- Feb 17, 2018
- 4,717
- 8,627
Sidley Austin Vacation Scheme 2018
How did you find the Sidley Austin vacation scheme?
The schedule wasn't too packed. The first day was the most busy, because of IT training and that kind of thing. There was a volunteering afternoon. There weren't too many social events - there was a breakfast one day and drinks on another evening, they were pretty casual and a good opportunity to talk to trainees. Most of the assessments were then towards the end of the second week, but this varied for each of us, some people had their partner interviews on the Wednesday of the second week.
I found that the people in the firm were really nice. They were intelligent, friendly and genuinely took an interest in you and were willing to take the time to talk to you about things. There really wasn't a sense hierarchy - I felt completely comfortable going to talk to partners. Trainees are super eager to bring you out for lunch or coffee.
The workload was balanced. I found both weeks that my supervisors had work for me to do so I was always busy, but I also made sure to go around the office and seek work from other people too (although there wasn't so much time for this). HR would sometimes send around capacity emails if teams had work available, so there's scope to do work outside of the department you're in.
Overall, I really liked the people and the atmosphere of the firm. It was a positive experience.
I would've liked for there to be sessions on key departments in the firm so you could get a better feel of the kind of work that they do, but the idea is that you should go out and find out more about the departments you're interested in yourself. It would have been good if we'd been asked which departments we have a preference for beforehand.
What were the vacation scheme assessments like at Sidley Austin?
There was an associate interview on the first week. This was quite casual, more of a conversation about you. It was relaxed but still important to prepare for it like a normal interview.
There was a negotiation exercise on the second week. You're given information at the end of the first week and you're expected to prepare for the assessment beforehand by meeting with your "client" (a partner) to figure out their preferences. The actual exercise itself is all about testing teamwork. It's necessary to compromise. I got the impression that this exercise wasn't all that important and is just to filter out if you're overly stubborn or rubbish at teamwork.
The final partner interview is quite intense. They really grill you a lot on the work that you've done so make sure that you 100% understand it inside and out. It's important to ask questions to your supervisor so that you really get the full picture.
What advice would you give to future vacation schemers attending the Sidley Austin vacation scheme?
The final training contract partner interview is really important. To be honest I think it's pretty much make it or break it so make sure you really focus on this, they definitely put a big emphasis on it when it comes to making the final decision. This is a shame because it kind of defies the point of a vacation scheme (supposedly getting a more rounded picture of you) but it's understandable when the firm takes so few trainees. In terms of preparing, this is kind of difficult as you don't find out what departments you're in until the first day. So I think focus more on mentally preparing yourself for being in a professional environment.
On average, what time did you arrive and leave each day?
The scheduled hours are 9.30am-5.30pm. I arrived about 9.00am and left about 6.00pm, but this was just because I wanted to - my supervisors made it very clear that there was no expectation to.
How much were you paid for the Sidley Austin vacation scheme?
£350 a week.
How would you rate your overall vacation scheme experience?
4/5
How did you find the Sidley Austin vacation scheme?
The schedule wasn't too packed. The first day was the most busy, because of IT training and that kind of thing. There was a volunteering afternoon. There weren't too many social events - there was a breakfast one day and drinks on another evening, they were pretty casual and a good opportunity to talk to trainees. Most of the assessments were then towards the end of the second week, but this varied for each of us, some people had their partner interviews on the Wednesday of the second week.
I found that the people in the firm were really nice. They were intelligent, friendly and genuinely took an interest in you and were willing to take the time to talk to you about things. There really wasn't a sense hierarchy - I felt completely comfortable going to talk to partners. Trainees are super eager to bring you out for lunch or coffee.
The workload was balanced. I found both weeks that my supervisors had work for me to do so I was always busy, but I also made sure to go around the office and seek work from other people too (although there wasn't so much time for this). HR would sometimes send around capacity emails if teams had work available, so there's scope to do work outside of the department you're in.
Overall, I really liked the people and the atmosphere of the firm. It was a positive experience.
I would've liked for there to be sessions on key departments in the firm so you could get a better feel of the kind of work that they do, but the idea is that you should go out and find out more about the departments you're interested in yourself. It would have been good if we'd been asked which departments we have a preference for beforehand.
What were the vacation scheme assessments like at Sidley Austin?
There was an associate interview on the first week. This was quite casual, more of a conversation about you. It was relaxed but still important to prepare for it like a normal interview.
There was a negotiation exercise on the second week. You're given information at the end of the first week and you're expected to prepare for the assessment beforehand by meeting with your "client" (a partner) to figure out their preferences. The actual exercise itself is all about testing teamwork. It's necessary to compromise. I got the impression that this exercise wasn't all that important and is just to filter out if you're overly stubborn or rubbish at teamwork.
The final partner interview is quite intense. They really grill you a lot on the work that you've done so make sure that you 100% understand it inside and out. It's important to ask questions to your supervisor so that you really get the full picture.
What advice would you give to future vacation schemers attending the Sidley Austin vacation scheme?
The final training contract partner interview is really important. To be honest I think it's pretty much make it or break it so make sure you really focus on this, they definitely put a big emphasis on it when it comes to making the final decision. This is a shame because it kind of defies the point of a vacation scheme (supposedly getting a more rounded picture of you) but it's understandable when the firm takes so few trainees. In terms of preparing, this is kind of difficult as you don't find out what departments you're in until the first day. So I think focus more on mentally preparing yourself for being in a professional environment.
On average, what time did you arrive and leave each day?
The scheduled hours are 9.30am-5.30pm. I arrived about 9.00am and left about 6.00pm, but this was just because I wanted to - my supervisors made it very clear that there was no expectation to.
How much were you paid for the Sidley Austin vacation scheme?
£350 a week.
How would you rate your overall vacation scheme experience?
4/5
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