TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[ojharrison]

I have a Clyde and Co telephone interview (instead of the VI) and would hugely appreciate any insights! Can offer insights to A&O AC in return

Hello - future trainee here!

I have not done the telephone interview myself, but I would imagine it will be quite competency- and motivation-focused, and a bit more conversational than a VI, but they’ll still be assessing structure and clarity in your answers. From my experience, it’s worth preparing for a mix of:

• Why commercial law / why Clyde & Co: make sure you can clearly articulate why their sector focus (insurance, transport, energy, aviation, etc.) genuinely appeals to you, rather than just listing practice areas. Link it to your own experience and interests to make your answers personal.
• Competency questions (teamwork, resilience, communication, problem-solving): have 2–3 strong examples ready and use a clear structure (STAR works well).
• Commercial awareness: often fairly light-touch in phone interviews, but be ready to discuss a recent issue affecting one of their core sectors and explain why it matters to the firm and why you were interested by that particular issue.

A few practical tips for telephone interviews specifically:

• It might be worth having a one-page prompt sheet in front of you (key points for motivation, examples, and one commercial topic) - so long as you don’t read from it and don't feel overly attached to it.
• Practise answering concisely; it’s easier to waffle on the phone without visual cues.
• Smile when you speak - it genuinely makes a difference to how engaged and confident you sound.
• Go beyond with your intonation, emotions etc. Things come across far less enthusiastic over the phone, even if the same speech would come across positively in person. You don't have body language and other sorts of cues to rely on. It might feel very strange, but try to be slightly more over-the-top with how you're speaking so that you're charisma comes across to the interviewer. (Needless to say there is a fine line with this though!).

They will likely also be testing whether you come across as someone clients and colleagues would be comfortable speaking to, so aim for calm, friendly and thoughtful rather than overly polished.

Hope that helps, and best of luck - feel free to post back if you want any further help with preparation.

 

[nbjani]

Hey guys do we know if the first stage milbank assessment is selective and includes any VI/motivational questions?

 

[aria_d]

Hey guys do we know if the first stage milbank assessment is selective and includes any VI/motivational questions?

It has SJT + 2 WE

 

[RJ Ruban]

Loool, why is this giving "who are you" by the Kazoo kid? Not rude at all, we love a concerned citizen. I'm a future trainee at Travers Smith just hopping back on here for a while to see if I can help anyone out.

TS is a firm I’m thinking to apply to!
The application this year is just a cover letter- would I be able to PM to get more insight on how to write this?

 

[RJ Ruban]

Do you guys think there will be more CMS AC offers coming out? Or am I cooked?

 

[ojharrison]

Really rogue question, but when you start the PGDL or SQE, how do people afford to live in London? I’m coming from Leeds and having to move down with my partner and for the life of us cannot see how we will manage it. Those who’ve done the SQE or going to, how do you make it work? Most firms I’m looking at give a 10-15k bursary but I’ve no idea how to make that work :/
- sorry if this is a really daft question, but I’ve tried to do some research and thought maybe this could be a good place to discuss since we will all (or majority) need to move down to London at some point?

Not a daft question at all - it’s something a lot of people worry about quietly, so I'm sure there will be many people glad that you’ve raised it here.

The honest answer is that most people don’t make it work through a single source of funding. It’s usually a combination of things. The bursary many firms offer is intended to contribute rather than fully cover London living costs, and people tend to top this up in a few common ways:

• Savings or family support, where that’s possible
• Part-time work alongside the PGDL or SQE (this is very common, especially on the SQE)
• Living arrangements that reduce costs - house shares, living slightly further out and commuting or (where people are lucky enough) living at home still.

From my experience, very few people find the finances comfortable. It’s often tight but it is doable with planning and by being realistic about lifestyle for that period. Some firms may offer additional support for future trainees such as interest-free loans that are deducted from your eventual first pay cheque, so these things are worth checking.

The majority of people that worked alongside the PGDL/SQE that I know of were providing academic assistance in some way. So checking/editing CVs and personal statements or tutoring (school, university and masters students). This can be done in person in London but also online; it's certainly manageable alongside the courses.

You’re absolutely right that this is something most people here will face at some point, and you’re not alone in feeling anxious about it. Hopefully, you'll have a good amount of time now to plan for moving to London rather than panic later on.

Hope that helps - happy to talk through options or hear what others have done as well.

 

[UP_25]

Hi, I have a politics background as well, I would love to know how you would suggest leveraging studying politics for a tc app! it’s something i struggle with, thanks in advance!

Hey! Nice to see non-law faces here! This is a great question, and oftentimes I think candidates overestimate how much they need to use their degree as leverage in their applications so I wouldn't shoehorn a link in if it's proving difficult.

That said, studying a non-law degree does make your application slightly more unique. The way I would go about it is thinking about what similarities there are between law and politics, and I think there's two ways.

Commercial law and politics are of course intertwined, politics creates legislation, politics affects the economy, markets etc. You can use this to explain both your interest in law, but also to demonstrate your commercial and political awareness and how this would benefit you as a trainee.

Alternatively, you could focus more on the hard skills gained. Politics teaches you research skills, written skills and how to construct an argument. These are all skills that you would use in law. I hope that helps!

 

[FutureTrainee213]

TS is a firm I’m thinking to apply to!
The application this year is just a cover letter- would I be able to PM to get more insight on how to write

Of course! I’ll try helping as best I can. May not be able to respond back to back instantly though, so if I take a few hours here and there please bare with

 

[TCtoothfairy]

Is it worth me applying to Reed Smith today or am I cooked? xoxo

 

[tm2000]

Would people say it's too late to apply to Dechert/Baker McKenzie as they're rolling even though deadlines are in a couple weeks?

 

[ojharrison]

Have people progressed with firms to interview before and then re-applied and got rejected at app stage? So annoying

Hello! Future trainee at Ashurst here.

I totally get your frustration, and you’re definitely not alone in this experience. I’ve been through something similar myself with Shearman & Sterling (back when it was S&S!) but I've also had the opposite with Ashurst!

I would say a lot of it comes down to showing clear progress since your last application - even if you reached interview stage previously, it helps to bring in new experiences or reflections rather than submitting something largely unchanged. Regardless of whether your application is a vast improvement though, the competition and the people reviewing your application change each year, so what worked last year might not this year and unfortunately that's out of your control to a great extent.

There is an element of luck in applications, but the important thing is to focus on improving and updating your application wherever possible. Keep pushing forward - you’ve clearly got the potential if you’re getting to interview stages already!

 

[Mike Ross 2025]

Not a daft question at all - it’s something a lot of people worry about quietly, so I'm sure there will be many people glad that you’ve raised it here.

The honest answer is that most people don’t make it work through a single source of funding. It’s usually a combination of things. The bursary many firms offer is intended to contribute rather than fully cover London living costs, and people tend to top this up in a few common ways:

• Savings or family support, where that’s possible
• Part-time work alongside the PGDL or SQE (this is very common, especially on the SQE)
• Living arrangements that reduce costs - house shares, living slightly further out and commuting or (where people are lucky enough) living at home still.

From my experience, very few people find the finances comfortable. It’s often tight but it is doable with planning and by being realistic about lifestyle for that period. Some firms may offer additional support for future trainees such as interest-free loans that are deducted from your eventual first pay cheque, so these things are worth checking.

The majority of people that worked alongside the PGDL/SQE that I know of were providing academic assistance in some way. So checking/editing CVs and personal statements or tutoring (school, university and masters students). This can be done in person in London but also online; it's certainly manageable alongside the courses.

You’re absolutely right that this is something most people here will face at some point, and you’re not alone in feeling anxious about it. Hopefully, you'll have a good amount of time now to plan for moving to London rather than panic later on.

Hope that helps - happy to talk through options or hear what others have done as well.

is the grant from firms given to cover tution costs or living costs? Or do they pay for your PGDL/SQE fees ontop of providing a living grant

 

[UP_25]

is the grant from firms given to cover tution costs or living costs? Or do they pay for your PGDL/SQE fees ontop of providing a living grant

The majority of firms to my knowledge will pay for your PGDL/SQE fees on top of providing a living grant

 

[Bree]

The majority of firms to my knowledge will pay for your PGDL/SQE fees on top of providing a living grant

Do you have to physically stay in London while studying for the SQE? Can you not do it online if you are an international student?

 

[ojharrison]

is the grant from firms given to cover tution costs or living costs? Or do they pay for your PGDL/SQE fees ontop of providing a living grant

In many cases, the breakdown of financial assistance would look as follows:

1. Full PGDL/SQE costs.
2. Grant (lump sum or in instalments, paid to you to be used as you wish during your studies).
3. Loan (depending on the firm, a repayable loan which is often interest-free and deducted from your first pay cheque as a trainee).

Number 1 and 2 do not need to be repaid on the basis that you pass your exams and go on to train with the firm. As mentioned, the loan would need to be repaid but is usually automatically taken from your first pay cheque. The amount of the grants and loans (if any) vary from firm to firm.

 

[RJ Ruban]

would anyone be able to read my WFW application before I send it? Would be great if I can get some insight from those who made it to the next stage!

 

[UP_25]

I'd be happy to have a read. I've not applied for WFW specifically but happy to give application feedback!

 

[lolololol]

Hey! Nice to see non-law faces here! This is a great question, and oftentimes I think candidates overestimate how much they need to use their degree as leverage in their applications so I wouldn't shoehorn a link in if it's proving difficult.

That said, studying a non-law degree does make your application slightly more unique. The way I would go about it is thinking about what similarities there are between law and politics, and I think there's two ways.

Commercial law and politics are of course intertwined, politics creates legislation, politics affects the economy, markets etc. You can use this to explain both your interest in law, but also to demonstrate your commercial and political awareness and how this would benefit you as a trainee.

Alternatively, you could focus more on the hard skills gained. Politics teaches you research skills, written skills and how to construct an argument. These are all skills that you would use in law. I hope that helps!

thank you!!

 

[ojharrison]

Do you have to physically stay in London while studying for the SQE? Can you not do it online if you are an international student?

It really depends on the firm but to the best of my knowledge, most firms will require you to move to London even if you are an international student.

The reasoning is often because you will be studying with members of your cohort so there is an element of being integrated and knowing each other before you start your TC. Also, firm's may put on internal events and training sessions for future trainees that you would be required to attend. There is also an element of fairness involved I would imagine - as mentioned by others in the thread, moving to London is a huge cost full stop. If some international students were able to study online, the firm might feel obliged to offer that to all future trainees and there'd be no collaboration between the cohorts.

It's a conversation to be had with the firm though as there's no harm in asking whether it's a possibility but I would imagine the answer would be "no" for the most part!

 

[UP_25]

thank you!!

No problem!