How do you bridge the gap between living costs and grant?

[whawha]

Hello.

So I am in the fortunate position to have a training contract with a law firm. They are paying my GDL and LPC, plus £10k a year maintenance.

Whilst I appreciate that this is a big commitment for the firm, I can’t help but feel stressed as to how I will pay for the rest of my living expenses.

I have to do the GDL in London, and so rent alone is going to be around £10k. My family won’t pay extra to me, and I can’t get a loan. I’ve been told that the GDL is intense and that I shouldn’t work part time on the side.

The maintenance grant has been stuck at £10k for several years now. I don’t really ‘get’ why firms can’t pay a few more K to their future trainees so that they can study without money worries. Especially with the inflation we are seeing, and rising energy bills et cetera.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hello.

So I am in the fortunate position to have a training contract with a law firm. They are paying my GDL and LPC, plus £10k a year maintenance.

Whilst I appreciate that this is a big commitment for the firm, I can’t help but feel stressed as to how I will pay for the rest of my living expenses.

I have to do the GDL in London, and so rent alone is going to be around £10k. My family won’t pay extra to me, and I can’t get a loan. I’ve been told that the GDL is intense and that I shouldn’t work part time on the side.

The maintenance grant has been stuck at £10k for several years now. I don’t really ‘get’ why firms can’t pay a few more K to their future trainees so that they can study without money worries. Especially with the inflation we are seeing, and rising energy bills et cetera.

Unfortunately with it being the last year of the GDL and the LPC being replaced eventually by the SQE, it’s unlikely firms will up the allowances for either now.

Could you top up your GDL to a masters and get a postgraduate loan?

 

[OB]

Hello.

So I am in the fortunate position to have a training contract with a law firm. They are paying my GDL and LPC, plus £10k a year maintenance.

Whilst I appreciate that this is a big commitment for the firm, I can’t help but feel stressed as to how I will pay for the rest of my living expenses.

I have to do the GDL in London, and so rent alone is going to be around £10k. My family won’t pay extra to me, and I can’t get a loan. I’ve been told that the GDL is intense and that I shouldn’t work part time on the side.

The maintenance grant has been stuck at £10k for several years now. I don’t really ‘get’ why firms can’t pay a few more K to their future trainees so that they can study without money worries. Especially with the inflation we are seeing, and rising energy bills et cetera.

Have you approached your firm to ask for any additional assistance? I think I've heard some can try and find ways to help. I've also heard of some firms letting people take GDL/LPC courses part time and then paralegal part time to help with costs

 

[Nicktim]

Hello.

So I am in the fortunate position to have a training contract with a law firm. They are paying my GDL and LPC, plus £10k a year maintenance.

Whilst I appreciate that this is a big commitment for the firm, I can’t help but feel stressed as to how I will pay for the rest of my living expenses.

I have to do the GDL in London, and so rent alone is going to be around £10k. My family won’t pay extra to me, and I can’t get a loan. I’ve been told that the GDL is intense and that I shouldn’t work part time on the side.

The maintenance grant has been stuck at £10k for several years now. I don’t really ‘get’ why firms can’t pay a few more K to their future trainees so that they can study without money worries. Especially with the inflation we are seeing, and rising energy bills et cetera.

The options I'm aware of are:
- Take a gap before the GDL or between GDL and LPC to work full time to get some savings.
- See if your firm will allow you to convert your GDL to masters and therefore qualify for a postgraduate loan.
- Some GDL/LPC providers partner with loan providers to offer private student loans (not the best interest rates but there as an option if needed)
- As a recent graduate of the PGDL at BPP and current LPC student I'd advise against working on the LPC but personally don't see any harm in doing a day of work on the weekend during the GDL if you can find something flexible. You'd have to keep on top of your studies during the week and work in the evenings but it's an option. I would advise against any working during the week as GDL providers can change classes at short notice and are very unsympathetic if you have a part time job.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Have you approached your firm to ask for any additional assistance? I think I've heard some can try and find ways to help. I've also heard of some firms letting people take GDL/LPC courses part time and then paralegal part time to help with costs

Could you expand on this, please? I mean I don't have a TC but this issue is very much concerning. How frequently do firms make such arrangements for people who need this? And how many hours a week can you really do paralegal work? I mean, from what I've heard, it is going to be extremely difficult to manage it with the GDL

 

[Jessica Booker]

Could you expand on this, please? I mean I don't have a TC but this issue is very much concerning. How frequently do firms make such arrangements for people who need this? And how many hours a week can you really do paralegal work? I mean, from what I've heard, it is going to be extremely difficult to manage it with the GDL

It will very much depend on the firm in question, so something to ask them during the recruitment process.

This could all change with the SQE coming in anyway, which doesn’t need to be studied in the same way as the LPC/GDL.

However, for the GDL the firm can generally be much more flexible and potentially offer it via distance learning or locations outside of London that will make it a lot cheaper.

 

[OB]

Could you expand on this, please? I mean I don't have a TC but this issue is very much concerning. How frequently do firms make such arrangements for people who need this? And how many hours a week can you really do paralegal work? I mean, from what I've heard, it is going to be extremely difficult to manage it with the GDL

I don’t have any personal experience as I don’t have a TC either. I just know from acquaintances at uni, they mentioned getting paralegal jobs with their firm to help with finances or doing a few days paralegal work while studying to help. I know some firms also give hardship grants etc to help bridge the gap.

As Jessica said, SQE coming into play could help. I know from reading the Reed Smith SQE TC that you work and study at the same time so at least you would be getting a full salary while studying and it wouldn’t be such a hardship

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

I don’t have any personal experience as I don’t have a TC either. I just know from acquaintances at uni, they mentioned getting paralegal jobs with their firm to help with finances or doing a few days paralegal work while studying to help. I know some firms also give hardship grants etc to help bridge the gap.

As Jessica said, SQE coming into play could help. I know from reading the Reed Smith SQE TC that you work and study at the same time so at least you would be getting a full salary while studying and it wouldn’t be such a hardship

Thank you for this answer.

 

[TCapplier]

Hello.

So I am in the fortunate position to have a training contract with a law firm. They are paying my GDL and LPC, plus £10k a year maintenance.

Whilst I appreciate that this is a big commitment for the firm, I can’t help but feel stressed as to how I will pay for the rest of my living expenses.

I have to do the GDL in London, and so rent alone is going to be around £10k. My family won’t pay extra to me, and I can’t get a loan. I’ve been told that the GDL is intense and that I shouldn’t work part time on the side.

The maintenance grant has been stuck at £10k for several years now. I don’t really ‘get’ why firms can’t pay a few more K to their future trainees so that they can study without money worries. Especially with the inflation we are seeing, and rising energy bills et cetera.

Hi, I've been looking through TCLA to find advice for how to fund my conversion (which is the PGDL now), and I came across this post. I'm in the exact position you were now - I have a TC and a 10k maintenance grant from the firm, but that is nowhere near enough for me to live during my PGDL. I wanted to ask, how did you manage it? Did you work part time, and did it turn out okay? Any advice would be appreciated, cost of living is through the roof at the moment and I don't know how I'm going to afford to live since my family can't offer any support.

 

[Jane Smith]

May be live a bit further out and rent a room in a shared house which may be about £500 a month. Also I think with BPP the PGDL is just 2 terms long now so you may be able to get a job between PDGL and LPC. Also you can sometimes do the PGDL online which might help in renting a room somewhere which is very cheap anywhere in the UK.