Any chance for international students?

[Anne]

Hi all,

I'm currently an international LLM student at UoN. My family decided to move here and I've been looking for jobs relevant to my background (solidly law-related - LLB, scholarships, moot prizes). However, saying that it's been a struggle is an understatement. Therefore I wanna ask if anyone who was an international student has successfully secured a TC in the UK? Are there firms that are more open to international students? Or should I just give up? Thanks so much!

 

[AJ]

Agreed it’s v hard but don’t give up. Many ppl
go many cycles. All firms “should” be open for you, otherwise it’s blatant discrimination. I doubt it’s being an international student.
Have you been able to identify where you’re falling down in the process? Have you been able to maximise your experience in applications - e.g. firms which guarantee an international secondment matched to your international background or
language skills.

 

[Anne]

Agreed it’s v hard but don’t give up. Many ppl
go many cycles. All firms “should” be open for you, otherwise it’s blatant discrimination. I doubt it’s being an international student.
Have you been able to identify where you’re falling down in the process? Have you been able to maximise your experience in applications - e.g. firms which guarantee an international secondment matched to your international background or
language skills.

Thanks for your reply. Many people have told me so but I haven't heard of a 'success' story yet, so it's been rather disheartening. I don't think I've identified what I did wrong, so I'm looking for some advice.

 

[Insecable]

Thanks for your reply. Many people have told me so but I haven't heard of a 'success' story yet, so it's been rather disheartening. I don't think I've identified what I did wrong, so I'm looking for some advice.

At open days, campus events etc. I've met some international students who are now trainee solicitors. They have often been at larger City firms, presumably because those firms are readily willing to sponsor their visa.

 

[Abstruser]

Thanks for your reply. Many people have told me so but I haven't heard of a 'success' story yet, so it's been rather disheartening. I don't think I've identified what I did wrong, so I'm looking for some advice.

Quite a few TCLA members (@Zahra @Bing Yi Lim @Raphael Yan Bing Khoo and myself) are/were international, non-EU students who have secured TCs.

Most City firms will be open to applications from international students. Aside from the occasional firm that did not sponsor work visas (relatively rare among the firms I applied to), I would not say the application process was any different for me than for my UK/EU friends. The process is by and large based on merit.

Don't put yourself down and all the best.

 

[Anne]

Quite a few TCLA members (@Zahra @Bing Yi Lim @Raphael Yan Bing Khoo and myself) are/were international, non-EU students who have secured TCs.

Most City firms will be open to applications from international students. Aside from the occasional firm that did not sponsor work visas (relatively rare among the firms I applied to), I would not say the application process was any different for me than for my UK/EU friends. The process is by and large based on merit.

Don't put yourself down and all the best.

Thank you so much! So glad to hear that and congratulations to you guys! May I ask when did you apply for your TC? One of my professors told me that I should wait until the end of the LLM term (when the marks are out) to start applying. I'm also concerned about how the firms would assess my LLB and/or high school marks since we don't share the school system of the UK (in particular the GCSE and A-level). I'd truly appreciate it if you may give me some advice on this too.

Again, thanks so much your replies really gave me some hopes now

 

[Abstruser]

Thank you so much! So glad to hear that and congratulations to you guys! May I ask when did you apply for your TC? One of my professors told me that I should wait until the end of the LLM term (when the marks are out) to start applying. I'm also concerned about how the firms would assess my LLB and/or high school marks since we don't share the school system of the UK (in particular the GCSE and A-level). I'd truly appreciate it if you may give me some advice on this too.

Again, thanks so much your replies really gave me some hopes now

Most firms I applied to were far more interested in my LLB results than my LLM (some didn't even ask for my LLM grades), so I wouldn't personally wait until your LLM results are out to start applying. There is also the matter of your T4 visa expiring. Most firms accept international qualifications as long as you provide information on conversion/grading.