TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[TCpleasex]

Is there any way (alongside practice tests) that one can prepare for an Amberjack test? I've never done one of these before so don't really know how to adequately prepare. Any tips would be appreciated!

Unpopular opinion, however, I genuinely prefer (and kinda enjoy) doing Amberjack. Every firm is different with their pillars & what they are looking for, however, I will try give some tips that help me.

One thing I think trips people up is inconsistency. I know you have probably read this a tonne of times but when you are answering the SJT type questions answer honestly with what you would do not what you think the firm is looking for. Adding to that though & it might contradict what I just said but look at what the firm’s values are. If they are super into teamwork then they will put more emphasis on those answers or if they are looking for you to work independently then they will be looking for more taking initiative based answers. It is about finding the balance.

A major thing though is if you say that you prioritise say attention to detail over time it takes you to get stuff done, there will be answers that might trip you up to look contradictory. Choose one & roll with it. I know you want to say you can do both, that’s what I tried to do at first but then your answers will look more like you are trying to answer what the firm wants rather than you as a person.

The main thing with the SJT parts is consistency basically.

Also, if a firm is super innovative they will be looking for people open to accept innovative ways of working - just something else to keep in mind.

Re the maths sections, my main advice would be have a pen & paper next to you. It sounds so simple but the maths q’s can be wordy so having a place you can really break it down will help.

Re the verbal sections, to me these seem to align a lot with WG style qs where you have a chunk of text & you need to read what it says without personal interpretation & external knowledge. When I’m doing these qs I put on my WG hat (which isn’t very good) & look at it from a more frank perspective. What exactly is the question & are those words/information provided?

I really hope this will help a little. I know these tests are a pain, however, once you have the right mindset & know what these tests are testing for then you will do well. I used to hate them & my scores this year haven’t been any lower then 7s in the pillars & high in numerical & verbal!!

Good luck!!

 

[A worried graduate]

I don't think this is the issue as effectively the GSAs are funded from the apprenticeship levy (which is why it cannot be paid back). The levy is effectively a tax on employers as they can only spend it on apprenticeship training, otherwise it goes to waste (well just goes to the government if not used).

I think the reluctance of GSAs is more firms are worried about how they manage capacity and giving 20% of time off dedicated to the academic part of the apprenticeship and needing blocks of time off for assessments.

Its not really an issue in my opinion - the investment banks and accountancy firms manage it very well and typically with much higher numbers of people.

Will the GSA replace the TC at larger firms then perhaps?

 

[g.cl.2020344]

Wasn't it only for Leeds office or did anyone receive Ti's for London office?

think it was only for the Leeds office, I've just emailed them

 

[Legallywhatever]

Unpopular opinion, however, I genuinely prefer (and kinda enjoy) doing Amberjack. Every firm is different with their pillars & what they are looking for, however, I will try give some tips that help me.

One thing I think trips people up is inconsistency. I know you have probably read this a tonne of times but when you are answering the SJT type questions answer honestly with what you would do not what you think the firm is looking for. Adding to that though & it might contradict what I just said but look at what the firm’s values are. If they are super into teamwork then they will put more emphasis on those answers or if they are looking for you to work independently then they will be looking for more taking initiative based answers. It is about finding the balance.

A major thing though is if you say that you prioritise say attention to detail over time it takes you to get stuff done, there will be answers that might trip you up to look contradictory. Choose one & roll with it. I know you want to say you can do both, that’s what I tried to do at first but then your answers will look more like you are trying to answer what the firm wants rather than you as a person.

The main thing with the SJT parts is consistency basically.

Also, if a firm is super innovative they will be looking for people open to accept innovative ways of working - just something else to keep in mind.

Re the maths sections, my main advice would be have a pen & paper next to you. It sounds so simple but the maths q’s can be wordy so having a place you can really break it down will help.

Re the verbal sections, to me these seem to align a lot with WG style qs where you have a chunk of text & you need to read what it says without personal interpretation & external knowledge. When I’m doing these qs I put on my WG hat (which isn’t very good) & look at it from a more frank perspective. What exactly is the question & are those words/information provided?

I really hope this will help a little. I know these tests are a pain, however, once you have the right mindset & know what these tests are testing for then you will do well. I used to hate them & my scores this year haven’t been any lower then 7s in the pillars & high in numerical & verbal!!

Good luck!!

Wow! Thank you so much for your detailed reply!!

This might sound silly, but consistency is something that goes completely over my head with SJT. Like you said, I am definitely a person who will try to show that I can do it all, but trying to showcase that in SJTs may not be the best course of action; consistency and balance is the safest bet!

Really appreciate your tips!

 

[Wannabe_Lawyer]

With a gold member application review submission, are you supposed to get an email confirmation? I haven't gotten one, just thought I'd check.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Will the GSA replace the TC at larger firms then perhaps?

They would have possibly done, but the government is now looking to change apprenticeship funding for Level 7 (degree and graduate level apprenticeships) across all sectors which would stop firms being able to fund this level of apprenticeships through the levy and that effectively they would have to pay the funds themselves (https://feweek.co.uk/all-level-7-apprenticeships-will-be-axed-skills-minister-suggests/)

The changes have not been confirmed yet though but the legal sector is not happy about this as it effectively also puts pressure of them to not take on degree level (e.g. school leavers) into the 6-7 year programmes, something many law firms have put a lot of time and effort into creating and embedding in the past couple of years.

 

[Jessica Booker]

With a gold member application review submission, are you supposed to get an email confirmation? I haven't gotten one, just thought I'd check.

You usually get one later in the day. We wait for the 4pm deadline and then send confirmations out to everyone (e.g. they are not automated).

 

[Wannabe_Lawyer]

You usually get one later in the day. We wait for the 4pm deadline and then send confirmations out to everyone (e.g. they are not automated).

Thanks Jessica!

 

[TCpleasex]

Wow! Thank you so much for your detailed reply!!

This might sound silly, but consistency is something that goes completely over my head with SJT. Like you said, I am definitely a person who will try to show that I can do it all, but trying to showcase that in SJTs may not be the best course of action; consistency and balance is the safest bet!

Really appreciate your tips!

Not silly at all, I was the exact same!! I had the mindset that I didn’t want them to think I was sacrificing one aspect for the other but it was a webinar with grad recruitment at a firm last year that changed my whole mindset to it.

I’m not sure if anything is coming up webinar-wise but something I found it really helpful just listening to some grad recruitment answering questions - especially those firms that have SJT/amberjack.

I am by no means an expert, however, if you have any qs I’m happy to answer them 😊

 

[FoxStella]

I have a spring vacation scheme coming up, does anyone have advice on what I should be preparing in advance?

It seems like its heavily assessed, with group projects, a written task and another partner interview, but not sure what I should be focusing on in prep work!

 

[ad.]

Hey guys, ahead of my vac scheme at Goodwin I would really appreciate any good advice for maximising my chance of converting it into a TC. (For context the VS is a week long.)

My background is non-law and I have never done a vac scheme before so I would be going in blind in a sense. I'm also open to investing in any paid services that anyone would personally recommend.

I selected a few seat preferences but I haven't gotten any confirmation as to where I would be sitting. I know that there will be a written exercise task and a group assessment but that's basically all the info I have.

Separately, but quite randomly, I have been looking to reactivate my premium LinkedIn because I have ran out of personalised invites to send to Trainees at the firm but it's either £30 a month of £180 for a year. Is it worth the investment or should I seek alternative methods such as trying to email for a discount of leaving it altogether?

Hi! In terms of paid services, I would personally recommend the TCLA Accelerator Programme. There's actually a webinar about converting VS with TCLA future trainees tonight at 6pm – I think it might be recorded and accessible even if you sign up to TCLA Accelerator later.

 

[User5678]

think it was only for the Leeds office, I've just emailed them

Thank you for this! Please could you keep us updated in case they reply?

 

[jfb]

Have many people heard back for SH summer?

 

[BillSikes]

I think they’ve got back to people with TIs. It’s probably a PFO at this point but they might not send these out for a while.

I thought the same. Have they not already replied? All was that only for non-London apps

 

[sibs23]

You can just give your faculty's admin office. It does not need to be someone who vouches for you personally - the reference just needs to verify your grades.

The admin office for my uni also refused to do this. The personal tutor had a rule that she would only respond to reference requests from second year students which was really unhelpful. Thankfully, I've never had a law firm actually reach out to academic referees or I don't know what I will do

 

[A worried graduate]

They would have possibly done, but the government is now looking to change apprenticeship funding for Level 7 (degree and graduate level apprenticeships) across all sectors which would stop firms being able to fund this level of apprenticeships through the levy and that effectively they would have to pay the funds themselves (https://feweek.co.uk/all-level-7-apprenticeships-will-be-axed-skills-minister-suggests/)

The changes have not been confirmed yet though but the legal sector is not happy about this as it effectively also puts pressure of them to not take on degree level (e.g. school leavers) into the 6-7 year programmes, something many law firms have put a lot of time and effort into creating and embedding in the past couple of years.

This will be horrendous news and basically kills off the only advantage of the SQE.

Will this have an impact on any GSAs that are applied for in this cycle?

 

[Jessica Booker]

The admin office for my uni also refused to do this. The personal tutor had a rule that she would only respond to reference requests from second year students which was really unhelpful. Thankfully, I've never had a law firm actually reach out to academic referees or I don't know what I will do

The reference check companies are likely to know if there are certain universities who don't provide this. It is a bizarre attitude to take, especially given how prevalent educational fraud is. Hundreds of thousands of employers will need this information each year, so I suspect there is a way to get the information from the university and the reference check company probably knows how to get it.

If they can't get it, presenting a formal transcript can be an alternative reference check companies are willing to accept.

 

[Jessica Booker]

This will be horrendous news and basically kills off the only advantage of the SQE.

Will this have an impact on any GSAs that are applied for in this cycle?

The proposal still needs to be implemented - it may not happen, especially given the backlash from many sectors.

It would also only apply to GSAs after a period of time after the proposal was implemented. It would not be backdated for programmes already in progress. Therefore it is unlikely to impact this cycle's GSA, but might stop the 2026 GSA programmes from being recruited. In any instance where anyone was impacted, firms/employers are likely to take people on as normal and fund the training directly or find alternative ways to train, such as the traditional SQE pre TC model.

 

[desperateTCseeker1998]

Does anyone else seem to have more luck with some application websites than others? I have never got past the application stage if the firm uses cvmail...

I have this same exact problem! Makes me feel like I must be inputting something incorrectly on the form or something... might be the more limited word count for work experience though idk

 

[trainee4u]

This will be horrendous news and basically kills off the only advantage of the SQE.

Will this have an impact on any GSAs that are applied for in this cycle?

tbf there are plenty of advantages of SQE, but perhaps not for the average member of this forum.

you can self-study SQE for a few hundred pounds, pay the £5k fees and that's cheaper than GDL.

SQE includes the entire GDL syllabus so GDL doesn't really serve much purpose and in the long run could just be scrapped.

Also you can sit SQE1 and SQE2 six years apart, and for example some employers accept SQE1 alone as proof of legal knowledge (which it is!) to work as a paralegal.

Law firms and the private law universities have chosen not to take much advantage, but in the long term it's likely that things will change more than they have already done.

I'd say the biggest problem is that SQE is far too expensive. The New York bar exam is only $250 ($750 for foreigners).