TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2021-22 (#1)

[ssolicitorz]

Who do we address a cover letter to if we arent given the name of grad recruitment- should we look up on website or what do we say?

 

[Jessica Booker]

I think it displays when they viewed your application but you may be right.

Ugh I noticed that for my response for one of my questions I wrote "I have" twice.... so the statement reads this: "As a student academic mentor of five first year law students since September 2020, I have I have helped my mentees adjust to university..."

is this an automatic PFO? I think my grammar and spelling otherwise is consistent and correct- this seems to be the only mistake.

I doubt it will be decided on that alone, but other decisions are likely to be far more subjective and contribute one way or another to the decision on your application.

Consider it like a set of scales. This puts some additional weighting on the “not great” side of the scale but there could be really strong evidence elsewhere in the application that counterbalances it elsewhere.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Who do we address a cover letter to if we arent given the name of grad recruitment- should we look up on website or what do we say?

Look for the name on Lawcareers.net for the firm’s profile.

If it’s not listed there, Graduate Recruitment, Graduate Recruitment Team, or Training Principal would all be acceptable to use

 

[Shaz]

Willkie VI invite! I've actually been practicing VI's for a while now but does anyone have any extra tips as I seem to fall at this stage quite often?

 

[Haris]

Hi guys, I'm in the final year of my law degree and am slightly confused about if I am eligible to apply for the 2023 Clifford Chance training contract vacancy (deadline is tonight) or if it has to be the 2024 one?

 

[jamesfp]

Hi @jamesfp,

First of all, huge congratulations for getting on the scheme. I am sure you know, but W&C get a scary number of applicants for each place they have on their vacation schemes, so it really is a massive achievement to have got this far.

Second, I really loved the firm. As a result my training contract decision was very difficult.

It is a tough vacation scheme and they are looking to test you. Out of the three I did, it was one of the most strenuous. Having said that, I felt very supported throughout (the GR team are really lovely) and am still in touch with a number of the others who completed the scheme with me.

My general tips would be:

1. Make the most of the opportunity. The tasks that you are given are difficult and they are designed to be testing. Some are also harder than others, so be aware of that and make sure you are putting aside enough time for each during the scheme. Be strict with yourself on this too. Do not leave it all to the last minute.

However, remember that everyone will be finding them tough. Just because people are not necessarily admitting to it, does not mean that they are finding everything easy(!).

2. Be proactive. W&C are a firm which admires and likes proactivity. Take a look at their practice areas in London and think which you are interested in. Ask your buddy/supervisor when you arrive whether they know of anyone in X, Y, Z practice areas and whether it would be possible to speak with them.

Be proactive (and ambitious) too in terms of your work. Go the extra mile and ask if there is anything more that you can do to be helpful.

3. Actively seek feedback. This is something that I found really useful in terms of my professional development and is, I think, an attribute that my supervisor and buddy liked. Ultimately the VS is an opportunity for you to trial being a trainee, so act like you would if you were one.

Personally, I wanted (and want) to improve from as early in my career as possible. Getting an insight into my strengths and weaknesses at this stage (i.e., on a VS) was (and is) invaluable. I would highly advise you to seek feedback too.

4. Make sure you read instructions. I have heard that in previous years some people failed to read the task instructions carefully enough. This resulted in missing off a key document, meaning that they did not get the TC(!).

5. With regards to the TC interview: practice. In fact, practice as many times as you can and time yourself. Explain why you chose your topic (this will make sense when you get on the scheme) and go above and beyond with your research. This will show an active interest. The presentation is short, however, so do not try to fit too much in.

6. Really think about whether this is a firm where you want to work. Ask questions (but don't just for the sake of it as it makes zero difference) during presentations. Be your authentic self and question whether or not you 'fit' at the firm. If you think you do, and you do the above, I am sure that you will do very well.

7. This is more of an over-arching point, but it really is invaluable: check your work. Spelling mistakes in emails are easy to make and when made, they make a big difference. So before you send an email, read it back-to-front, re-read it and then send it (this thread might be helpful). Taking 30 seconds before sending an email is a very good way to avoid silly errors and will save you a lot of stress in the end.

Incidentally, is your VS in person?

I really do wish you the very best of luck.

Please do reach out if you would like any more advice 🏎️

Hi @George Maxwell

Thank you very much for your wishes, and thank you SO much for such an insightful answer. ☺️

I took notes of all your general tips and will make sure to use them during the VS. The VS will be mainly in person. They are asking us to come into the office at least two days a week, but we are encouraged to come more days if we want to. I will definitely come to the office every day!

After such a great answer, there is not much to add, but I have two last questions. Firstly, what the TC interview consists of? I know I will be doing a presentation, but will they ask me motivational, competency, strength-based and commercial questions like before? Or in other words, how different is this interview from the AC one?

My last question is regarding TC offers post-VS. I know White & Case says that there is no competition for TC during the VS, as all candidates can potentially receive a TC at the end of their VS. In your experience, do you think that is true? Did most of your cohort receive an offer from W&C?

Once again, many thanks for your incredible support.

Wish you all the best

 

[AW_08]

@AW_08,

I am really pleased to hear that you have a spreadsheet. Being organised ahead of time is invaluable.

I also completely empathise with you.

I think the most helpful (general) tips that I have are:

1. Make sure that you are signposting and using a clear structure.
2. Reach out to trainees/associates at the firms that you are hoping to apply to and ask about their experiences. Try then to integrate this into your applications.
3. Do not be afraid to re-write old applications. It seems like hard work, but do not keep a structure just because you did it before. Improve on it if, after being honest with yourself, you think it needs it.
3. Keep grinding. This process is unfair and can feel very random. I found that my successes came in fits and bursts. It will come right, just keep your nose to the grindstone.

We are rooting for you!

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!
Very grateful for all of the love and support from this community - we will all get there at some point soon🥰

 

[George Maxwell]

Hi @George Maxwell

Thank you very much for your wishes, and thank you SO much for such an insightful answer. ☺️

I took notes of all your general tips and will make sure to use them during the VS. The VS will be mainly in person. They are asking us to come into the office at least two days a week, but we are encouraged to come more days if we want to. I will definitely come to the office every day!

After such a great answer, there is not much to add, but I have two last questions. Firstly, what the TC interview consists of? I know I will be doing a presentation, but will they ask me motivational, competency, strength-based and commercial questions like before? Or in other words, how different is this interview from the AC one?

My last question is regarding TC offers post-VS. I know White & Case says that there is no competition for TC during the VS, as all candidates can potentially receive a TC at the end of their VS. In your experience, do you think that is true? Did most of your cohort receive an offer from W&C?

Once again, many thanks for your incredible support.

Wish you all the best

You are absolutely welcome @jamesfp I am glad that you found it helpful. 🥳

I would definitely advise going into the office as much as you can.

Unfortunately I cannot give too many specifics purely because I do not want to damage the integrity of their recruitment process. However, in my experience the interview was two Partners wanting to understand my motivations for W&C and a career in law. This may well have changed though, so I would wait to hear what GR tell you about it (as well as your buddy and supervisor).

On your second point, yes this is absolutely true. There is enough space for everyone and the vast majority of my scheme got offers. Our cohort were very friendly and were not competitive at all for the most part. Be kind and open with the others you meet as not only is it fun meeting likeminded people on these schemes, but you can also chat about the scheme itself which is helpful.

As always, do reach out again if anything is unclear!

 

[George Maxwell]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!
Very grateful for all of the love and support from this community - we will all get there at some point soon🥰

You are welcome @AW_08. TCLA was an important part of my application journey and I am glad you are finding it helpful too!

Please do reach out if you would like any further advice 🙌

 

[kat_]

To anyone who applied to CC, where is the basic profile information?
I am referring to this:
'Please ensure you complete your year 12/13 education details and GCSE education details in the 'basic profile information' section of the application form as this will allow us to view your grades through our contextual based recruitment system.'

I am a bit confused

 

[Shaz]

To anyone who applied to CC, where is the basic profile information?
I am referring to this:
'Please ensure you complete your year 12/13 education details and GCSE education details in the 'basic profile information' section of the application form as this will allow us to view your grades through our contextual based recruitment system.'

I am a bit confused

It will be under the Education section in their taleo system.

 

[LongSufferingLawGrad]

You are absolutely welcome @jamesfp I am glad that you found it helpful. 🥳

I would definitely advise going into the office as much as you can.

Unfortunately I cannot give too many specifics purely because I do not want to damage the integrity of their recruitment process. However, in my experience the interview was two Partners wanting to understand my motivations for W&C and a career in law. This may well have changed though, so I would wait to hear what GR tell you about it (as well as your buddy and supervisor).

On your second point, yes this is absolutely true. There is enough space for everyone and the vast majority of my scheme got offers. Our cohort were very friendly and were not competitive at all for the most part. Be kind and open with the others you meet as not only is it fun meeting likeminded people on these schemes, but you can also chat about the scheme itself which is helpful.

As always, do reach out again if anything is unclear!

Thank you George for this answer!

I'm also fortunate enough to be attending, (in person as much as possible!) and I am wondering how long after the scheme TC offers are made?

 

[Dfrtyh]

Are there any future trainees/ trainees on here at Ashurst?

 

[George Maxwell]

Thank you George for this answer!

I'm also fortunate enough to be attending, (in person as much as possible!) and I am wondering how long after the scheme TC offers are made?

@LongSufferingLawGrad this is fantastic news!

I did not realise you had been successful with your W&C application!!

So first, I need to post a celebratory gif:

Second, the WVS is likely to be different to the Spring scheme that I did. GR will tell you when you start (in my experience they told us the exact day!). Sorry that I cannot be more help than that.

After you finish and it does come to that day, my advice is really to try not to sit by your phone waiting. It was honestly awful and stressful. We can chat about that when the time comes 🚀

For now though, I really hope that you have/are celebrating.

Great news all round @jamesfp, @LongSufferingLawGrad and @mm26!

 

[Haris]

It will be under the Education section in their taleo system.

Hi, I'm in the final year of my law degree and am slightly confused about if I am eligible to apply for the 2023 Clifford Chance training contract vacancy (deadline is tonight) or if it has to be the 2024 one?

 

[djqb]

Hi, I'm in the final year of my law degree and am slightly confused about if I am eligible to apply for the 2023 Clifford Chance training contract vacancy (deadline is tonight) or if it has to be the 2024 one?

If you graduate in the summer of 2022 with a qualifying law degree and are then able to immediately start your LPC and complete it by mid-2023 at the latest, then yes you can apply for CC's 2023 TC

 

[rose0904]

So I was looking at a firm's vac scheme application form and filling in details about my uni results so that I could get to the next page which has the actual questions on. I had put a year 1 module mark and pressed enter on my keyboard to get onto a new line to put another module mark, and it submitted the whole application! I'm not even sure how this has managed to happen because surely there must have been other compulsory questions on the pages ahead that I hadn't answered yet. It just took me to a page that said 'your form has been submitted successfully, a member of our team will be in touch shortly'. It's a local firm that I'm not even sure I was going to apply to but it's such a face palm moment. Shall I try and contract grad rec and explain? I hadn't even entered my work experience properly.

 

[GXA123]

So I was looking at a firm's vac scheme application form and filling in details about my uni results so that I could get to the next page which has the actual questions on. I had put a year 1 module mark and pressed enter on my keyboard to get onto a new line to put another module mark, and it submitted the whole application! I'm not even sure how this has managed to happen because surely there must have been other compulsory questions on the pages ahead that I hadn't answered yet. It just took me to a page that said 'your form has been submitted successfully, a member of our team will be in touch shortly'. It's a local firm that I'm not even sure I was going to apply to but it's such a face palm moment. Shall I try and contract grad rec and explain? I hadn't even entered my work experience properly.

Are you able to withdraw your submission? some firms let you withdraw and submit again, but defo email GR, what was the firm?

 

[anon123456789]

Hi everyone! Does anyone have an tips for what HSF are looking for skills-wise in their test? I've done the practice test on the website a few times- when it comes to choosing the most effective and least effective option in the situation they give, I always manage to get one right and one wrong🤣. Do they prioritise any skills over others i.e. teamwork or communication? These tests always seem to stump me

 

[vacschemeapss]

Hi, how long does it take for CMS to get back to you after WG?