TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

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theonecompetant

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Feb 8, 2024
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Hey - I've got a paralegal job in private client in a fairly high street firm in south London starting in the next 2 weeks. But I've also got a paralegal job in commercial litigation at a top city law firm that i could start soon BUT its only for a 1 month contract. Which one should I take???
 

laby201

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Jan 28, 2021
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Hey - I've got a paralegal job in private client in a fairly high street firm in south London starting in the next 2 weeks. But I've also got a paralegal job in commercial litigation at a top city law firm that i could start soon BUT its only for a 1 month contract. Which one should I take???
I think it really depends on your own situation.

If you’ve been looking for a paralegal job for a while and need the longer-term security, I’d advise going with the private client one. If you have any plans/commitments that don’t require a long-term, full-time position right now, I’d go with the latter.

Also factor in your own personal interests - if your dream is to work in commercial litigation/disputes, then a month in a firm like that would look great for future applications. Likewise, if private client work is your preference, there’s the answer.

I think it’s a situation that is entirely dependent on your own circumstances. For me, I wasn’t in a position where I could really manage without the security of a permanent contract. Guess it really depends!
 

Erspencer

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Aug 4, 2023
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Hey - I've got a paralegal job in private client in a fairly high street firm in south London starting in the next 2 weeks. But I've also got a paralegal job in commercial litigation at a top city law firm that i could start soon BUT it’s only for a 1 month contract. Which one should I take???
Just to weigh in on this I work at pretty big firm in commercial litigation as a paralegal and my first contract was 3 months, turns out this was really common and once I’d completed that they offered me either a 6/year long contract.
A month is nothing as a paralegal unless you are being hired for a specific task such a document review as it takes so long to train you- so it might be worth reaching out to other paralegals within the team to ask how the contracts work!
Best of luck with your decision
 

axelbeugre

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Sep 14, 2023
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@Jessica Booker how do you recommend alerting firms about vacation scheme offers from other firms? I'm in the recruitment process for a firm that has no set dates for their summer vacation scheme (though they're usually around the same time as others), but I've received an offer from another firm with set dates. I don't want to come across as presumptuous, as there's one more stage to go, but I'd like to let them know just in case.

Additionally, some firms I've applied to have allowed me to select a preference for spring, but should I let them know I have a summer VS just to confirm whether I can guarantee a spring space?
I think that an email explaining the situation is more than enough. I found myself in the same situation and emailing them stressing the situation and what you want out of it (meaning an earlier update, moving dates or just rejecting the offer all together), emphasising how grateful you are regardless is the best thing to do, in my opinion.
 
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