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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

tcla02

Star Member
Premium Member
  • Sep 25, 2024
    35
    24
    in the clyde holding email they said “We will aim to get back to you in February, once all applications and digital assessments have been screened.” Does this mean they send out all invites in one go? i know i’ve asked this before but i’m getting worried because someone got an AC with them here recently. don’t know if i should just assume a PFO:/
     

    sapphireoreos

    Valued Member
    Feb 20, 2023
    107
    177
    I have been applying for quite a lot of cycles now. I am starting to worry whether some firms would completely rule me out now after several years of applying to them, even though I have changed up my application and gained new experiences over the years. I have also noticed that my successful applications this year have been with firms I have never applied to before. In a more positive view, maybe this means that I am getting closer to finding the "right" firm for me ...
    I think Clyde & Co only look at applications from penultimate year law students and final year non-law students for their VS (which is the only way to get a TC). I heard that they don't consider applications from grads, which is pretty questionable imo ...
     

    sibs23

    Legendary Member
    Jan 15, 2021
    222
    441
    I completely agree that perhaps the firm's you had been applying to maybe weren't the right fit for you but also it's important to bear in mind how much of a luck game this whole thing is. I feel like surely they can't rule you out, if anything it shows how committed you are to them ahaha.

    Glad to hear you switched up your approach and are seeing some success now! I also did similar and have seen more success this cycle.
    Thanks! Yes, agreed, there is a huge element of luck to it all! I have learned a lot about the process after how long I have been applying and I know I am only getting better at each of the stages with practice so sometimes it's hard to understand why I get rejected at 1st stage for firms I previously advanced with. I worry sometimes they see me as a stale candidate and question why I failed to convert (this is something some lawyers I work with have warned me about when including some VSs on applications), however I would like to think that recruitment teams today understand how competitive it is and won't view an experienced candidate as a weak one. Fingers crossed all this won't even be a concern anyway and hopefully won't be applying next cycle haha 😅
     
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    eirake

    Standard Member
    Jan 16, 2025
    9
    48
    has anyone else heard from V&E- just wondering if the Interview/Presentation is staggered at all. otherwise I'll cut my losses haha.
    A friend talked to the grad rec at an event at my uni last week and she said a lot of ppl were rejected already so if you haven’t heard back yet it’s probably a good sign.
     

    trainee4u

    Legendary Member
    Sep 7, 2023
    242
    516
    I think Clyde & Co only look at applications from penultimate year law students and final year non-law students for their VS (which is the only way to get a TC). I heard that they don't consider applications from grads, which is pretty questionable imo ...
    Seems like obvious indirect age discrimination.
     

    Jessica Booker

    Legendary Member
    TCLA Moderator
    Gold Member
    Graduate Recruitment
    Premium Member
    Forum Team
    Aug 1, 2019
    15,304
    21,389
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    Reactions: KBanana

    Chris Brown

    Legendary Member
    Jul 4, 2024
    596
    1,970
    I think Clyde & Co only look at applications from penultimate year law students and final year non-law students for their VS (which is the only way to get a TC). I heard that they don't consider applications from grads, which is pretty questionable imo ...​
    Seems like obvious indirect age discrimination.
    I think the majority of their TC’s go to people on the VS but I think they also offer TC’s internally to people who are paralegals. Clyde & Co recently introduced their paralegal academy so i imagine if you are a law finalist or graduate then that’s an alternative route. I definitely agree it’s kind of obvious indirect age discrimination though regarding the VS. 🥲

     

    Jessica Booker

    Legendary Member
    TCLA Moderator
    Gold Member
    Graduate Recruitment
    Premium Member
    Forum Team
    Aug 1, 2019
    15,304
    21,389
    Had a Weil interview today. Got asked no technical, instead pushed literally only on motivations. Confused. Also, saw interviewers writing things down and saw my score(%) on the bottom of one of their sheets. Not a very good score. @Jessica Booker or anyone else do you know how firms mark you? What is usually good enough?
    I would be cautious to make any assumptions as to what you may or may not have seen. My notes for interviews mean something to me but not necessarily any indication of scores/performance.

    But unfortunately there is no answer to this. There could be a whole range of scores and methods of which they are then calculated. For instance your low percentage could easily be more of a risk calculation rather than a performance calculation.
     
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    Reactions: Chris Brown

    Jessica Booker

    Legendary Member
    TCLA Moderator
    Gold Member
    Graduate Recruitment
    Premium Member
    Forum Team
    Aug 1, 2019
    15,304
    21,389
    any1 else feel like hearing back from firms has slowed down this week? feel like I was so busy hearing back 3 weeks ago and then this week is so slow lol
    It’s half term - you’d be surprised how quiet things get when it’s the school holidays because a lot of people are off and also because there tends to be more solicitor apprenticeship events/recruitment during half term week.
     

    zoobla20

    Star Member
    Premium Member
    Mar 15, 2023
    42
    50
    I've had a quick look through the search but couldn't find anything. If you're starting from absolutely 0 knowledge on M&A and need to understand it to a basic/intermediate level, what resources are useful? I've got an AC coming up and I've heard one of the tasks could be heavily centred around M&A
     

    studentdelaw786

    Valued Member
    Gold Member
    Premium Member
    Sep 11, 2019
    116
    152
    hey all,

    i wanted to get your thoughts on using a news story in a TC application. the question is “tell me about a news story and why it interests you?”

    the story i want to pick doesn’t link to the firm because it doesn’t have an office there, but it does link to US investment banks due to potential geopolitical concerns.

    what are your general thoughts?

    thanks in advance
     

    legallady123

    Star Member
    Mar 30, 2021
    48
    67
    I think the majority of their TC’s go to people on the VS but I think they also offer TC’s internally to people who are paralegals. Clyde & Co recently introduced their paralegal academy so i imagine if you are a law finalist or graduate then that’s an alternative route. I definitely agree it’s kind of obvious indirect age discrimination though regarding the VS. 🥲

    I completed a VS at Clydes 3 years ago and there was one graduate / career changer who was a fair bit older, the rest were current students. Not sure if it has changed since then! The graduate was one of the few who did receive a tc though
     
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