• Hey Guest, check out Andrei's new guide to building a winning law firm application strategy here. Good luck this cycle :)

TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

Status
Not open for further replies.

desperateTCseeker1998

Legendary Member
Gold Member
Premium Member
Jan 1, 2023
216
185
Does anyone know if V&E's Autumn/Winter scheme (the one they just opened) is for 2026 TC intake?
On this though... do people know if that means they will be considering the Autumn/Winter scheme applications? I'm not quite sure from their website whether they only open applications if they still have space or whether they always open them and only consider them if they have space
 

lawschool123

New Member
May 17, 2024
1
0
Hi, do firms rescind training contract offers based on second-year grades? I have a vac scheme lined up this summer, but having just sat my exams, I am pretty sure my performance in most of my exams is in 2:2 territory. My first-year grades were high 2:1s/1sts. Will this affect my chance of getting a training contract offer/ in the event that I get one before my grades are released, will my offer be rescinded? I am extremely nervous about this and would appreciate any insight/ if others have had a similar experience at law school!
 

Percypig12

Legendary Member
Oct 19, 2021
126
345
Hi, do firms rescind training contract offers based on second-year grades? I have a vac scheme lined up this summer, but having just sat my exams, I am pretty sure my performance in most of my exams is in 2:2 territory. My first-year grades were high 2:1s/1sts. Will this affect my chance of getting a training contract offer/ in the event that I get one before my grades are released, will my offer be rescinded? I am extremely nervous about this and would appreciate any insight/ if others have had a similar experience at law school!
Offer will very likely be conditional on achieving 2:1 overall. So if you get a 2:2 this year you'd have a chance to bring your average back up in final year
 

Jessica Booker

Legendary Member
TCLA Moderator
Gold Member
Graduate Recruitment
Premium Member
Forum Team
Aug 1, 2019
14,130
19,795
Hi, do firms rescind training contract offers based on second-year grades? I have a vac scheme lined up this summer, but having just sat my exams, I am pretty sure my performance in most of my exams is in 2:2 territory. My first-year grades were high 2:1s/1sts. Will this affect my chance of getting a training contract offer/ in the event that I get one before my grades are released, will my offer be rescinded? I am extremely nervous about this and would appreciate any insight/ if others have had a similar experience at law school!
Unlikely to be on the basis of second year grades alone, but could be if you overall degree classification was a 2.2 or lower.
 

KBanana

Standard Member
Premium Member
Mar 10, 2023
9
4
Hi everyone! I recently did a VS and unfortunately was unsuccessful in converting it to a TC (US firm).

To be better prepared for future schemes (and out of curiosity), I wanted to ask: if you were unsuccessful in converting a VS to TC (and willing to share), what mistakes did you make that caused you to be unsuccessful?

I am asking this because, in hindsight, I realised that I only sought advice for the scheme from individuals from that specific firm that were successful in converting the VS. Thus, I think this approach introduced survivorship bias into the advice I received.

I followed their advice on the scheme, but when I got my feedback, it related to things that the advice did not cover. For instance, during the scheme, I was given a task on short notice and on the busiest day of the scheme for me (I had mandatory presentations to attend, a scheme-related assessment, and my TC interview all on the same day) and I was worried that I would not be able to finish the task by the short deadline. I explained this to my supervisor and asked if I could complete it later in the day but they said that this was not possible (it was a hard deadline) and that they will complete the task themselves. In my feedback, I was told that I should have come in earlier into the office to complete the task since this was a very competitive VS.
 

LehmanBrothersRiskManagementIntern

Legendary Member
Premium Member
Aug 23, 2023
185
487
Hi everyone! I recently did a VS and unfortunately was unsuccessful in converting it to a TC (US firm).

To be better prepared for future schemes (and out of curiosity), I wanted to ask: if you were unsuccessful in converting a VS to TC (and willing to share), what mistakes did you make that caused you to be unsuccessful?

I am asking this because, in hindsight, I realised that I only sought advice for the scheme from individuals from that specific firm that were successful in converting the VS. Thus, I think this approach introduced survivorship bias into the advice I received.

I followed their advice on the scheme, but when I got my feedback, it related to things that the advice did not cover. For instance, during the scheme, I was given a task on short notice and on the busiest day of the scheme for me (I had mandatory presentations to attend, a scheme-related assessment, and my TC interview all on the same day) and I was worried that I would not be able to finish the task by the short deadline. I explained this to my supervisor and asked if I could complete it later in the day but they said that this was not possible (it was a hard deadline) and that they will complete the task themselves. In my feedback, I was told that I should have come in earlier into the office to complete the task since this was a very competitive VS.
In my case a couple of years ago, I was told that my written task could be better and that my commercial awareness in the final interview was not good enough. However, I received excellent feedback from my supervisor and he told grad rec that he’d give me the TC.

My particular case was with a MC firm with a high-conversion rate (upwards of 70%). However, I believe that sometimes there is no such thing as mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, not everyone is able to do everything all at once. I literally know of associates complaining about partners not being able to convert a word file into PDF or partners sending emails plagued with grammatical mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, you learn from your mistakes.

Because the standard of TCs is so high these days and there are thousands of candidates applying, firms just need one reason to reject you post VS. Moreover, with US firms, the conversion rate is around 20-30%.

You did your best and you stayed honest by informing your supervisor about your situation. The firm clearly didn’t appreciate your honesty. Also who even gives strict deadline “real work” tasks to vac schemers lol

Keep in mind the feedback for future vacation schemes and stay positive. Not converting a VS is disappointing but it’s not the end of the world.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

About Us

The Corporate Law Academy (TCLA) was founded in 2018 because we wanted to improve the legal journey. We wanted more transparency and better training. We wanted to form a community of aspiring lawyers who care about becoming the best version of themselves.

Newsletter

Discover the most relevant business news, access our law firm analysis, and receive our best advice for aspiring lawyers.