Vacation scheme and training contract application reviews
Law firms receive thousands of applications for vacation schemes and training contracts every year. To get invited to interview, you need to learn effective application technique.
But application technique isn’t about applying a set of rigid rules to your applications. It’s about presenting who you are on paper. It’s about showcasing your motivations, experiences and potential to a recruiter. It’s about knowing how to tailor your applications and stand out from the crowd.
We at The Corporate Law Academy know how competitive it is. We take your application reviews very seriously.
Candidates come back to us because they know we provide the gold standard of application reviews. We have a deep understanding of exceptional application writing and know how to bring out the best of candidates in an application.
Our thorough and personal application review service, offers you detailed, line-by-line comments on your vacation scheme or training contract application. These reviews are firm-specific and cover the following areas:
- how well you answer the question[s] asked;
- your use of language and your overall structure;
- how well you’ve tailored your application to the specific firm; and
- how well you’ve met a firm’s competencies.
Many of our students go on to secure training contracts at top commercial firms, including the magic circle and New York’s elite law firms. Check out our feedback below.
So, how does the application review service work?
Our fast-track application review service will provide you with detailed line-by-line comments on your applications in one working day. You will then be able to edit your application based on our comments, improve the quality of your application, and submit it with plenty of time to spare before your deadline!
TCLA Premium Gold Members receive exclusive access to one free fast track review each month, as part of their premium subscription. If you are not already a member, sign up here! Alternatively, you can purchase standalone reviews here.
How do I submit my application?
- Read the terms below to make sure your application meets the requirements.
- Submit your application via the form below by 4pm for a next working day return.
- Receive our confirmation email within the same day.
- Receive our detailed review of your application the next working day (anytime before midnight).
Submit Your Application
Why use our application review service?
We’ve reviewed thousands of applications since 2017
In the period between October 2020 and January 2021 alone, we reviewed over 1,100 open day, vacation scheme and training contract applications. Our experience has taught us what works and what doesn’t. We know how to sell your experiences, demonstrate your motivation and make an application stand out. We don’t just talk the talk either. We’ve been through the process ourselves: our reviewer secured 13 interviews with top commercial law firms.
Comprehensive feedback
Due to the volume of applications we receive, we are able to benchmark the strength of your application against other candidates applying to the same firm. In addition to our line by line comments, you’ll receive practical guidance on how to apply our feedback to future applications.
High-level, specific, actionable advice
There’s a reason we only review law firm applications. That’s our niche and we’re good at what we do. We’re not here to give you generic advice on your applications. Instead, we provide bespoke, actionable advice based on your existing application answers, your experiences and motivations, and the firm you’re applying to. We very rarely come across a firm we haven’t reviewed hundreds of applications for!
Finally, note, the purpose of our reviews is to help you get your applications into the best shape you can. We’ll point out red flags and advise you on how to improve your answers, however, we cannot guarantee you will move onto the next stage.
Confidentiality and Data Protection
All applications submitted to TCLA for review are shared only with our application review team for the purposes of reviewing your application. We will not share your applications with anyone else. We store applications on our project management software for eight months so we can handle follow-up queries and cross-reference your future application reviews with any older submissions. Thereafter, they are deleted.
Need help?
Please drop us an email at [email protected].
Terms – please read 🙂
We have introduced the following terms to ensure that we can give you the best possible application review.
- We will return an application by midnight the next working day provided it is submitted by 4pm. If you haven’t heard back from us during the day, please know we are still in the process of reviewing it and we will have it back to you by midnight. If we miss the deadline, we will offer you a free review. Applications submitted after 4pm are considered submitted the following working day.
- We only review the application questions in a review. Please send over your application as a Word document with only the application questions and answers included. This ensures we are only processing the information necessary for the review of your application.
- Please note that we can only accept applications that are within the word count. We kindly make this request so we can provide you with a quality review. If you send us an application above the word count, we will kindly ask you to re-send your application to us or purchase our word count reduction service.
- If you would like your work experience reviewed, we can certainly do this, but this will count as its own separate review. Kindly note that we no longer review CVs.
- Free fast-track application reviews for Gold members renew each calendar month. Fast track reviews that are not redeemed within the month do not carry over into the next month.
- If your fast-track application is over 1,500 words, we may ask you to purchase a Gold upgrade pack. This allows us to dedicate the time to providing you with a quality review.
- Please only submit one version of an answer for each application question.
- If you have any issues submitting your application via the form, please email it directly to [email protected].
- We are happy to answer individual follow-up questions, but we cannot provide a further review of an application unless an additional review is purchased here.
- Need more support? Anyone is entitled to purchase additional application reviews. Standard application reviews, application packs and advanced reviews will be returned in three working days.
Anonymous –
Maria’s application review is really very thorough. I could see from her review that she genuinely wanted me to succeed and that was evident from her feedback. Actionable, detailed and insightful, Maria’s comments gave me excellent insights on how to make my application even more personalised.
AD –
Gus’ comments were really clear and helpful – what I appreciated most was that he didn’t just make changes to my draft, but he actively explained what I would need to do to improve. I was grateful to have his feedback; Gus was thorough, precise and also supportive. I can’t thank him enough.
Anonymous –
I thought the quality of service was excellent, and the advice given really helped me to focus in on why I’m interested in working at the firm, and what specifically I gained out of my interactions with the firm.
Anonymous –
Great and professional application reviews.
Anonymous –
Natasha and Jaysen were brilliant and super helpful. They both made sure I received my application as there were some technical issues and both followed up and showed a lot of care. Natasha, thank you so much for your comments and for your help!
Anonymous –
Because my application review was really helpful and insightful. It really encouraged me to not give up.
Anonymous –
Natasha made great changes to my application which helped with my structure and get my points across.
Anonymous –
Maria clearly highlighted how I could improve my application.
Anonymous –
Maria has reviewed my applications on multiple occasions and always gives thorough and detailed feedback. I would highly recommend her services.
Anonymous –
Can definitely see from the feedback that Natasha really wanted to support me in producing a great application!
Anonymous –
Feedback was detailed, well-observed and encouraging
Anonymous –
Was incredibly satisfied and impressed by the application review, Maria did a terrific job!
Anonymous –
Feedback has always been very well thought out. All critiques backed up with actionable feedback.
Anonymous –
Maria’s suggestion to consider using a different experience to answer a question really improved my application.
Anonymous –
The review picked up on many little things that I was missing in my previous applications. These suggestions should help me in the future with other applications.
Anonymous –
Gus’s feedback is incredibly helpful. Not only did he let me know what I had done right, he gave me clear actionable things to do to improve. These are things I would have never considered myself and I know I can do in future applications. I am grateful for his help and would definitely be using this service again next month.
Anonymous –
Maria offered really useful advice on how to improve the structure of my answer.
Anonymous –
I found the feedback really helpful, made me realize that sometime it is better provide less insights into the firm but develop the arguments much better and tie it to yourself.
Anonymous –
Maria clearly highlighted which points would be valuable additions to my application.
Anonymous –
Maria’s feedback was very clear and helpful.
Anonymous –
I was impressed with the speed and the quality of the review, and how there were a lot of actionable suggestions for me to go away and implement.
Anonymous –
Gus clearly highlighted which areas of my work experience could be improved in his feedback.
Anonymous –
The review of my cover letter was comprehensive coupled with the supporting email full of helpful guidance. Good balance between being encouraging and making me aware of what needed to be done to elevate my work
Anonymous –
Overall, useful service. Gus was able to provide suggestions that would take my application to the next level
Anonymous –
I loved my review, and I was exposed to areas where I could improve.
Anonymous –
Great output – Constructive and Meaningful Feedback – Delivered very timely. I really liked how the feedback was set out in the body of the email as well as in the documents track changes.
Anonymous –
Helpful, detailed and encouraging feedback. Literally ‘constructive criticism’!
Anonymous –
The review on my application was absolutely outstanding, it provided feedback to every section of the application with examples on how to improve! Really pleased with the feedback!
Anonymous –
Gus’ feedback was excellent. I was directly able to apply his feedback to my subsequent applications and managed to see such improvement I was even surprised with myself.
Anonymous –
Maria provided thoughtful feedback that challenged me to think critically about the weaker sections of my application. Also Maria offered helpful explanations and suggestions. I also found the positive reinforcements motivating especially when redrafting!
Anonymous –
A phenomenal service overall. Very grateful for such astute comments – and they have never ceased to be helpful or encouraging.
Anonymous –
I really appreciated the motivating language of the feedback and the clear way of explaining where I can improve my answers, as well as having received the feedback before I was expecting it, giving me some time to work on the application along with the notes attached
Anonymous –
The review by Jessica was very constructive. She gave me realistic expectations of how to answer the application questions which have certainly helped me while structuring my answers in addition to helping me maintain good presentation of my answers. These are skills recruiters look for in a strong application and I am glad Jessica made me aware about these small intricacies
Anonymous –
I have never received such in-depth and insightful feedback on applications. It has allowed me to truly reflect on what firms expect and what I need to do to ensure my applications include this.
Anonymous –
Jaysen’s feedback was nearly perfect. His comments were so precise that I was able to make significant improvements to my previous draft. When I requested for an additional review from Jaysen, he even appreciated me for developing my answer and that it was much more clear to read. That proves how incredible and precise Jaysen was with his comments. Thank you Jaysen, I really appreciate your help!
Anonymous –
The review was very detailed, tailored and specific, without being too critical. I understood what to change but also felt very motivated and supported that I was on the right track.
Anonymous –
The review is helpful. Focuses on the application and gives me a sense of direction to redraft the relevant portions.
Anonymous –
Thank you so much for your time and efforts reviewing my application. It’s my first time using this service and to be honest, I’m not sure what took me so long! I’ll use this weekend to go through your comments and re-draft.
I am at a point where I can feel myself losing steam, positivity is running low, and I am lacking confidence – but I still want to make the most out of this cycle. So, TCLA is my crutch to get myself back to a healthier space.
Anonymous –
I was really impressed by how quickly I received feedback. I sent my application to the team on the Thursday before a Sunday deadline. I knew I was cutting it a bit close but I put my faith in the one working day turnaround time. Like the absolute superstars they are, the team (Jaysen to be specific) sent me feedback on Friday which gave me enough time to tweak my application and send it off the next day. I probably won’t leave my review that late again, but I am so glad to know that if I was in a similar situation again the TCLA team has my back.
Anonymous –
I originally submitted my application for review because of growing self doubt due to previous rejected applications, but Jess’ feedback has helped me identify how I can improve and has motivated me to keep going. Thanks TCLA 🙂