, you get an insight into office work, it helps you to understand what a client wants from an external lawyer and it gives me a fall back career path if I don’t secure a TC.
 

M1999

Legendary Member
Nov 28, 2019
518
1,183
Has anyone been successful in applying to the civil service for policy roles? I am applying now and I understand its mostly based on if you fit their description and would love some guidance to how you can be successful :)
 
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Anon 11031

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Hi! Mine took like 2-3 days to come through, I thought it was stuck in spam or something but just took a while
I haven’t received it either! I wouldn’t worry though, there’s often a delay when they send out emails in batches :)
Appreciate both of you letting me know. There's no email correspondence on my portal either. It's easy to just assume they've already written you off and that you're not getting an email because they'll be sending you a PFO sooner rather than later 😬
 

SamTam99

Legendary Member
Jan 5, 2021
150
602
Appreciate both of you letting me know. There's no email correspondence on my portal either. It's easy to just assume they've already written you off and that you're not getting an email because they'll be sending you a PFO sooner rather than later 😬
I know this process is super stressful, but I honestly wouldn’t assume this at all!

By the looks of things, the email sent out is simply a holding email letting candidates know that they should hear back regarding VI results in late May. This isn’t an indication of whether they’ve passed or failed the VI, just an email to keep people updated with the general timeline.

I know it’s easier said than done, but try to just sit tight and not stress! You’ll probably receive the email some time this week :)
 
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Kablahc

Legendary Member
Future Trainee
Forum Winner
  • Aug 31, 2020
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    Has anyone been successful in applying to the civil service for policy roles? I am applying now and I understand its mostly based on if you fit their description and would love some guidance to how you can be successful :)
    I have an offer from the Fast Stream so let me know if I can help with anything! :)
     
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    Matt_96

    Legendary Member
    Future Trainee
  • Dec 15, 2018
    455
    1,196
    PFO from Irwin Mitchell London office, gutted about this one! This is my second cycle applying to them, I even had my app reviewed by someone at the firm and they gave it the green light :/

    I didn't apply to many vac schemes this year but I still haven't managed to get past app stage in 2 cycles 😅

    Really sorry to hear that mate! However, if I were to give some advice, it would be to not rely on what someone at the firm says unless they are a graduate recruiter at that firm or involved with recruitment in some way.

    In my experience, the lawyers you speak to will universally want the best for you as they understand how competitive getting into law is. However, unless there is a specific role for lawyers in reading graduate applications, their advice may not be that helpful because they are usually quite removed from the process.

    Most trainees are at least 1-2 years out of whack with recruitment cycles. And this presumes that they 1) studied law and 2) went straight into it after finishing university. Other trainees will have to do the GDL as well as the LPC and may have to wait a year or more before they start. Others may defer it for a year for personal reasons e.g. to travel. Associates are even further removed as they may have done those things and then had to train for two years, or even moved firms since then. Partners are on a different planet. One who used to mentor me said that when he applied in the 90s you could apply to 10 City firms and expect 9 interviews, just with a CV and covering letter - none of the pesky online tests or VIs or anything! So the relevance of his application experience was actually quite slim, and something I found frustrating during my mentorship.

    So with this in mind, if anyone who isn't directly involved in recruitment says it looks great, just bear in mind that they might not be able to give you an honest assessment of how a recruiter or recruitment partner/associate, who will be reading most of those applications, may respond.
     

    ola830

    Star Member
    Jan 9, 2021
    44
    27
    What do you guys think counts as a good example of strong organisational skills?

    Would talking about a time when I handled multiple commitments simultaneously and was successful in them be seen as showing that I have strong organisational skills? I just struggle to think of appropriate examples that demonstrate this - anyone has any ideas/thoughts?
     
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    M777

    Legendary Member
    Premium Member
    Jul 15, 2019
    607
    929
    Did anyone else just never hear back from Mayer Brown after applying for a vacation scheme? I did my phone interview in late December and never heard from them again. I already chased them twice to no avail so I'm not gonna bother with them now, but curious if anyone else had the same issue?
     
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