Mental Health- TC/VS applications

[Raven_111]

Background:
Recently it dawned on me that I may never get a TC or a VS, whilst my a-levels were not the best I managed to secure a 2:1 at a Non-Russel group uni. Now I'm currently doing the LPC (Self-funded) however after receiving my first rejection of VS cycles (Second year doing it) putting time and effort into my application and getting it checked for mistakes by the uni I feel somewhat depressed.

I have little to no law-based work experience, I work in CAB as a volunteer receptionist with hopes to be promoted to an advisor, I have also done an online virtual VS however this kind of feels cheap to say as I can't secure a 'real' VS and that's really it, I managed to secure a place in my uni for judicial shadowing for a day however this takes place in a couple of months and I'm not sure what will come from that.

Besides this, I have been constantly applying for a TC and VS since last year, yet I'm receiving rejections left right and centre, every time I think about applying I feel like I'll already be rejected. I've been constantly thinking about it so much and it really makes me feel uneasy, and seeing others excel in my cohort knowing that most of them have a TC and I don't is disheartening. I have no idea where I'm going wrong, I tried to forget about it and focus on myself but I end up thinking about it again.

I decided to take the paralegal route after all this however even then it feels like I'm fighting to get a job. I would really like some advice or help in terms of what I should do, what kind of mindset I should be in and what I can do to overcome this feeling.

 

[AvniD]

Background:
Recently it dawned on me that I may never get a TC or a VS, whilst my a-levels were not the best I managed to secure a 2:1 at a Non-Russel group uni. Now I'm currently doing the LPC (Self-funded) however after receiving my first rejection of VS cycles (Second year doing it) putting time and effort into my application and getting it checked for mistakes by the uni I feel somewhat depressed.

I have little to no law-based work experience, I work in CAB as a volunteer receptionist with hopes to be promoted to an advisor, I have also done an online virtual VS however this kind of feels cheap to say as I can't secure a 'real' VS and that's really it, I managed to secure a place in my uni for judicial shadowing for a day however this takes place in a couple of months and I'm not sure what will come from that.

Besides this, I have been constantly applying for a TC and VS since last year, yet I'm receiving rejections left right and centre, every time I think about applying I feel like I'll already be rejected. I've been constantly thinking about it so much and it really makes me feel uneasy, and seeing others excel in my cohort knowing that most of them have a TC and I don't is disheartening. I have no idea where I'm going wrong, I tried to forget about it and focus on myself but I end up thinking about it again.

I decided to take the paralegal route after all this however even then it feels like I'm fighting to get a job. I would really like some advice or help in terms of what I should do, what kind of mindset I should be in and what I can do to overcome this feeling.

Firstly, I must say that there really is no requirement for you to have any law-based work experience and that it's crucial for you to value whatever experiences you have been able to secure for yourself and the knowledge you have gained from them. Firms recognise what you value so if you minimise experiences that have genuinely helped you better understand this profession, even if it is a virtual VS, then firms won't know to accord it any value either.

I'm sorry to hear that you've been dealing with rejections. Have you thought of getting your applications professionally reviewed? You could try your uni careers service or TCLA's application review service, or you could even try using the input of someone you trust personally, whether it's a family, friend or teacher. This will help you understand how your writing is being perceived and received by the reader and help you fine-tune your applications.

If you're keen on applying for paralegal roles, using LinkedIn can be a great way to find recruiters who can connect you with suitable opportunities. I think @Jessica Booker has a great perspective on this as well so I will tag her for her input as well!

You've got this! I'm rooting for you!

 

[aishaalexandra]

Background:
Recently it dawned on me that I may never get a TC or a VS, whilst my a-levels were not the best I managed to secure a 2:1 at a Non-Russel group uni. Now I'm currently doing the LPC (Self-funded) however after receiving my first rejection of VS cycles (Second year doing it) putting time and effort into my application and getting it checked for mistakes by the uni I feel somewhat depressed.

I have little to no law-based work experience, I work in CAB as a volunteer receptionist with hopes to be promoted to an advisor, I have also done an online virtual VS however this kind of feels cheap to say as I can't secure a 'real' VS and that's really it, I managed to secure a place in my uni for judicial shadowing for a day however this takes place in a couple of months and I'm not sure what will come from that.

Besides this, I have been constantly applying for a TC and VS since last year, yet I'm receiving rejections left right and centre, every time I think about applying I feel like I'll already be rejected. I've been constantly thinking about it so much and it really makes me feel uneasy, and seeing others excel in my cohort knowing that most of them have a TC and I don't is disheartening. I have no idea where I'm going wrong, I tried to forget about it and focus on myself but I end up thinking about it again.

I decided to take the paralegal route after all this however even then it feels like I'm fighting to get a job. I would really like some advice or help in terms of what I should do, what kind of mindset I should be in and what I can do to overcome this feeling.

Hello,

I felt majorly in a similar position last year and it sucked, bad. I also did the LPC self-funded and found that this has transformed my personal experience of applications and got me some great paralegal experience at some pretty top firms. I went from having zero ever past application stage to managing to get at least 5 go past first stage this year.

Now i still haven't got a TC so definitely not like my word is law but I recently secured 2 Vac schemes and I would be more than happy to share some of my applications with you or even just be a source to vent because i KNOW how awful and demoralising it can be.

Send me a message if you would like to chat about honestly any part of this. I hope you're feeling a little better today <3

 

[Raven_111]

Firstly, I must say that there really is no requirement for you to have any law-based work experience and that it's crucial for you to value whatever experiences you have been able to secure for yourself and the knowledge you have gained from them. Firms recognise what you value so if you minimise experiences that have genuinely helped you better understand this profession, even if it is a virtual VS, then firms won't know to accord it any value either.

I'm sorry to hear that you've been dealing with rejections. Have you thought of getting your applications professionally reviewed? You could try your uni careers service or TCLA's application review service, or you could even try using the input of someone you trust personally, whether it's a family, friend or teacher. This will help you understand how your writing is being perceived and received by the reader and help you fine-tune your applications.

If you're keen on applying for paralegal roles, using LinkedIn can be a great way to find recruiters who can connect you with suitable opportunities. I think @Jessica Booker has a great perspective on this as well so I will tag her for her input as well!

You've got this! I'm rooting for you!

Thank you, I'll take this information on board. In regards to recruiters, I haven't really done much research into them, are they really worth it? and in terms of what recruiters are best, where would I even start to look?

 

[Raven_111]

Hello,

I felt majorly in a similar position last year and it sucked, bad. I also did the LPC self-funded and found that this has transformed my personal experience of applications and got me some great paralegal experience at some pretty top firms. I went from having zero ever past application stage to managing to get at least 5 go past first stage this year.

Now i still haven't got a TC so definitely not like my word is law but I recently secured 2 Vac schemes and I would be more than happy to share some of my applications with you or even just be a source to vent because i KNOW how awful and demoralising it can be.

Send me a message if you would like to chat about honestly any part of this. I hope you're feeling a little better today <3

Congratulations! and I would really appreciate the help, maybe even a different perspective as I'm not sure how my applications could get better.

 

[aishaalexandra]

Thank you, I'll take this information on board. In regards to recruiters, I haven't really done much research into them, are they really worth it? and in terms of what recruiters are best, where would I even start to look?

If you don’t mind me hopping in- I have a few names of some that really helped me out but mostly I just reached out to them on LinkedIn. Definitely worth it- I couldn’t get a job when just applying myself but with recruiters they do everything for you and are much better placed to get you better roles. I did 6 months as a legal assistant in a good firm but pretty rubbish role then used that experience to get a better role elsewhere

 

[aishaalexandra]

Congratulations! and I would really appreciate the help, maybe even a different perspective as I'm not sure how my applications could get better.

I’ll pm you

 

[AvniD]

Thank you, I'll take this information on board. In regards to recruiters, I haven't really done much research into them, are they really worth it? and in terms of what recruiters are best, where would I even start to look?

My information may be slightly outdated but I believe recruitment agencies like EJ Legal and Stephen James are fairly active on LinkedIn. There are many more like them and doing a simple search on them will reveal many related agencies as well. If you turn on the button on your profile that tells people that you are actively looking for work, and if your LinkedIn is updated, you'll find that recruiters will reach out to you as well. I also think you could search for recruiters in the cities you're interested in using filters and reaching out to them that way. I hope this helps!