Hi everyone - tho not a frequent poster on TCLA, I visit the forum almost everyday and feel so blessed to be part of such an amazing, motivated group of young lawyers. Just thought I'd share some happy news that I've received recently and spread the positivity
*particularly long post, aimed primarily at international students*
I'm an international student, graduated with a UK law degree years ago which I followed with an LLM. I struggled to get a TC in London and my morale took a severe hit over the years - the difficulties that come with having to navigate visa struggles only added to my problems. My grades were fine and my applications were decent.. I genuinely believed that I had the aptitude, the work experience, the extra curriculars, but for some reason never quite found the perfect fit.
I decided to focus on qualifying as a lawyer back home. Whilst I always wanted to go into the corporate practice (most of my work experience and even my masters focused on transactional matters), I realised I had a natural inclination towards disputes resolution, litigation and contentious work in general. This piqued my interest, I ended up following my heart (lol as cliche as it may sound) and I've just been offered a role in this line of work with an international law firm, with opportunities to work with their London HQ in future. This was after the most enjoyable application process (in comparison to the numerous applications I've sent out for a TC in London).. I felt so welcomed and at home during the interview and honestly couldn't be happier.
My story is quite different to the success stories on the forum but not all happy endings have to begin with signing a TC offer with a commercial law firm in the City. I've seen quite a few international students struggling with visa issues on the forum.. I know what it is like to move to a different country for university, having to adapt to an entirely new surrounding whilst trying to figure out how the TC application process works in the UK, not being able to go on vac schemes due to visa restrictions and not securing a TC before your visa expires.
My only tip would be, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Be proactive and reach out to firms to confirm if they would sponsor visas - you'd be surprised to learn that some of the smaller firms are sometimes more flexible with these things. Enjoy the international exposure as much as you can and use it your benefit - adaptability and knowledge of the culture and commerce in different regions are key qualities that make a successful lawyer.
And if you aren't successful in getting a TC in the first instance (or second.. or third.. or fifth..).. take some time to process it but please know that it isn't the end of the road. Whilst the prospect of moving back home can be daunting, what you deserve will find its way to you when the time is right. Good luck!
And please feel free to PM if you have any questions for me, I’ll try and help where I can