International student/Paralegal - Ask me anything

[Newborntrainee]

Hi all

I have quite an unusual background as I have studied law in France, did an exchange programme and decided to stay in the UK. I did the GDL and LLM in 2016/2017 and went on to get a job with a brand protection company. I then left to join my first law firm and worked as a paralegal for nearly 3 years. I have low grades in my A levels and average grades for the rest of my degrees, except on the LPC where I am averaging a first.

I struggled when I arrived to find the support I needed to find my way to a training contract and had no idea how to qualify for a little while. When I started applying, I was older than the other candidates and it took me another few years before finally securing a training contract with a city law firm.

I thought I would create this thread in case anyone has questions on getting a job as a foreigner, getting a paralegal position, studying as a foreigner, or cultural challenges or anything like this!

 

[George Maxwell]

Hey @Newborntrainee,

Thank you for being so willing to help others in the community! Looking forward to seeing how this thread develops 🚀

 

[AliShanWaryah]

Hi all

I have quite an unusual background as I have studied law in France, did an exchange programme and decided to stay in the UK. I did the GDL and LLM in 2016/2017 and went on to get a job with a brand protection company. I then left to join my first law firm and worked as a paralegal for nearly 3 years. I have low grades in my A levels and average grades for the rest of my degrees, except on the LPC where I am averaging a first.

I struggled when I arrived to find the support I needed to find my way to a training contract and had no idea how to qualify for a little while. When I started applying, I was older than the other candidates and it took me another few years before finally securing a training contract with a city law firm.

I thought I would create this thread in case anyone has questions on getting a job as a foreigner, getting a paralegal position, studying as a foreigner, or cultural challenges or anything like this!

It’s so nice of you that you are volunteering to help others..
How did you managed your Funding for GDL and LL.M? Via loans or savings?
I am also a foreign student which means I am ineligible for loans. So would it be easy for me to fund my gdl fees in living in london during studies on part time work?
Or should i go for part time degree?

 

[Newborntrainee]

It’s so nice of you that you are volunteering to help others..
How did you managed your Funding for GDL and LL.M? Via loans or savings?
I am also a foreign student which means I am ineligible for loans. So would it be easy for me to fund my gdl fees in living in london during studies on part time work?
Or should i go for part time degree?

In relation to fees, luckily, I had the help of my family who paid for most of my postgraduate degrees. I started the LPC and GDL before Brexit so was eligible to pay "only" home fees as opposed to international fees (which you now have to pay if you are European). I was also eligible to the postgraduate loan, which I did take out and am still paying. My family paid tuition fees but I used up all the loan to survive throughout my study! I would recommend finding your training contract before you start the SQE if funding via private loans or family is not possible, I know it is so much money but not having the LPC is not a deterrent for firms.

During the LPC, it was no longer a possibility for me to take out a loan so I decided to study it part-time and I was working full-time as a paralegal. With the SQE, I think some of this experience could even count as Qualifying Experience so you can qualify faster.

If money is a huge issue, I highly recommend finding a paralegal position within a firm you know do recruit paralegals as trainees (that I definitely know of: TW, Linklaters, and probably more). I got my TC that way and I know of people who got a TC this way even when they did not have their LPC (and so it will be fully funded by your firm).

Good luck!! I think we definitely need more international lawyers practising in London!

 

[meciasmorocco]

What do I need to become a paralegal? As far as I know, I don’t need to have higher education, and this job is like being an assistant to a lawyer.
Is it true that becoming a paralegal can be done online? It would be great because it would save me so much time and money. I would like to get a theoretical education now and maybe work not only with my hands in the future. I have no time and money for higher education, so I want to become a Paralegal.
And also, how much is it possible to earn being a paralegal? The online sources suggest a sum between $32K and $52K. Is it true?

 

[elainehua]

Hi, I am an international student in my final year of study in LLB. I am worried about whether I could secure VS/ TC so I am also considering applying to paralegal.

I have heard that firms are less willing to recruit international students for paralegal positions (as they need to sponsor us). I also heard that this is especially the case for small firms. Is this a myth? Does anyone have any recommendations as to which firms to apply to for paralegal roles? Any tips will be appreciated!

I would really appreciate it if anyone can answer my question!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi, I am an international student in my final year of study in LLB. I am worried about whether I could secure VS/ TC so I am also considering applying to paralegal.

I have heard that firms are less willing to recruit international students for paralegal positions (as they need to sponsor us). I also heard that this is especially the case for small firms. Is this a myth? Does anyone have any recommendations as to which firms to apply to for paralegal roles? Any tips will be appreciated!

I would really appreciate it if anyone can answer my question!

They are unlikely to be able to get a visa for you for paralegal roles - they are unlikely to meet the requirements set by the U.K. government to get a visa. There are some exceptions but vast majority of paralegal roles won’t meet the visa requirements.

Most international students will apply for a graduate visa and use this to work on as a paralegal for up to two years.

 

[Momo]

They are unlikely to be able to get a visa for you for paralegal roles - they are unlikely to meet the requirements set by the U.K. government to get a visa. There are some exceptions but vast majority of paralegal roles won’t meet the visa requirements.

Most international students will apply for a graduate visa and use this to work on as a paralegal for up to two years.

Are there such things as short-term paralegal roles like 2-3 months? Because I would love to secure a TC or a VS, I am less inclined to commit to 2 years as a paralegal.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Are there such things as short-term paralegal roles like 2-3 months? Because I would love to secure a TC or a VS, I am less inclined to commit to 2 years as a paralegal.

2-3 months is unlikely unless it’s a temp role. You can register with some paralegal temp agencies for get such short term placements. There is no point applying for roles that are fixed term contracts or permanent roles if you can only work for 2-3 months.

 

[Will Jones]

Agreed with Jessica, most won't sponsor paralegals unfortunately so it's very hard at the minute to get paralegal jobs in those situations

 

[amrita6399]

I have found a Paralegal listing that I would like to apply for, however, it requires a cover letter.

@Jessica Booker or anyone that has experience as a Paralegal, tell me how to structure and draft cover letters for these roles. Since I read online that it focuses more on the transferable skills of the candidate. However, I'm unsure about how to divide my paragraphs and what I should aim to cover in the letter. Any help is appreciated

 

[DarrenB]

Hi @Newborntrainee,

I don't know whether this thread is still active but it's worth sending a reply here. I am in a similar situation to you. I came to the UK this year after finishing my undergrad law degree in the Netherlands. Currently, I am pursuing the PgDL (same thing as the GDL) because I want to get a TC and qualify in the UK. As I have not secured a TC this cycle, I am looking for Paralegal roles. One impediment is that I am on a student visa (tier 4), which is due to expire in July. I do have the option to extend on a graduate visa but I'm not sure whether this is the best option for two reasons. First one would be financial and second would be the government's plans to alter the graduate route.

Do you think it's worth extending my visa to a graduate visa? How did you manage to secure a paralegal position? Did you just send your CV and applied to a bunch of law firms until you got a reply?

Thanks!!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Newborntrainee,

I don't know whether this thread is still active but it's worth sending a reply here. I am in a similar situation to you. I came to the UK this year after finishing my undergrad law degree in the Netherlands. Currently, I am pursuing the PgDL (same thing as the GDL) because I want to get a TC and qualify in the UK. As I have not secured a TC this cycle, I am looking for Paralegal roles. One impediment is that I am on a student visa (tier 4), which is due to expire in July. I do have the option to extend on a graduate visa but I'm not sure whether this is the best option for two reasons. First one would be financial and second would be the government's plans to alter the graduate route.

Do you think it's worth extending my visa to a graduate visa? How did you manage to secure a paralegal position? Did you just send your CV and applied to a bunch of law firms until you got a reply?

Thanks!!

I’d get the graduate visa while you can. They won’t revoke visa, they just won’t issue new ones if the visa is ended by the government. The financial considerations are an important thing to consider though as you will need to have the relevant funds for the visa.

If you want to work as a paralegal though, a graduate visa is really going to be the main way to work as getting sponsorship is incredibly difficult.

 

[DarrenB]

I’d get the graduate visa while you can. They won’t revoke visa, they just won’t issue new ones if the visa is ended by the government. The financial considerations are an important thing to consider though as you will need to have the relevant funds for the visa.

If you want to work as a paralegal though, a graduate visa is really going to be the main way to work as getting sponsorship is incredibly difficult.

Hi @Jessica Booker,

I was thinking of extending to the graduate visa and building experience as a paralegal whilst applying for TCs. Thanks for your help!

 

[Gg2001]

Hi all

I have quite an unusual background as I have studied law in France, did an exchange programme and decided to stay in the UK. I did the GDL and LLM in 2016/2017 and went on to get a job with a brand protection company. I then left to join my first law firm and worked as a paralegal for nearly 3 years. I have low grades in my A levels and average grades for the rest of my degrees, except on the LPC where I am averaging a first.

I struggled when I arrived to find the support I needed to find my way to a training contract and had no idea how to qualify for a little while. When I started applying, I was older than the other candidates and it took me another few years before finally securing a training contract with a city law firm.

I thought I would create this thread in case anyone has questions on getting a job as a foreigner, getting a paralegal position, studying as a foreigner, or cultural challenges or anything like this!

Hi there,
Thank you for talking about your background and being open to helping! I graduated last year however I have been unable to secure any legal assistant/paralegal roles on my graduate visa. I am currently going back to my home country to get some work experience there instead. How did you manage to secure your first role in the UK? I only have pro bono/university society/retail/startup advising experience on my cv and I am unable to enter the legal sector at all. I am thinking of staying in my home country for now or applying in France/Switzerland as they seem more open to internationals from what I have heard from my alumni. Did you apply for a direct training contract as well? Thanks so much again. It’s been nine months since graduation and I feel like staying here is not worth it for my career anymore.

 

[Sim96]

Hi all

I have quite an unusual background as I have studied law in France, did an exchange programme and decided to stay in the UK. I did the GDL and LLM in 2016/2017 and went on to get a job with a brand protection company. I then left to join my first law firm and worked as a paralegal for nearly 3 years. I have low grades in my A levels and average grades for the rest of my degrees, except on the LPC where I am averaging a first.

I struggled when I arrived to find the support I needed to find my way to a training contract and had no idea how to qualify for a little while. When I started applying, I was older than the other candidates and it took me another few years before finally securing a training contract with a city law firm.

I thought I would create this thread in case anyone has questions on getting a job as a foreigner, getting a paralegal position, studying as a foreigner, or cultural challenges or anything like this!

Pls may I ask - do you think paralegal job with a city firm helps with a training contract in that firm? Any firm names that come to mind.

 

[ameliatang]

Hi @Jessica Booker,

I am a future trainee and international student doing a sponsored SQE originally due to start the training contract in August, having already signed the contract confirming the details. Earlier this week I was notified by my firm that they need to defer me by 6 months due to visa issues. Specifically, the LLM course ending date is after my employment start date, so my firm is worried about my right to work in the overlap. I have done lots of research and got all the help I could on this issue and I think this decision is based on a misunderstanding of the rules, especially since I have not heard of people in my position being deferred at BPP or ULaw. I was wondering if you have knowledge of anyone in a similar situation and how they resolved it, and if you have any advice on how to proceed with this. I'm quite anxious about this now as this is very short notice and I may need to find alternative ways to support myself financially in the gap. Any insight would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker,

I am a future trainee and international student doing a sponsored SQE originally due to start the training contract in August, having already signed the contract confirming the details. Earlier this week I was notified by my firm that they need to defer me by 6 months due to visa issues. Specifically, the LLM course ending date is after my employment start date, so my firm is worried about my right to work in the overlap. I have done lots of research and got all the help I could on this issue and I think this decision is based on a misunderstanding of the rules, especially since I have not heard of people in my position being deferred at BPP or ULaw. I was wondering if you have knowledge of anyone in a similar situation and how they resolved it, and if you have any advice on how to proceed with this. I'm quite anxious about this now as this is very short notice and I may need to find alternative ways to support myself financially in the gap. Any insight would be appreciated, thanks!

I can't really advise on this unfortunately, although I have heard of other people experiencing similar issues and also having to be deferred.

If you are certain the firm has misunderstood the rules of your student visa, then I would arrange a meeting with them and present your evidence for why you think there has been a misunderstanding.