TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[BonanzaBih_]

Just took the Ashurts psychometric tests and omg I’ve never experienced anything like it. If anyone else has taken it and wants to discuss pls pm me!!

 

[wqueens8]

sorry if this sounds silly but how do i list things chronologically.

of course i know that means most recent first, but what about ongoing things. e.g

Job 1 (proper job) May 2022- Present
Job 2 (variable hour job) Sep 2023 - Sep 2024
Campus Ambassador, Sept 2024 - Present
Open days/insight events - August 2024
Open days/insight events - September 2024
Volunteering Feb 2024 - Sep 2024

what order would those go in, recent to oldest. Job 1 is the oldest but is still going on, whereas Job 2, my volunteering and open days/insight days are newer, but have finished.

 

[Jessica Booker]

sorry if this sounds silly but how do i list things chronologically.

of course i know that means most recent first, but what about ongoing things. e.g

Job 1 (proper job) May 2022- Present
Job 2 (variable hour job) Sep 2023 - Sep 2024
Campus Ambassador, Sept 2024 - Present
Open days/insight events - August 2024
Open days/insight events - September 2024
Volunteering Feb 2024 - Sep 2024

what order would those go in, recent to oldest. Job 1 is the oldest but is still going on, whereas Job 2, my volunteering and open days/insight days are newer, but have finished.

Reverse chronological by end date, which would be:

Job 1 (proper job) May 2022- Present
Campus Ambassador, Sept 2024 - Present
Job 2 (variable hour job) Sep 2023 - Sep 2024
Volunteering Feb 2024 - Sep 2024
Open days/insight events - September 2024
Open days/insight events - August 2024

 

[Lastseasonwonder]

Hey @Lastseasonwonder. I have spoken with a Latham Campus Ambassador for this year and just found out that applications for their schemes are non-rolling, and will be viewed after the deadline of December 8th.

Many thanks.

 

[NJS]

Just took the Ashurts psychometric tests and omg I’ve never experienced anything like it. If anyone else has taken it and wants to discuss pls pm me!!

Was it the games tests?

 

[Kay Aston]

omg mine did go in the junk never mind I got it but I dont think I can go because its going to be super expensive from manchester? Is anyone else from manchester?

Hey there @SSR27 ! Congratulations on the Open Day! I want to second @Jessica Booker's advice to travel down a day or two early if possible, but also wanted to flag that if you email the firm and explain your situation, they are often very understanding from my experience, and may be able to help you out with costs. Similarly, i'm not sure if you're a current student or not, but if so speak to your university, they often have hardship funds for this exact sort of thing.

 

[BonanzaBih_]

Was it the games tests?

Yup

 

[SSR27]

Hey there @SSR27 ! Congratulations on the Open Day! I want to second @Jessica Booker's advice to travel down a day or two early if possible, but also wanted to flag that if you email the firm and explain your situation, they are often very understanding from my experience, and may be able to help you out with costs. Similarly, i'm not sure if you're a current student or not, but if so speak to your university, they often have hardship funds for this exact sort of thing.

Thank you so much! Luckily for me My SFE drops a few days before so I can book my tickets a few days before and be able to cover the difference. Fingers crossed HSF does cover the difference if not then I will make sure to take many pictures of London to make it worth the extra £70.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thank you so much! Luckily for me My SFE drops a few days before so I can book my tickets a few days before and be able to cover the difference. Fingers crossed HSF does cover the difference if not then I will make sure to take many pictures of London to make it worth the extra £70.

Please don’t feel you can’t at least ask the firm as to whether they can cover the additional costs. If you flag this earlier, it’s more likely they will be able to cover the additional costs.

 

[Tintin06]

Hi all! I'm also back for cycle no 368,890,761. I took the spring and summer off to focus on my new job and on developing new skills. After a failed TC interview and a failed VS, I really hope this is my year. Good luck everyone 🤞

Back for cycle seven - 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 (2021 doesn't really count since I did a Masters). Let's go!

 

[Parsorandini]

Hi everyone. Random question but hoping that someone with experience with law firm recruiters can help me out here. (@Jessica Booker ?) I am answering a question that asks about my hobbies and interests. I have put football and travel, but want to stand out a bit more and so am thinking of writing about my love of poker. It uses a lot of skills that employers may like (creative thinking, calm under pressure etc). I am just wondering if this is a good idea at all (I do not want to seem irresponsible with money even though I haven't been haha) and if I can mention it, how deep I should go? I would mention that I co-founded the poker society at my university, but do I mention the large online tournaments I have won and the study groups I have joined and networking I have done through the game? I am worried it is too risky. Thanks in advance

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi everyone. Random question but hoping that someone with experience with law firm recruiters can help me out here. (@Jessica Booker ?) I am answering a question that asks about my hobbies and interests. I have put football and travel, but want to stand out a bit more and so am thinking of writing about my love of poker. It uses a lot of skills that employers may like (creative thinking, calm under pressure etc). I am just wondering if this is a good idea at all (I do not want to seem irresponsible with money even though I haven't been haha) and if I can mention it, how deep I should go? I would mention that I co-founded the poker society at my university, but do I mention the large online tournaments I have won and the study groups I have joined and networking I have done through the game? I am worried it is too risky. Thanks in advance

This is fine to include - have seen people mention poker in applications before and I think the fact you have set up the society is the key selling point you have to highlight. You can also mention the larger tournaments you have won too.

 

[Kay Aston]

Has anyone got an idea on how to approach BCLP's VS question of,
What is your understanding of how a business generates and maintains a profit? (Please provide examples)

Max 500 words

Seems like it can be appraoched in any number of ways. Are the examples they are wanting any businesses, or law firms specfically?

Hey @adrk1234! You are right that this can be approached in a number of ways. I think that law firms sometimes ask questions like this just to see what approach you might take, so feel free to be creative! To your question, I think you could talk about law firms or businesses or both, but bear in mind what they want to see from you, which is that you understand the commerciality of law firms and their clients. How do clients make money, and as a result, how do law firms make money? This is an element of commercial awareness which is often overlooked, but is very important to be able to articulate for interviews etc. further down the road!

My approach would be to pick two or three (depending on how you are doing for word count) things that you think are fundamental to a business generating and maintaining profit, and then support them with examples from either a law firm perspective or a client perspective. If you can find examples from BCLP clients then that would also be a nice touch.

For example, some initial ideas:

How businesses generate profit:

• Innovation: How innovation generates profits is an easy one to articulate, and you could use examples of companies such as Apple, or if you want to be more specific to BCLP i'm sure you wouldn't struggle to find a client who has done something innovative (Deliveroo, etc...)
• Expanding market share: Businesses often need to take up increasing market share in order to grow, you can use this to talk about any M&A, IPO, or other equity deals that BCLP may have helped their clients with which take your interest.
• Diversification: This could really go into generate or maintain, depending on how you look at it. But an example would be Tesco (a BCLP client) diversifying their business model by creating Tesco Bank

How businesses maintain profit:

• Reputation: Consumers and investors are increasingly concerned with social and ethical impacts of businesses, and this will affect how companies implement ESG & DEI strategies, and in turn how they maintain profit over competitors. You could, for example, talk about a deal by BCLP's renewables team, and highlight how businesses transitioning to sustainable practices enables them to maintain profits in the long run.
• Risk management & compliance: Businesses need to ensure they are managing and mitigating risks in order to protect their bottom line. Law firms help immeasurably with this in terms of regulatory compliance, avoiding litigation and penalties etc.

If you wanted to be even more BCLP-centric, you could try to locate some examples focusing on real estate, as this is their main specialism and will show that you understand the firm and the needs of their clients. A great resource to find client names and deals is the Legal 500.

These are just some ideas, but hopefully have given you an idea of how to go about structuring your answer. Let me know if you have any questions at all!

 

[FayhadAhmed]

What were the questions like for the A and O Shearman VI?

 

[VMS]

What were the questions like for the A and O Shearman VI?

They give you unlimited time to plan your answers, so I wouldn't stress about this too much as you can plan when they come up

 

[gazdgazd11]

Hey guys, any tips for the Ashurst tests? Or at least what to expect? Thanks!

 

[Parsorandini]

This is fine to include - have seen people mention poker in applications before and I think the fact you have set up the society is the key selling point you have to highlight. You can also mention the larger tournaments you have won too.

That’s fantastic, thank you!

 

[AlegalA]

Quick question - Last year, I copy-pasted my work experience description from my CV (between 50-100 words based on the experience), but I'm seeing some people on here really develop these descriptions (600w?).
Are recruiters expecting us to explain these in depth, or are bullet points around responsibilities and skills enough? Thank you!

 

[sammm10101]

Quick question - Last year, I copy-pasted my work experience description from my CV (between 50-100 words based on the experience), but I'm seeing some people on here really develop these descriptions (600w?).
Are recruiters expecting us to explain these in depth, or are bullet points around responsibilities and skills enough? Thank you!

I've seen on a couple applications forms (I think, don't quote me on this!) that they want the experience written in full prose. However, I have never come close to 600 words per an entry, and mine are much closer to the 50-100 words. For bigger roles I think I have written up to 175 words-ish. Someone feel free to correct me though!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Quick question - Last year, I copy-pasted my work experience description from my CV (between 50-100 words based on the experience), but I'm seeing some people on here really develop these descriptions (600w?).
Are recruiters expecting us to explain these in depth, or are bullet points around responsibilities and skills enough? Thank you!

I’d write in full prose rather than bullet points, but the descriptions don’t need to be more extensive than your CV in terms of what you are highlighting, it just needs to be joined up a little more.

I wouldn’t expect many work experience entries to be 600 words. I’d say an average is 250-300 but some short placements or roles with limited responsibilities would probably need less than 150.