Ask A Graduate Recruiter Anything!

[-as-above-so-below-]

A 68% is a very strong grade - you have absolutely nothing to worry about here.

Thank you for answering my question! I was very troubled because this is my lowest grade and I was afraid it would stick out like a sore thumb.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thank you for answering my question! I was very troubled because this is my lowest grade and I was afraid it would stick out like a sore thumb.

It really won't - it is a very strong grade that will be looked upon as favourably as your other grades. It doesn't stick out to a recruiter - they just see strong grades.

 

[jan28]

Hi Jessica, I was wondering if we get informed about the outcome of our pre-screenings by Vero or the firm? I submitted my questionnaire a while ago and had to help them clarify certain issues and have had no communication since! May just be overthinking but would you be able to help please?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica, I was wondering if we get informed about the outcome of our pre-screenings by Vero or the firm? I submitted my questionnaire a while ago and had to help them clarify certain issues and have had no communication since! May just be overthinking but would you be able to help please?

I would contact Vero to discuss this if you have any questions about the process and if you will be contacted when the process is complete.

 

[jan28]

I would contact Vero to discuss this if you have any questions about the process and if you will be contacted when the process is complete.

Thank you for responding esp on a Sunday evening!

 

[m2001]

Hi Jess, what is the normal procedure with asking for an extension for TC offers? I have another vacation scheme (which the offer firm knows I have) & want to wait before making a final decision but not sure how to navigate it!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jess, what is the normal procedure with asking for an extension for TC offers? I have another vacation scheme (which the offer firm knows I have) & want to wait before making a final decision but not sure how to navigate it!

Just politely ask - there is no harm in asking, and the worst that they can say is that they can't give you an extension, and then you have to work out whether to accept (and then potentially renege) the offer or to turn it down outright.

I would try to call them rather than rely on email for this - your tone will come across a lot more over the phone and you'll get an answer much quicker too.

 

[kr253]

Hey @Jessica Booker, I have a question and don't want to come across ungrateful at all, but I was wondering in your experience whether TC salaries are at all negotiable? I've been lucky enough to receive multiple offers but the one from my preferred firm has a much lower salary than I can really afford to accept. Would it be appropriate to try and negotiate this at all? I'm a career changer so have plenty of experience in doing this but in previous situations the salary has always been clearly up for negotiation, whereas here it's been presented as a done deal. Thanks so much for your advice in advance!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hey @Jessica Booker, I have a question and don't want to come across ungrateful at all, but I was wondering in your experience whether TC salaries are at all negotiable? I've been lucky enough to receive multiple offers but the one from my preferred firm has a much lower salary than I can really afford to accept. Would it be appropriate to try and negotiate this at all? I'm a career changer so have plenty of experience in doing this but in previous situations the salary has always been clearly up for negotiation, whereas here it's been presented as a done deal. Thanks so much for your advice in advance!

For any commercial firm, they won’t be negotiable. Maybe a high street firm where there is only trainee, and even then there probably isn’t much room to manoeuvre.

Ultimately training contracts are a graduate programme where the cohort are paid the same amount, and for graduate programmes salaries tend to be fixed across cohorts as a matter of fairness. I only know a few exceptions to this, and they have always been outside of the legal sector and for roles with very particular technical skills (eg hard to recruit IT roles). All the time it is easy to recruit for law, candidates are replaceable and therefore there is typically no rationale to offer someone a higher salary.

If you felt you brought a certain necessary skill set that other candidates couldn’t, you could try to negotiate the salary, but you’d have to do this carefully and be prepared for them to say no.

Even if they did offer one, be mindful that you may find your salary doesn’t increase for sometime until you are aligned with the general employee population too.

 

[kr253]

For any commercial firm, they won’t be negotiable. Maybe a high street firm where there is only trainee, and even then there probably isn’t much room to manoeuvre.

Ultimately training contracts are a graduate programme where the cohort are paid the same amount, and for graduate programmes salaries tend to be fixed across cohorts as a matter of fairness. I only know a few exceptions to this, and they have always been outside of the legal sector and for roles with very particular technical skills (eg hard to recruit IT roles). All the time it is easy to recruit for law, candidates are replaceable and therefore there is typically no rationale to offer someone a higher salary.

If you felt you brought a certain necessary skill set that other candidates couldn’t, you could try to negotiate the salary, but you’d have to do this carefully and be prepared for them to say no.

Even if they did offer one, be mindful that you may find your salary doesn’t increase for sometime until you are aligned with the general employee population too.

Thanks so much for the detailed response Jessica, that's really helpful. Glad I asked!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica, I wondered if you had any advice for a future trainee that found out they were unexpectedly pregnant before their training contract was due to start. For reference all precautions had been used and this was a 0.1% chance of happening. I do not know what to do.

Feel free to PM me if it is easier.

Ultimately you’ll need to let your employer know at some point, and the earlier you tell them the better (usually expected to tell employers by 14 week mark).

There are likely to be a couple of outcomes here:

1) if the baby is due before you start or close to the start of the TC, then your start date is deferred for a year. Be mindful you won’t receive maternity leave benefits if you TC hasn’t started though. Depending on the firm’s policy, you are likely to only receive statutory leave if you do get maternity leave.

2) if the baby is due in 6+ months time, then you might start your TC, then go on maternity leave and then return to your TC when your maternity leave is up. As you need two years work experience to qualify, effectively your TC stops and then restarts again when you return, meaning you will qualify later than expected.

 

[TC fiend]

Hi Jessica, I wondered if you had any advice for a future trainee that found out they were unexpectedly pregnant before their training contract was due to start. For reference all precautions had been used and there was a 0.1% chance of this happening.

I don’t have any practical advice to give but just wanted to say that you really don’t need to feel like you have to explain that precautions were taken. There is no blame to be assigned. These things unfortunately happen - two of my friends became pregnant despite taking all necessary precautions, and it is a really tough situation to be in. Modern medicine can only go so far, and unfortunately this is disproportionately a burden for people who can get pregnant to bear. Hopefully your firm will have some common sense and compassion and find an arrangement that works for you. In the meantime lean onto your support network and just do what is right for you. Wishing you all the best, and please don’t hesitate to PM if you need someone to talk to.

 

[MVE49]

Hi Jessica, Fairly useless worrying going on but I’m waiting for my final set of LPC results on 28th July before starting my TC on 1st of August. I just wondered with such a small gap will my firm have been told about results before results day so that know who can start and if so, are they likely to let offer holders know if they’ve failed before?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica, Fairly useless worrying going on but I’m waiting for my final set of LPC results on 28th July before starting my TC on 1st of August. I just wondered with such a small gap will my firm have been told about results before results day so that know who can start and if so, are they likely to let offer holders know if they’ve failed before?

Wow that is tight on time. I have never known it to be that tight and over the weekend too.

It is possible they know before you, but I suspect they will find out the same time as you.

 

[anon239]

I don’t have any practical advice to give but just wanted to say that you really don’t need to feel like you have to explain that precautions were taken. There is no blame to be assigned. These things unfortunately happen - two of my friends became pregnant despite taking all necessary precautions, and it is a really tough situation to be in. Modern medicine can only go so far, and unfortunately this is disproportionately a burden for people who can get pregnant to bear. Hopefully your firm will have some common sense and compassion and find an arrangement that works for you. In the meantime lean onto your support network and just do what is right for you. Wishing you all the best, and please don’t hesitate to PM if you need someone to talk to.

Thank you so much. This message really touched me at a time where everyone around is telling me I have ruined my legal career, and my life.

 

[TC fiend]

Thank you so much. This message really touched me at a time where everyone around is telling me I have ruined my legal career, and my life.

You absolutely have not ruined your career or your life. It may look a little bit different than you had imagined, but this isn’t 1950. You have a TC lined up, which is testament to your tenacity, your knowledge and your ability to excel. Being pregnant does not change that in the slightest. Just because your career may not have the “traditional” timeline anymore does not mean it will not be successful, and anyone who suggests otherwise needs to enter the 21st century. While the legal profession still has some way to go, there are so many amazing lawyers who are also amazing parents, and living in a post-pandemic WFH era has been a blessing in making us realize that we don’t need to sacrifice our home lives in order to have a successful career. Obviously being a parent and a trainee would come with challenges, but it is entirely your choice whether you want to take those on, and if you do I’m sure you’ll find the right community of people to cheer you on. Sending you lots of strength! 🧡

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thank you so much. This message really touched me at a time where everyone around is telling me I have ruined my legal career, and my life.

If it helps, I have known a few trainees who fell pregnant during their TC. I also know various trainees (both male and female) who partners were pregnant during the trainees TC. It doesn’t happen a lot, but it has happened - typically it just means the route to qualification takes a little longer while you have time out on maternity/parental leave.

Those trainees managed their careers and a baby. Undoubtedly it was a challenge managing both, but they did it and qualified and went on to have successful legal careers.

You may want to try and connect with people who have similar experiences. This article on Legal Cheek identifies one person who will have had a similar experience:

‘I completed my training contract remotely while pregnant’ - Legal Cheek

Skylar McKeith reflects on an ‘eventful’ past year and a half

www.legalcheek.com

There is another article here (although behind a paywall): https://www.thelawyer.com/baby-training-contract/

 

[kr253]

Thank you so much. This message really touched me at a time where everyone around is telling me I have ruined my legal career, and my life.

I don't have anything profound to add that hasn't already been said but just want to add my support and reiterate that you haven't ruined anything! If you have already secured a TC, you are clearly strong and powerful - and being pregnant does not change that at all!

 

[AvniD]

You absolutely have not ruined your career or your life. It may look a little bit different than you had imagined, but this isn’t 1950. You have a TC lined up, which is testament to your tenacity, your knowledge and your ability to excel. Being pregnant does not change that in the slightest. Just because your career may not have the “traditional” timeline anymore does not mean it will not be successful, and anyone who suggests otherwise needs to enter the 21st century. While the legal profession still has some way to go, there are so many amazing lawyers who are also amazing parents, and living in a post-pandemic WFH era has been a blessing in making us realize that we don’t need to sacrifice our home lives in order to have a successful career. Obviously being a parent and a trainee would come with challenges, but it is entirely your choice whether you want to take those on, and if you do I’m sure you’ll find the right community of people to cheer you on. Sending you lots of strength! 🧡

@TC fiend your ability to empathise with and support someone is super rare- I'm so moved by this post! @anon239 I really could not have said this better and I really hope you found strength and comfort in @TC fiend's words. My best wishes are with you 🤗

 

[malvern3142]

Roughly what should I set as my salary expectations for a paralegal role in London (Tottenham area)? Glassdoor says £27k, but I have about 12 months legal experience and I am completing a masters degree that will give me a specialisation in the role's practice area. Would asking for +£30k be too much?