TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2021-22 (#1)

[Sfernan21]

Thank you very much! This will be taken on board for sure

Sorry I cannot provide more detail, out of fairness to the process. It really isn't too much to worry about.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Just a random thought but, has anyone done the Travers Smith winter scheme and can confirm you literally get paid £750 for a week?
More generally, does anyone have any thoughts on why the massive discrepancy between TS and the usual £450 that firms pay per week of vacation scheme?

Their website states they pay this, so I don't see how/why they would be able to pay less.

Maybe they see it that the £750 covers the short term costs associated with a short placement. However, £750 a week is £39k per annum too, so would still be significantly below a starting salary for a trainee, so maybe they just see it as being an appropriate payment.

To be honest, I have never really understood why law firms pay interns so poorly. It was something I really battled against at various firms I worked for.

 

[Ks36]

Do WBD only have training contracts apps open not vac scheme? I can’t apply to the training contract yet I’m a non-law student so was wondering

 

[vacschemesforeveryone]

To be honest, I have never really understood why law firms pay interns so poorly. It was something I really battled against at various firms I worked for.

Could it be because of the high costs incurred to run the vac scheme in the first place?

 

[BeGrateful.101]

I applied the past two years (2020&2021) and both times the VI questions were identical

Hey.. would u mind sharing any tips for the case study? It says the whole VI is 50 mins.. kinda nervous

 

[NikkiT]

Hey, I did on Monday I applied the day after apps opened for the 2023 London TC. Grad rec said they'd be holding ACs in March so don't worry if you haven't heard back yet!

Messaged you 😅

 

[James Carrabino]

what law firms recruit on rolling basis for TCs? is there a thread?

You may find it useful to consider side by side the list of law firms which recruit on a rolling basis and those which hire directly for TCs and you should spot the overlaps - this information is from last year but is likely still accurate for the most part

 

[FK7991]

Messaged you 😅

Replied!

 

[BeGrateful.101]

I applied the past two years (2020&2021) and both times the VI questions were identical

Hey.. would u mind sharing any tips for the case study? It says the whole VI is 50 mins.. kinda nervous

 

[FK7991]

Fieldfisher AC!! If anyone who has already done it has any tips I would be so grateful.

Case studies tend to let me down so just wondering what the best way to prep and come to terms with them would be?

Timeline in case it helps: applied for the London 2023 TC a couple of days after apps opened, invited to online assessment 13 Dec, invited to TI 15 Jan, TI 31 Jan, invited to AC today. When booking mine (mid-March) there was also a second AC at the end of April so hope this reassures those who are waiting to hear!

 

[NikkiT]

Replied!

me too 😂

 

[John Travoni]

Could anyone refer me to any links that set out good structures to follow when having to complete a written exercise in an AC that is based on a summary to a client.
Thank you so much.

 

[Beluga]

Could anyone refer me to any links that set out good structures to follow when having to complete a written exercise in an AC that is based on a summary to a client.
Thank you so much.

So I tried to do this exact thing as preparation one of my ACs and ended up having to scrap it completely because it was completely different from what I was given on the day (despite preparing based on testimonials of previous ACs at the same firm). While the formalities might be the same, the content might actually differ wildly (even in different AC dates or cycles for the same firm). You might be able to come up with structures for specific kinds of requests (e.g. summarising the benefits and downsides of specific acquisition targets / summarising the opportunities and risks of a single target for the client's business), and making them is good practice, but it seemed that predicting written exercises in such a way was quite difficult.

Not sure if anyone has any different opinions? This is based only on my personal experiences.

 

[Legalmel_99]

Just a random thought but, has anyone done the Travers Smith winter scheme and can confirm you literally get paid £750 for a week?
More generally, does anyone have any thoughts on why the massive discrepancy between TS and the usual £450 that firms pay per week of vacation scheme?

Last year I did a vac scheme was meant to get paid £175 but never got paid 😂

 

[amzey2]

Can someone please explain what a "de-SPAC" deal/how this differs to a "SPAC" deal?

A SPAC is the shell company initially formed without any operations that is to be taken public through an IPO. The SPAC will then merge with a private company, in so doing bringing it public. The merger is known as a de-SPAC merger. Practically however, a “SPAC deal” will be used interchangeably to mean anything such as the initial formation of the SPAC, the IPO of the SPAC, the ultimate de-SPAC merger or even the PIPE financing included within the de-SPAC merger.

 

[SK16]

This may be a silly question but I've never done a virtual AC before... If we have to do a case study, technology-wise how does that work? 😅 As in do they put up a document and we can take notes in Word/on paper?

 

[RoughWood]

This may be a silly question but I've never done a virtual AC before... If we have to do a case study, technology-wise how does that work? 😅 As in do they put up a document and we can take notes in Word/on paper?

We were emailed the documents in mine

 

[AspiringTrainee]

This may be a silly question but I've never done a virtual AC before... If we have to do a case study, technology-wise how does that work? 😅 As in do they put up a document and we can take notes in Word/on paper?

Some firms may have their own system or intranet where documents are. I was able to use Microsoft word alongside to take notes etc if needed

 

[thirdtimelucky]

AC today and covid has made me feel very very tired ✨ All I’m hoping for is to get through the day 🙏🏼

 

[AP2000]

AC today and covid has made me feel very very tired ✨ All I’m hoping for is to get through the day 🙏🏼

Good luck! Sending you lots of positive energy Let us know how it goes and give yourself some credit for staying motivated and committed to the AC despite the circumstances. That's incredible resilience!