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

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James Carrabino

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Well after sending off somewhere in the realm of 200+ applications over 4 years, and slowly but surely getting the hang of completing online applications/assessment centres & interviews, I finally have my dream TC at Clyde & Co. I appreciate this TCLA community more than you know and I am genuinely thankful and grateful for all of the support I received from this community which got me over the edge! I wish everyone else on here the best of luck with their future challenges and objectives, and hope I can provide my own tips going forward on this forum! :)
Congratulations @DTS!!! It sounds like it may have been worth the wait :D
 
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James Carrabino

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Dear all,

I have just been notified that I have failed converting a spring vacation scheme into a training contract. I feel quite lost particularly since I am a final year international student... :(

I also wonder whether my vacation scheme experience will be a good asset for future applications I am extremely anxious of getting questioned 'explain why you failed'.

I would appreciate any comments. Thank you so much.

@Logitech, I am very sorry to hear this. You still have time left in this cycle, though, and I would like to direct you below to the post I wrote to @Arendt0927 who found themselves in a similar situation. I have been there, as have many others, and I am sure you will be able to bounce back and get your dream TC. Your vacation scheme experience will definitely be an asset, by the way! Despite discussing in depth my experiences on vac schemes during subsequent interviews, I never got asked whether I had converted those vac schemes.

I hope this helps :)


@Arendt0927 I want to start by saying how sorry I am to hear that you have found yourself in this position. Think about the positives, though, which are that you have two more opportunities to shine this summer! Imagine what all those candidates are feeling who were riding all their hopes on that VS and have been rejected. You, on the other hand, are clearly an excellent enough candidate that you managed to secure THREE vacation schemes and so I am confident that you will have success. Ultimately, there is so much luck to the process that you have done yourself very well to have three opportunities to play the odds :) In the meantime, make sure to get feedback and reflect on how to improve in advance of your next schemes!

The very worst thing that could happen to you is that you get rejected from all three vacation schemes, but let me tell you it's not the end of the world. Guess what...I found myself in that exact position but received two TC offers by the end of the cycle nonetheless. I was rejected from three vacation schemes in the space of three months and every single one was brutal. Spending an entire application cycle building up to those schemes, with confidence that I would be able to convert at least one of them, meant that I just felt completely hopeless when I realised that I had failed to do so. The latter two post-vac scheme rejections came on the same day no less!! I allowed myself to be despondent for about 24 hours before I sat down and started looking at upcoming direct TC deadlines.

The day after I received both of those two rejections, I sent off an app that ended up in a TC offer less than a month later. The day after that I sent off another app that ended up in another TC offer! This was all in July right at the end of the cycle. The learning process of getting the vac schemes and subsequently being rejected from them was invaluable in ultimately getting me to a firm that I love. I also got a genuinely interesting and varied perspective of the kind of work that City lawyers do, so I have no regrets about any of these experiences.

Take time to reflect and then realise that you have two vac schemes remaining and that even if you were to somehow fail those like I did (you won't) then you will still have time left this cycle to apply to direct TCs! Of course it would be great to be all done with the process, but I sincerely think that the more work one puts into researching and applying to firms now pays dividends in the long run. You do not necessarily want to default into the first firm that offered you a vac scheme - it is great to have the opportunity to learn from that experience what areas of law you are interested in and which firms you should be looking at going forward.

It is an incredible feat that you got your vacation schemes in the first place, so congratulations!!! Firms will recognise how impressive this is. I went from getting past the application stage ~10% of the time before having a vac scheme on my CV to ~80% of the time once I did. Consequently, you would be in an enviable position when this experience enables you to receive multiple offers in the future and gives you the opportunity to make a reasoned choice abut which firm is best for you! With two upcoming vacation schemes, a lot of time left to make more applications, a vacation scheme already on your CV and confidence in your interview ability, you will find yourself in a pretty good position if you draw upon your resilience and keep moving forward :)

As I already mentioned, try to get feedback! I was not able to do so before each subsequent scheme after my first one; the first scheme simply refused to provide feedback and the other two schemes took place back to back. You have most of the cycle still ahead of you in which you can implement this feedback in both ACs and on your future vac schemes.

Either way, I know that you will bounce back stronger than ever :)
 
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BM99

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Just a silly question, does it matter a lot about where you complete your training contract? For instance, if I did not do a training contract at a MC firm, just a ordinary global law firm, can I still transfer to MC firms or top US firms in the future?
 

Jessica Booker

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Just a silly question, does it matter a lot about where you complete your training contract? For instance, if I did not do a training contract at a MC firm, just a ordinary global law firm, can I still transfer to MC firms or top US firms in the future?
If we are talking generally, then people do move across firms, from global international firms to MC/US firms - it’s not like it never happens.

However, this is a real blanket statement and the reality is how likely you can move is going to depend on a whole range of factors, from which firm it was, to what seats you do, to where you qualify into (if moving as a PQE lawyer), to the type of clients you work with.

If you are ever unsure, do a bit of digging on LinkedIn by using the search function using the name of the firm you may train at and the name(s) of the firm(s) you are aiming for and the word associate, and filter down by current employer and location. It won’t be a completely accurate way to do it, but it’s probably one of the better ways to gauge how possible it will be to move.
 
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Jessica Booker

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lawstudent321

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Does anyone know what to do if a TC interview clashes with a vacation scheme for another firm? I am already taking a day off from my VS for graduation so I cannot take any more days off, however, there is only one slot left for the training contract interview of another firm. I am not sure what to do?!
 

Jessica Booker

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Does anyone know what to do if a TC interview clashes with a vacation scheme for another firm? I am already taking a day off from my VS for graduation so I cannot take any more days off, however, there is only one slot left for the training contract interview of another firm. I am not sure what to do?!
Contact the firm you have an interview with and ask if they can provide an alternative date.

Is it just an interview or a half/full day of assessments? If the former, then ask for it to be arranged early in the morning/late in the evening and then you can potentially squeeze it in before or after the working day.
 
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lawstudent321

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Contact the firm you have an interview with and ask if they can provide an alternative date.

Is it just an interview or a half/full day of assessments? If the former, then ask for it to be arranged early in the morning/late in the evening and then you can potentially squeeze it in before or after the working day.

It is just an interview, I have been told it should last around 30 minutes. I will email the firm and see if it is possible to squeeze in outside of the working day. Thank you!
 

Jessica Booker

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It is just an interview, I have been told it should last around 30 minutes. I will email the firm and see if it is possible to squeeze in outside of the working day. Thank you!
Definitely no need to take time off then. At worst, if the firm cannot offer you an early/late interview, just notify your supervisor that you have an appointment you need to attend and that you will either start early/finish late to make the time up that day.

Also ask the interviewing firm whether there is any chance it can be done virtually (if its going to be tricky to get between the two firm's offices).
 

Law2022

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Aliceesmith

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Hey! It was quite a chill interview but I had an AC elsewhere the same week so I didn’t prep as much as I should’ve! They’ll ask why law, why freeths, list their competitors, potential areas of law you’re interested in, and general competencies!
Thank you, this was super helpful! I can confirm they did ask these questions! I have now progressed onto the partner stage interview.... Do you have any additional guidance for this stage too?
 

Amanpreet Kaur

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Hi guys, i have a banking paralegal interview with Dentons, specifically within derivatives. If anyone has any insight into the world of derivatives, the types of work trainees within this practice area would do, or any general insights, this would be really appreciated!!
 

Adrian_S

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In case anyone's still waiting to hear back, I just got an interview invite for the Summer Internship with American Express (this was offered in partnership with TCLA).

The email says that the interview 'will not be a skills-based interview', but it doesn't say much besides that. Nervous (as per usual), so I'd be grateful if anyone has advice.
 
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