TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[georgianprincessmwuah]

nope, just post application. they were really funny with timings and I submitted it AGES ago

Post-AC they said they’d get back to us by the 10th..which is today…by…5pm i guess?

 

[radicaloptimist]

I was told at end of my TI that we’d hear by 10th (today) for Browne Jacobson summer vac scheme. Has anyone heard anything yet? Mine was for Manchester office if that makes any difference

 

[lucky2]

Hi @Abbie Whitlock and also everyone who can help, just had a quick urgent question! I have just been invited to an AC at a firm that it’s one of my top choices. The AC is for their vac scheme and they make most of their TC offers through this route however if I am successful in securing a vac scheme, it will be overlapping with another VS which I have secured. Would it look bad if I request to be considered for their DTC? They don’t have any alternative VS dates unfortunately

 

[avocadob]

Post-AC they said they’d get back to us by the 10th..which is today…by…5pm i guess?

should we call..? I don’t knoww

 

[mrebeccafr]

Just got an email for Browne AC!

 

[georgianprincessmwuah]

should we call..? I don’t knoww

I’m gonna wait until 5pm and then maybe I’ll email/call them cause icl they’re pushing their luck a little

 

[futuretrainee22]

For anyone who has heard from DWF, how long did it take post-AC?

 

[MZJxLadha]

anyone heard from Moore Barlow?

 

[EMB]

anyways vwv pfo

 

[avocadob]

For those waiting on PMC, I emailed grad rec and they said they need another week…

 

[georgianprincessmwuah]

For those waiting on PMC, I emailed grad rec and they said they need another week…

Are you joking!!!

 

[Florencejones]

Has anyone else heard from Browne Jacobson (brum office)

 

[lucy_p]

I was told at end of my TI that we’d hear by 10th (today) for Browne Jacobson summer vac scheme. Has anyone heard anything yet? Mine was for Manchester office if that makes any difference

I was told the 10th but heard nothing either (mine was Exeter)

 

[axelrod901]

Just got an email for Browne AC!

Well done, biggest congratulations!!! Which office?

 

[mrebeccafr]

Well done, biggest congratulations!!! Which office?

Thank you sm ! It was for Birmingham office. They emailed me 325PM

 

[jj238]

Any insights or advice for CMS's interview would be incredible!

 

[PinkZebra67]

I am so confused - I wrote off DACB because I saw people already getting ACs and WEs but I just received an invite for a video interview for London VS and I applied in Feb?

 

[Donna Paulsen]

Helloooo has anyone heard from BJ Cardiff office xx

 

[jj238]

I am so confused - I wrote off DACB because I saw people already getting ACs and WEs but I just received an invite for a video interview for London VS and I applied in Feb?

I just did too haha. Not sure if it’s worth prepping because I heard people getting ACs too. But might as well do it anyway.

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi @Abbie Whitlock and also everyone who can help, just had a quick urgent question! I have just been invited to an AC at a firm that it’s one of my top choices. The AC is for their vac scheme and they make most of their TC offers through this route however if I am successful in securing a vac scheme, it will be overlapping with another VS which I have secured. Would it look bad if I request to be considered for their DTC? They don’t have any alternative VS dates unfortunately

Hey!

Congratulations on the AC invite!!

I completely get why you are worried about how it might look, but I don't think asking to be considered for the direct TC would come across badly as long as you approach it in the right way. Firms are generally very conscious that candidates apply to lots of different firms and that VS dates can clash, and I'd say it is a pretty common situation. It is quite common to hear people ask to be moved to the DTC application process, and whilst it'll be firm dependant, I've definitely heard about people that have had some luck with it!

I would just ensure that you frame it positively and show that you remain genuinely interested in the firm. For example, you could explain that they are one of your top choices, and you'd really value the opportunity to be assessed for their training contract, but unfortunately you already have a VS that you have committed to and the dates overlap. Following that, you can ask whether it would be possible to be considered for the direct TC route instead.

If anything, I'd say it shows you are being proactive rather than just declining the opportunity altogether. At the end of the day, you don't know unless you ask, so you might as well double check whether it is a possibility!

I totally get that it might seem like a long shot if they recruit mainly from the vacation scheme, but there's absolutely no reason why you can't be a part of the DTC offer holders, and most firms will offer at least a few TCs through the direct route. When I applied to Reed Smith through their direct training contract process last year, I genuinely had very little hope that it would result in an offer - just goes to show that you never know!

I definitely wouldn't let the fear of "looking bad" stop you from asking - this is a very reasonable request (that I'm sure they get quite often!), and you are clearly a strong candidate if you have secured another VS already. I hope you are able to sort something with the firm, and best of luck with your upcoming VS!