TCLA General Discussion Thread #2 (2021)

[lawstudent12345]

Hi everyone, just wondering how acceptable it is to be discussing in detail your experiences at another vac scheme? One of the firms I want to apply to in the next cycle is quite similar to the firm I just did a vac scheme at. Is it alright to explain that "I am interested in your firm because I did a VS at [another firm] which has characteristics XYZ as well, which I liked. But I didn't like characteristics ABC which is why I am exploring other options."

Basically I want to show that I have personal experience to back up my reasons for choosing a particular firm, but the obvious question would then be why i'm not pursuing my career with that other firm! (the answer is that I got rejected after the VS, but I don't want to say that obviously)

Equally, I try to avoid being negative about other firms so I'm unsure about saying things like "I didn't like characteristics ABC"

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi everyone, just wondering how acceptable it is to be discussing in detail your experiences at another vac scheme? One of the firms I want to apply to in the next cycle is quite similar to the firm I just did a vac scheme at. Is it alright to explain that "I am interested in your firm because I did a VS at [another firm] which has characteristics XYZ as well, which I liked. But I didn't like characteristics ABC which is why I am exploring other options."

Basically I want to show that I have personal experience to back up my reasons for choosing a particular firm, but the obvious question would then be why i'm not pursuing my career with that other firm! (the answer is that I got rejected after the VS, but I don't want to say that obviously)

Equally, I try to avoid being negative about other firms so I'm unsure about saying things like "I didn't like characteristics ABC"

I advise not to frame things negatively - instead of saying “I didn’t like” it’s just better to say what you are interested in at the firm you are interviewing at/applying to that the other firm(s) can’t provide and therefore framing it in a positive tone.

 

[lawstudent12345]

I advise not to frame things negatively - instead of saying “I didn’t like” it’s just better to say what you are interested in at the firm you are interviewing at/applying to that the other firm(s) can’t provide and therefore framing it in a positive tone.

Great, thank you!

 

[Simba281]

Hi everyone, what’s the best way to prepare for an application interview?
What sort of things should I flag in my application?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi everyone, what’s the best way to prepare for an application interview?
What sort of things should I flag in my application?

What type of role is it for and for which firm/organisation?

 

[Simba281]

What type of role is it for and for which firm/organisation?

Macfarlanes direct TC

 

[deckoking123]

Still waiting on decisions but if things go well I will have the option of having Macfarlanes and Pinsent Masons offer me a TC. I am having a difficult moment in deciding which potential offer to take... any breakdown/advice would be really appreciated!

 

[N.9]

Still waiting on decisions but if things go well I will have the option of having Macfarlanes and Pinsent Masons offer me a TC. I am having a difficult moment in deciding which potential offer to take... any breakdown/advice would be really appreciated!

Hi there, sorry I can't help as I don't know anything about Pinsent, but could you please tell me when you had your Macfarlanes' AC?

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hi everyone, just wondering how acceptable it is to be discussing in detail your experiences at another vac scheme? One of the firms I want to apply to in the next cycle is quite similar to the firm I just did a vac scheme at. Is it alright to explain that "I am interested in your firm because I did a VS at [another firm] which has characteristics XYZ as well, which I liked. But I didn't like characteristics ABC which is why I am exploring other options."

Basically I want to show that I have personal experience to back up my reasons for choosing a particular firm, but the obvious question would then be why i'm not pursuing my career with that other firm! (the answer is that I got rejected after the VS, but I don't want to say that obviously)

Equally, I try to avoid being negative about other firms so I'm unsure about saying things like "I didn't like characteristics ABC"

I would echo Jess' advice here.

At the end of the day, firms know that - as an applicant - it's not a monogamous relationship between you and them, they know you need to cast your net wide and you don't need to try and gloss over that per se. Focus on the positives - applying to a number of firms with shared characteristics is actually a really strong indication that you have a genuine passion for something and that you aren't just saying you're interested.

Best of luck.

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hi everyone, what’s the best way to prepare for an application interview?
What sort of things should I flag in my application?

I'm assuming you mean an interview post-application which may discuss things you said in your application here, but please do correct me if I'm wrong in that.

I would re-read your application again before the interview to really brush up and help you remember everything you said, and also really think through how you feel you can justify each and every point you made throughout - that's really important as, if you can't justify what you've said, it risks coming over as very fake/ contrived.

In terms of general AC prep, I would advise looking at my AC-related articles available via the link in my signature below.

 

[Jacob Miller]

Still waiting on decisions but if things go well I will have the option of having Macfarlanes and Pinsent Masons offer me a TC. I am having a difficult moment in deciding which potential offer to take... any breakdown/advice would be really appreciated!

At the risk of being a bit blunt, I'm going to try and give some fairly pragmatic advice here:

This feels to me a wee bit like you're at the risk of counting your chickens before they hatch. If I were in your position, I wouldn't be thinking about this until I had the decision to make - frankly, the thought process can be tumultuous and you may also come to a decision which your choices then don't permit (eg you choose firm X and only get an offer from firm Y), in which case you're likely going to feel disappointed at accepting the other offer which is a silly position to put yourself in.

The other thing is that you will get a gut instinct when you're made an offer that is impossible to take into consideration before you feel it. This happened to both my fiancee and I and that gut feeling we got after being made offers completely skewed how we both thought we would feel. You could make a decision now and then have a totally different gut instinct when the time comes, and then you're putting yourself in an even more challenging position because you're essentially wondering whether to "go back" on a decision already made.

I really would encourage a foot on the brakes here for now and to come back to it if (and hopefully when) it's a more relevant thought process.

 

[Asil Ahmad]

Has anyone heard from Teacher Stern or Ashurst for the 2024 start.

 

[Celestie]

Hi everyone, what’s the best way to prepare for an application interview?
What sort of things should I flag in my application?

Something that really helped me for my applications was going beyond the law - know what the firm does for CSR and how you can get involved as almost every level will. It will impress a partner if you know this.

I would mention things in your apps - yes but remember to tailor your answers to the questions given. Give a different angle etc.

 

[Anon 11031]

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or just general words of advice on this.

Recently, I dropped my working hours down to 22 a week. I've made a formal request to have these reduced further to 14 hours per week once my LPC starts in September. As the business usually only allows a reduction to 22 hours, I'm doubtful that my request will be successful so I'm looking into alternative positions/solutions.

However, the only problem is my current job pays really well (in fact, it's pretty much the same amount as I will be getting as a trainee). I live with my partner and I need to pay 50% of the bills, so I need an income throughout the LPC. The firm I'm training at gives a generous grant however, it would barely cover my monthly outgoings and so I definitely need work. So I guess what I'm trying to weigh up is, do I stay in my comfortable 22 hour per week (WFH) job or do I try and get a role as a paralegal (or something else) at 14 hours a week that potentially will pay less?

I'm honestly quite worried about finances from Sept onward so if anyone has any words of advice on what is manageable or what I should do, I would really appreciate it.

Edit: Would it also be rude to reach out to my training firm and ask if they have any paralegal positions available that are part-time? I know they have some full-time ones but there seems to be nothing advertised that is PT!

 

[Asil Ahmad]

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or just general words of advice on this.

Recently, I dropped my working hours down to 22 a week. I've made a formal request to have these reduced further to 14 hours per week once my LPC starts in September. As the business usually only allows a reduction to 22 hours, I'm doubtful that my request will be successful so I'm looking into alternative positions/solutions.

However, the only problem is my current job pays really well (in fact, it's pretty much the same amount as I will be getting as a trainee). I live with my partner and I need to pay 50% of the bills, so I need an income throughout the LPC. The firm I'm training at gives a generous grant however, it would barely cover my monthly outgoings and so I definitely need work. So I guess what I'm trying to weigh up is, do I stay in my comfortable 22 hour per week (WFH) job or do I try and get a role as a paralegal (or something else) at 14 hours a week that potentially will pay less?

I'm honestly quite worried about finances from Sept onward so if anyone has any words of advice on what is manageable or what I should do, I would really appreciate it.

I say see how it goes until November or December then see in regards to the workload as I don't know if the LPC only have assessments in January or throughout the year.

I hope that helps.

 

[Jessica Booker]

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or just general words of advice on this.

Recently, I dropped my working hours down to 22 a week. I've made a formal request to have these reduced further to 14 hours per week once my LPC starts in September. As the business usually only allows a reduction to 22 hours, I'm doubtful that my request will be successful so I'm looking into alternative positions/solutions.

However, the only problem is my current job pays really well (in fact, it's pretty much the same amount as I will be getting as a trainee). I live with my partner and I need to pay 50% of the bills, so I need an income throughout the LPC. The firm I'm training at gives a generous grant however, it would barely cover my monthly outgoings and so I definitely need work. So I guess what I'm trying to weigh up is, do I stay in my comfortable 22 hour per week (WFH) job or do I try and get a role as a paralegal (or something else) at 14 hours a week that potentially will pay less?

I'm honestly quite worried about finances from Sept onward so if anyone has any words of advice on what is manageable or what I should do, I would really appreciate it.

Edit: Would it also be rude to reach out to my training firm and ask if they have any paralegal positions available that are part-time? I know they have some full-time ones but there seems to be nothing advertised that is PT!

Finding a consistent paralegal role with only 14 hours a week will be very difficult. You might be able to find temp roles, but even then they have a tendency to want someone full time just for a short period of time. Most part time roles will be at least 21 hours a week I suspect.

Could you top up the LPC and get a LLM loan?

No - not rude to ask this from the firm you will be working for. They may just not be supportive of you working and/or may not have roles of that part-time nature. If you are also working in a role now that pays the same as a trainee, you might find that it pays a lot less doing 14 hours with them than it would be 22 hours with your current employer.

 

[Anon 11031]

Finding a consistent paralegal role with only 14 hours a week will be very difficult. You might be able to find temp roles, but even then they have a tendency to want someone full time just for a short period of time. Most part time roles will be at least 21 hours a week I suspect.

Yeah, I was going to add that finding a paralegal role at 14 hours a week does seem like trying to find a needle in a haystack 😂

 

[Anon 11031]

Finding a consistent paralegal role with only 14 hours a week will be very difficult. You might be able to find temp roles, but even then they have a tendency to want someone full time just for a short period of time. Most part time roles will be at least 21 hours a week I suspect.

Could you top up the LPC and get a LLM loan?

No - not rude to ask this from the firm you will be working for. They may just not be supportive of you working and/or may not have roles of that part-time nature.

The LPC is with an LLM. The firm is paying for it. I don't think I'll be able to get maintenance from student finance though, as my undergrad ended up being 4 years long (due to a leave of absence) and I'm pretty sure they explained you can't get a postgraduate loan if you end up having a 4 year undergraduate degree (or something like that).

I'll send them an email about it, because they did ask if anyone wanted a paralegal role before their TC but I assumed this was FT and aimed at those who had already completed the LPC!

Thanks Jessica 😊

 

[Jessica Booker]

Yeah, I was going to add that finding a paralegal role at 14 hours a week does seem like trying to find a needle in a haystack 😂

I know some people who have banked/bought additional holiday and then just taken a day off every other week to manage external commitments.

 

[Anon 11031]

I know some people who have banked/bought additional holiday and then just taken a day off every other week to manage external commitments.

This is a good point. My current workplace has flexitime too, which I can build up to 22 hours a month debit/credit - which may help with exams when I run out of annual leave.