TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

[MC123]

Hi @Jessica Booker - I wondered if you could provide some insight into how best to answer the following question on Fieldfisher's application:

Describe the personal life experiences that have given you the unique perspective you would bring as a Trainee at Fieldfisher, and how this perspective will support your success. (800 characters)

Firstly, where it refers to 'personal life experiences', does this mean non-working experiences from your personal life?

Secondly, given the limited word count, how many experiences would it be appropriate to mention - is it better to mention experiences more broadly rather than go into detail on them?

Thanks in advance!

 

[gazdgazd11]

I've done it, can I help?

What can we expect?

 

[lilymawe1]

Does anyone know if Bird & Bird send out WG automatically?

 

[EK_27]

Does anyone know if Bird & Bird send out WG automatically?

No it’s not. They review your application first and send out the WG if they want you to move on. I receive a PFO after application last week.

 

[charlotte1704]

What can we expect?

Its essentially a harder WG (time pressured AND Q's are completely diff/harder)

 

[lilymawe1]

No it’s not. They review your application first and send out the WG if they want you to move on. I receive a PFO after application last week.

Ah thanks for the reply. Sorry to hear though :/

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi @Jessica Booker - I wondered if you could provide some insight into how best to answer the following question on Fieldfisher's application:

Describe the personal life experiences that have given you the unique perspective you would bring as a Trainee at Fieldfisher, and how this perspective will support your success. (800 characters)

Firstly, where it refers to 'personal life experiences', does this mean non-working experiences from your personal life?

Secondly, given the limited word count, how many experiences would it be appropriate to mention - is it better to mention experiences more broadly rather than go into detail on them?

Thanks in advance!

@Jessica Booker might be able to tell you more, but to try to address your questions before that:

1. While I am not certain about this, I would assume this drafting excludes work experiences from the scope. Otherwise, they could have just said 'experiences' and would not have added the two qualifiers of 'personal life'.
2. I do not think there is a set number of experiences that it is appropriate to mention. What works or not will greatly depend on the experiences themselves, how long it takes to properly explain them, and how long it takes to link this with the formation of a unique perspective that will allow you to succeed at the firm. However, my advice would be to prioritize depth over breath, as recruiters always say that the among the biggest mistakes candidates make is being insufficiently clear and specific in their explanations.

 

[Lastseasonwonder]

Can anyone that completed the online blended assessment for Pinsent Masons please PM me?

 

[tc67]

Is Pinsent Masons blended assessment automatic or next stage? How many days do you have to complete it? Thanks

 

[m25]

Hi, I am fairly new to the process can someone please tell me if open days are virtual or in person? I am an international student and I wish to attend the virtual ones. Does anyone also know which ones are virtual anytime soon?

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi, I am fairly new to the process can someone please tell me if open days are virtual or in person? I am an international student and I wish to attend the virtual ones. Does anyone also know which ones are virtual anytime soon?

Hey @mitali , my colleague @Ram Sabaratnam , has made a very helpful list which includes some virtual open days: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ay-and-insight-scheme-deadlines-2024-25.9218/

 

[Amma Usman]

Does anyone know if Bird & Bird send out WG automatically?

Hey @lilymawe1 , from my experience In the past, they review your application first. Hope this helps

 

[whywhy88]

I applied for HL direct TC on the 6th of October and am yet to receive a link to the Watson Glaser. I emailed grad rec on the 11th and they said that I would receive it soon, but I still haven’t. Should I email them again or just leave it? I’m just worried my application has gotten lost or something, especially as they recruit on a rolling basis. Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[HarmonyN]

Is Pinsent Masons blended assessment automatic or next stage? How many days do you have to complete it? Thanks

It's automatic, you have till the application closing date to complete it.

 

[m25]

Hey @mitali , my colleague @Ram Sabaratnam , has made a very helpful list which includes some virtual open days: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ay-and-insight-scheme-deadlines-2024-25.9218/

Thank you so much! such a saviour!

 

[m25]

It maybe that they are increasing TC numbers, or have had people drop out of these intakes (reneging offers, people not passing the SQE).

Sometimes these earlier opportunities pop up and I think they are a great way for those who can start their TC earlier to potentially get an offer. I wouldn’t say it happens a lot, but every now and then a handful of firms will recruit earlier intakes and actively recruit for them.

Hey, does this mean non-law students who have to pursue their PGDL and clear SQE can also apply?

 

[m25]

Firstly, regarding your inability to apply for vac schemes this year: there are some firms which will cover travel costs for you, including flights. Two firms I can think of on the spot who are willing to do this are Slaughter and May and Paul, Weiss. As such, supposing there is no conflict with your term dates/other reasons why traveling is not possible for you, you could apply for vacation schemes at these firms. Something to take note of here is that not all law firms who cover travel costs advertise this policy, so it may be worth it to ask directly by sending some emails/LinkedIn messages to recruiters at the firms you are interested in.

For the second issue (your chances of securing a direct TC), I agree with @NMA's points. As long as you write a high number of high-quality applications and you know how to leverage your current experiences, you will have good enough chances to be worth applying.

For the third issue (about reapplying): different firms have different policies here. Some actively encourage reapplying, while others directly ask you not to reapply if you have not substantially improved your candidate profile. In general, there are more firms that will not mind reapplying than firms that will - especially if you first got rejected for the more competitive opportunity (the direct TC). Besides looking for any announced firm policy in FAQs, you can also try to infer whether a firm is likely to care about the fact that you got rejected once by seeing if they directly ask about this on the application form. If they ask whether you have applied in the past and at what stage you got rejected, it is more likely that they use that question to filter some applicants.

hi, do you know more of such firms who may be willing to sponsor visas alongside travel for international students willing to apply for vacation schemes?

 

[m25]

Slaughter & May PFO, applied on the 2nd Sept.

will 10th November be too late to apply for slaughter and may?

 

[Andrei Radu]

will 10th November be too late to apply for slaughter and may?

Last year I applied at the end of October and ended up receiving a VS offer. However, my VS interview was scheduled quite late (around the end of January) and the graduate recruitment team said they were going to have interviews all the way until the end of February for people who had applied later. As such, while it would perhaps be ideal to apply earlier, the 10th of November is definitely not too late.

 

[Andrei Radu]

hi, do you know more of such firms who may be willing to sponsor visas alongside travel for international students willing to apply for vacation schemes?

So the general rule is that firms will not normally be willing to sponsor visas for vacation schemes - as from their perspective, the costs which range from 3000-5000 pounds are not justified given the duration of the work experience. Paul, Weiss and Slaughter and May do cover flights for international students, and while that might suggest they could be easier to convince to sponsor VS visas when compared to other firms, I would not make a strong inference in this regard. The only way to find out is to email/send a LinkedIn message to the graduate recruitment team to ask.

Based on a previous discussion on the forum in 2021 (which you can find here), people who spoke to graduate recruitment only identified two firms that are willing to sponsor VS visas: Macfarlanes and Mishcon de Reya. Besides that, @Jessica Booker said that sometimes firms are willing to make exceptions in the case of US/Indian/Australian nationals, but I am not sure whether this applies to anyone else.