TC applications - Timeline

[W5690]

Hello,

I enrolled in a law conversion course in January 2025 and I am due to complete it in November 2026 (part-time mode). I will, of course, have to prepare for and take the SQE afterwards.

I am planning to submit applications for a training contract. I am aware of the fact that law firms generally recruit 2 or even 3 years in advance, but I am pretty confused about the timeline in my case. Could you please help me figure out which start date(s) I should aim for to submit my TC applications? In the event that is too early, should I focus on submitting applications for vacation schemes instead, knowing that some law firms only recruit their trainees via their vacation schemes? I understand it is required to pass the SQE before starting a training contract, but it is not required to have it passed before you apply - am I correct? However, how can you know when you will have passed the SQE at the time of applying? I do not want to waste time, but at the same time it does not make sense to apply, in the best case scenario get a TC offer and not be able to start it.

@Jessica Booker Could you please let me know your thoughts on all of this?

Many thanks.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hello,

I enrolled in a law conversion course in January 2025 and I am due to complete it in November 2026 (part-time mode). I will, of course, have to prepare for and take the SQE afterwards.

I am planning to submit applications for a training contract. I am aware of the fact that law firms generally recruits 2 or even 3 years in advance, but I am pretty confused about the timeline in my case. Could you please help me figure out which start date(s) I should aim for to submit my TC applications? In the event that is too early, should I focus on submitting applications for vacation schemes instead, knowing that some law firms only recruit their trainees via their vacation scheme? I understand it is required to pass the SQE before starting a training contract, but it is not required to have it passed before you apply - am I correct? However, how can you know when you will have passed the SQE at the time of applying? I do not want to waste time, but at the same time it does not make sense to apply, in the best case scenario get a TC offer and not be able to start it.

@Jessica Booker Could you please let me know your thoughts on all of this? Many thanks.

Many thanks.

You timeline is roughly going to be for a traditional training contract:

Finish GDL - November 2026
Start SQE prep course - anytime between November 2026 and January 2027
Sit SQE 1 - July 2027
Sit SQE2 - October/November 2027 or January 2028

So realistically your start date for a TC could either be February/March 2028 or September 2028.

Most firms will not require you to have passed the SQE before you accept the offer, unless the role is starting fairly soon.

If the training contract is in the form of a graduate apprenticeship, then you could start your TC shortly after your GDL is completed, and you would do you SQE education and assessments during your TC.

 

[W5690]

You timeline is roughly going to be for a traditional training contract:

Finish GDL - November 2026
Start SQE prep course - anytime between November 2026 and January 2027
Sit SQE 1 - July 2027
Sit SQE2 - October/November 2027 or January 2028

So realistically your start date for a TC could either be February/March 2028 or September 2028.

Most firms will not require you to have passed the SQE before you accept the offer, unless the role is starting fairly soon.

If the training contract is in the form of a graduate apprenticeship, then you could start your TC shortly after your GDL is completed, and you would do you SQE education and assessments during your TC.

@Jessica Booker Thank you very much – your explanation of my timeline is truly helpful and valuable.

I believe aiming for September 2028 may be "safer" than February/March 2028, but I may be wrong? I am pretty new to the process, and I wonder how applicants for training contracts manage to aim for realistic start dates given that they cannot predict whether they will pass the SQE1 and/or the SQE2 first time. What if they fail the SQE1 and/or the SQE2 first time and then have to retake one of them or both? It is a kind of gamble given such uncertainty, which I believe is highly stressful and worrying as they may lose their training contracts offer(s)?

Based on my research, most firms are currently recruiting for 2026 and 2027, so it is too early in my case. Therefore, I am a bit confused about what to do and how to make the most of my time in the meantime as there are actually almost no TC applications for 2028 at the moment? However, as time flies, I believe that I should already identify law firms that would be of interest to me and then start working on their TC applications in order to be ready as much as possible when 2028 TC applications open? I have already gained some legal work experience, so it may be best for me to focus on direct TC applications only rather than vacation schemes and open days applications? However, I may also have to focus on applications for vacation schemes as well as some law firms only recruit their trainees via their vacation schemes?

@Jessica Booker Could you please let me know your thoughts on all of this?

Many thanks again for your help and your time.

 

[W5690]

@Jessica Booker Hello, apart from a training contract in the form of a graduate apprenticeship, do you know whether some law firms allow for the SQE to be taken alongside a TC? I do not think it would make sense, but I am just wondering. I am not asking about which firms, but just as a general question.

Thank you.

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker Hello, apart from a training contract in the form of a graduate apprenticeship, do you know whether some law firms allow for the SQE to be taken alongside a TC? I do not think it would make sense, but I am just wondering. I am not asking about which firms, but just as a general question.

Thank you.

It is possible to do the SQE alongside your TC, although it will most likely be in the form of a graduate apprenticeship as firms are able to pay for the training costs via their apprenticeship levy. I would say outside of an apprenticeship, it is possible but just very rare.

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker Thank you very much – your explanation of my timeline is truly helpful and valuable.

I believe aiming for September 2028 may be "safer" than February/March 2028, but I may be wrong? I am pretty new to the process, and I wonder how applicants for training contracts manage to aim for realistic start dates given that they cannot predict whether they will pass the SQE1 and/or the SQE2 first time. What if they fail the SQE1 and/or the SQE2 first time and then have to retake one of them or both? It is a kind of gamble given such uncertainty, which I believe is highly stressful and worrying as they may lose their training contracts offer(s)?

Based on my research, most firms are currently recruiting for 2026 and 2027, so it is too early in my case. Therefore, I am a bit confused about what to do and how to make the most of my time in the meantime as there are actually almost no TC applications for 2028 at the moment? However, as time flies, I believe that I should already identify law firms that would be of interest to me and then start working on their TC applications in order to be ready as much as possible when 2028 TC applications open? I have already gained some legal work experience, so it may be best for me to focus on direct TC applications only rather than vacation schemes and open days applications? However, I may also have to focus on applications for vacation schemes as well as some law firms only recruit their trainees via their vacation schemes?

@Jessica Booker Could you please let me know your thoughts on all of this?

Many thanks again for your help and your time.

Many firms will have a requirement to pass the SQE on the first attempt, which is why the start dates tend to be fixed. For firms that do allow resits, they will either defer trainees to a later intake or allow them to start their TC with the view they sit the SQE assessments during the TC instead.

I think most firms are recruiting for 2027 or 2028 this cycle rather than 2026. There will be smaller firms that are recruiting for 2026 though. As there are firms recruiting for 2028 this cycle, you should keep an eye out for these opportunities, alongside any open days. In the Autumn, the vacation scheme cycle will come around and there will be more firms recruiting for 2028 and 2029 by then.

 

[W5690]

It is possible to do the SQE alongside your TC, although it will most likely be in the form of a graduate apprenticeship as firms are able to pay for the training costs via their apprenticeship levy. I would say outside of an apprenticeship, it is possible but just very rare.

@Jessica Booker Many thanks.

 

[W5690]

Many firms will have a requirement to pass the SQE on the first attempt, which is why the start dates tend to be fixed. For firms that do allow resits, they will either defer trainees to a later intake or allow them to start their TC with the view they sit the SQE assessments during the TC instead.

I think most firms are recruiting for 2027 or 2028 this cycle rather than 2026. There will be smaller firms that are recruiting for 2026 though. As there are firms recruiting for 2028 this cycle, you should keep an eye out for these opportunities, alongside any open days. In the Autumn, the vacation scheme cycle will come around and there will be more firms recruiting for 2028 and 2029 by then.

 

[W5690]

@Jessica Booker Many thanks - that is really helpful.

 

[W5690]

It is possible to do the SQE alongside your TC, although it will most likely be in the form of a graduate apprenticeship as firms are able to pay for the training costs via their apprenticeship levy. I would say outside of an apprenticeship, it is possible but just very rare.

@Jessica Booker Hello, I read on the website of a law firm that they currently recruit two years in advance. They accept applications between November to May each year for training contracts beginning in September two years later. They mention that candidates must ensure they hold a law degree, LPC, GDL, etc before the commencement of their SQE training as part of the training contract. I am a bit confused as I am not sure whether my understanding is correct - is that an exemple of a law firm allowing for the preparation for the SQE alongside their training contract? Many thanks.

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker Hello, I read on the website of a law firm that they currently recruit two years in advance. They accept applications between November to May each year for training contracts beginning in September two years later. They mention that candidates must ensure they hold a law degree, LPC, GDL, etc before the commencement of their SQE training as part of the training contract. I am a bit confused as I am not sure whether my understanding is correct - is that an exemple of a law firm allowing for the preparation for the SQE alongside their training contract? Many thanks.

Which firm is this?

 

[W5690]

Which firm is this?

@Jessica Booker This is Kingsley Napley (https://www.kingsleynapley.co.uk/careers/early-careers/your-training-contract).

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker This is Kingsley Napley (https://www.kingsleynapley.co.uk/careers/early-careers/your-training-contract).

As they are recruiting two years in advance, I am pretty sure you would do the SQE training prior to starting the training contract in two years' time.

 

[W5690]

As they are recruiting two years in advance, I am pretty sure you would do the SQE training prior to starting the training contract in two years' time.

As they are recruiting two years in advance, I am pretty sure you would do the SQE training prior to starting the training contract in two years' time.

@Jessica Booker Many thanks. "before the commencement of their SQE training as part of the training contract" made me confused as I thought this meant that the SQE training would be completed during the training contract due to "as part of the training contract".

 

[Jessica Booker]

I am pretty sure the reference to before the training contract training relates to the qualifications they have listed out (degree, GDL, LPC etc). They provide a maintenance grant for the SQE, so this is a very strong indication that they will get you to do the SQE training before starting the TC in two years' time.

 

[W5690]

@Jessica Booker In light of the timeline you suggested for me (Finish GDL - November 2026; Start SQE prep course - anytime between November 2026 and January 2027; Sit SQE 1 - July 2027; Sit SQE2 - October/November 2027 or January 2028), I am wondering whether September 2028 may be "safer" than February/March 2028, but I may be wrong? What do you think? Which criteria, apart from financial purposes, should be taken into consideration in terms of deciding which start date(s)?

Also, given that I have already gained some legal work experience, I think that it may be best for me to focus on direct TC applications only rather than vacation schemes, apart from applications for vacation schemes where law firms only recruit their trainees via their vacation schemes. What do you think?

Many thanks again for your help and your time.

 

[W5690]

I am pretty sure the reference to before the training contract training relates to the qualifications they have listed out (degree, GDL, LPC etc). They provide a maintenance grant for the SQE, so this is a very strong indication that they will get you to do the SQE training before starting the TC in two years' time.

@Jessica Booker Thank you so much - that is truly helpful, as always!

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker In light of the timeline you suggested for me (Finish GDL - November 2026; Start SQE prep course - anytime between November 2026 and January 2027; Sit SQE 1 - July 2027; Sit SQE2 - October/November 2027 or January 2028), I am wondering whether September 2028 may be "safer" than February/March 2028, but I may be wrong? What do you think? Which criteria, apart from financial purposes, should be taken into consideration in terms of deciding which start date(s)?

Also, given that I have already gained some legal work experience, I think that it may be best for me to focus on direct TC applications only rather than vacation schemes, apart from applications for vacation schemes where law firms only recruit their trainees via their vacation schemes. What do you think?

Many thanks again for your help and your time.

If you are being sponsored by a firm, you may not get to choose the timeframes unfortunately. They and the course provider are likely to choose this for you unless you needed to defer.

It will be important to sit SQE assessments as close to the preparation course as possible, so a later assessment date may not always be a good idea. You would really need to speak to the prep course providers to find out how flexible they are in you accessing their SQE prep content to work out if you could delay the sitting of the assessments.

In relation to the applications, it would make sense to make a mix of applications as you have suggested. As you already have some legal work experience, this will put you in a stronger position for direct TC applications, but as you have suggested, there will be some firms that recruit exclusively or extensively from vacation schemes that would make sense to make VS applications to.

 

[W5690]

If you are being sponsored by a firm, you may not get to choose the timeframes unfortunately. They and the course provider are likely to choose this for you unless you needed to defer.

It will be important to sit SQE assessments as close to the preparation course as possible, so a later assessment date may not always be a good idea. You would really need to speak to the prep course providers to find out how flexible they are in you accessing their SQE prep content to work out if you could delay the sitting of the assessments.

In relation to the applications, it would make sense to make a mix of applications as you have suggested. As you already have some legal work experience, this will put you in a stronger position for direct TC applications, but as you have suggested, there will be some firms that recruit exclusively or extensively from vacation schemes that would make sense to make VS applications to.

@Jessica Booker Many thanks.

I think September 2028 seems like the most reasonable and sensible route for me as a "safety margin" rather than February/March 2028 (except if I am being sponsored by a firm and I may not then get to choose the timeframes, as you previously explained). I understand that training contracts are likely to be advertised from September 2025 by large and medium firms, so I will have to be ready to submit my applications for a training contract when applications re-open, but obviously I should not rush my applications. I will also have to be careful about start dates advertised by other law firms that recruit two years or even one year in advance. However, how to make the most of my time in the meantime in order to be ready as much as possible when 2028 training contract applications open? I believe that I should also carry on identifying law firms that would be of interest to me?

If I were to apply now, I may be offered sponsorship through the SQE by a law firm, if successful, but I understand that would it be too early in light of the roughly timeline you had mentioned (Finish GDL - November 2026; Start SQE prep course - anytime between November 2026 and January 2027; Sit SQE 1 - July 2027; Sit SQE2 - October/November 2027 or January 2028). I think that it would not make sense to apply too early as in the best case scenario I would get a training contract offer but I would not be able to start it. What do you think? For instance, there is a law firm that is of interest to me, but its next start date for a training contract is September 2027. Another law firm I am interested in mentions on its website that they recruit two years in advance and therefore all 2025 summer internship applicants will be assessed for a place on the international training programme commencing in Autumn 2027, so this would be too early with these two law firms. Therefore, I understand that I would have to wait at least for September 2025 to submit my applications and that I have time now to work on boosting my experiences (e.g. formal and informal work experience placements, volunteering, pro bono, court visits) so that I can remain competitive when applications re-open - does that make sense?

Many thanks for your help and your time.