TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2026-27

[174Tess9y3]

Does anyone have any advice for Macfarlanes Stage 2 online test? I am terrible at video interviews but really want to pass!

 

[phoenix11_]

Does anyone know what yo expect from the second Macfarlanes online assessment?

 

[username10341034]

Does anyone know what yo expect from the second Macfarlanes online assessment?

pls can I ask when you completed the first test?

 

[OS23]

Hi everyone I wanted do have some advice on how to answer questions like 'describe a commercial news story that interests you. How could it impact our clients?'.

I am unsure whether I should talk about a general commercial trend and how it could affect the firm's clients, or if I can take a commercial news concerning a specific company and discuss how a similar situation of that of such company would affect the firm's clients and the ways the firm could help them in this regard.

Thanks for your help )

 

[lucky gal]

Hey does anyone have any tips on what to expect from Macfarlanes' Job Simulation?

 

[sagekensuke]

pls can I ask when you completed the first test?

Not the OP but I did the test on Tuesday night and got the invite just now, but tbf that was the 7th day after it was sent so it may be based on that

 

[yellowbirds008]

has anyone recieved any response post stage 1 for macfarlanes winter vac?

Just recieved stage 2!

 

[phoenix11_]

pls can I ask when you completed the first test?

approx a week ago

 

[anon78365222111]

pls can I ask when you completed the first test?

Around just over a week ago

 

[tobywstress]

Does anyone know if we need to expressly write the transferrable skills within each work experience details or just the job responsibilities for macfarlanes?

 

[rrr]

Does anyone know if we need to expressly write the transferrable skills within each work experience details or just the job responsibilities for macfarlanes?

deffo doesn't hurt to talk about transferrable skills too

 

[Maria56]

Hi guys! I’ll be entering my second application cycle as a finalist. For context, I’m an international student on a Student visa and was planning to apply for both the winter and spring/summer schemes.

My only concern is that the winter scheme dates overlap with term time, so I’m not sure if I’d be eligible, as my visa only allows me to work up to 20 hours per week during term time.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation or have any experience with this?

 

[user55998384]

is stage 2 of macfarlanes selective?

 

[174Tess9y3]

is stage 2 of macfarlanes selective?

yes

 

[Ckay]

It was written the same last year and the pro-bono case was essentially their scenario for the SJT type questions.

Oh I see, thank you. Any technique on how to answer those best

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hello,

I’m applying for UK TCs as an international candidate and am worried about my grades. I’m ranked 29/130 at a top Indian university; apart from one subject, all my grades are above 60, which I believe would translate to a strong 2:1. I also have decent legal work experience and mitigating circumstances that affected my academics.

I’d really appreciate advice on:

1. How can I identify firms that require very strong academics/Firsts beyond simply stating a 2:1 requirement?
2. Should I mention my mitigating circumstances i even f there is a specific section for them but space is available in the application/cover letter as well? What if there is no space?
3. As an international applicant, should I explain why I want to work in the UK rather than India in my cover letter, or is this unnecessary?

Thanks

Hey!

I would try not to be too worried about your profile based on what you have said, although I appreciate that is easier said than done.

For academics, I would say the majority of firms look for a 2:1 overall, so I wouldn't assume every firm stating a 2:1 requirement is secretly looking for high 2:1s or Firsts. There are, however, a smaller number of firms with stricter academic requirements, although these are generally in the minority. This has previously been discussed in this thread, which might be useful to have a look through (although there may be a few more firms now). Your ranking of 29/130 is also useful context, particularly as an international candidate, so I would include it where there is an appropriate opportunity to do so.

For mitigating circumstances, I would use the dedicated mitigating circumstances section first. If the application has a specific section for this, I don't think you need to repeat the full explanation elsewhere simply because you have space in your cover letter/application. You could make a brief reference elsewhere if it is directly relevant to explaining your academic trajectory, but I would avoid unnecessarily duplicating information. If there is no space or no dedicated section, you can give a concise explanation in the most relevant part of the application, focusing on the context and impact on your academics.

For the UK vs India point, I would definitely make sure you have a clear answer to this, but I don't think it necessarily needs to be a standalone explanation in your cover letter. As an international candidate, it is natural that a recruiter may want to understand why you want to build your career in the UK, particularly if you could potentially pursue a career in India. However, you can incorporate this naturally into your motivation for the wider legal market in the UK and, importantly, why you are interested in that particular firm. I would avoid making it sound like you are defending your decision to apply to the UK unless you are directly asked about it later in the process.

Most importantly, don't assume that being an international candidate automatically puts you at a massive disadvantage. Your ranking and mitigating circumstances provide useful context, and your application should make it easy for the recruiter to understand your academic performance, why you want to work in the UK, and why you are a strong candidate for that particular firm.

Best of luck with applications!

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi everyone I wanted do have some advice on how to answer questions like 'describe a commercial news story that interests you. How could it impact our clients?'.

I am unsure whether I should talk about a general commercial trend and how it could affect the firm's clients, or if I can take a commercial news concerning a specific company and discuss how a similar situation of that of such company would affect the firm's clients and the ways the firm could help them in this regard.

Thanks for your help )

Hey!

I think either approach can work, so I wouldn't worry too much about there being one "correct" way to answer this.

Personally, I would be inclined to use a specific commercial news story as your starting point, particularly as it is asking for something that interests you and has caught your attention. You can then use the story to demonstrate that you understand the wider commercial implications and explain how similar developments could affect the firm's clients.

For example, rather than just discussing what happened to Company X, you could briefly explain the story (just enough to give context), identify the broader trend or issue it illustrates, and then consider which types of clients might be affected, how they could be affected and what challenges or opportunities this could create for them. You could then briefly mention how the firm might be able to support clients in navigating those issues, where relevant - for example, what work would be generated, which practice areas would be involved, how the firm is well equipped to assist with those issues/opportunities, etc.

The important thing is not to turn the answer into a detailed explanation of what the firm could do for the client, so if you do include that last element, I'd keep it very brief. The question is really testing whether you can take a piece of commercial news and think critically about its wider implications for businesses.

So I would focus less on whether you choose a trend or a specific company, and more on showing that you can go from: this happened -> this is why it matters commercially -> this is how it could affect clients.

I'd also make sure you choose something that you genuinely find interesting, as that will usually make the answer much easier to write!

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Does anyone know if we need to expressly write the transferrable skills within each work experience details or just the job responsibilities for macfarlanes?

Hey!

I would definitely try to incorporate and show the transferable skills you gained from each experience, but this doesn't necessarily need to be extremely explicit. I would avoid simply listing skills like "developed communication, teamwork and organisation skills" without giving any evidence of them.

Instead, I'd try to demonstrate the skill through what you actually did. For example, if you developed communication skills, you could explain that you regularly communicated with clients or presented to a team, rather than just stating "I developed strong communication skills".

So I would focus on what you did, what you learnt/gained from the experience and, where possible, the impact or outcome, with the transferable skills coming through naturally from your examples (even if you do briefly name the skill after showing it)

 

[lily30]

Hey!

I would try not to be too worried about your profile based on what you have said, although I appreciate that is easier said than done.

For academics, I would say the majority of firms look for a 2:1 overall, so I wouldn't assume every firm stating a 2:1 requirement is secretly looking for high 2:1s or Firsts. There are, however, a smaller number of firms with stricter academic requirements, although these are generally in the minority. This has previously been discussed in this thread, which might be useful to have a look through (although there may be a few more firms now). Your ranking of 29/130 is also useful context, particularly as an international candidate, so I would include it where there is an appropriate opportunity to do so.

For mitigating circumstances, I would use the dedicated mitigating circumstances section first. If the application has a specific section for this, I don't think you need to repeat the full explanation elsewhere simply because you have space in your cover letter/application. You could make a brief reference elsewhere if it is directly relevant to explaining your academic trajectory, but I would avoid unnecessarily duplicating information. If there is no space or no dedicated section, you can give a concise explanation in the most relevant part of the application, focusing on the context and impact on your academics.

For the UK vs India point, I would definitely make sure you have a clear answer to this, but I don't think it necessarily needs to be a standalone explanation in your cover letter. As an international candidate, it is natural that a recruiter may want to understand why you want to build your career in the UK, particularly if you could potentially pursue a career in India. However, you can incorporate this naturally into your motivation for the wider legal market in the UK and, importantly, why you are interested in that particular firm. I would avoid making it sound like you are defending your decision to apply to the UK unless you are directly asked about it later in the process.

Most importantly, don't assume that being an international candidate automatically puts you at a massive disadvantage. Your ranking and mitigating circumstances provide useful context, and your application should make it easy for the recruiter to understand your academic performance, why you want to work in the UK, and why you are a strong candidate for that particular firm.

Best of luck with applications!

Thankyou very much.

 

[anon78365222111]

The Macfarlanes rule of bullet point for work experience isn’t that serious btw I didn’t do it and got stage 2 for anyone who was annoyed like I was for messing up lol