• Get Everything You Need to Secure a Training Contract
    Now half the price. Join TCLA Premium for £30/month and get step-by-step application support, daily commercial awareness practice, and 700+ successful examples of past applications and interview experiences. Plus so much more.
    Join Premium →

TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

Dannie

Star Member
Premium Member
Mar 20, 2024
45
23
Samsies, got to the AC this year and had such a weird interview experience. Partners were standoffish and didn't seem like they cared. I kept wondering what I did wrong and got such wack feedback.
I worshipped the firm. I thought I knew everything about them until I met them in person and had an unpleasant experience with recruitment. All I am going to say is that this new tests are a reflection of their recruitment team.
 

l789

Legendary Member
Aug 19, 2020
201
259
a levels did not meet requirement.
Firsts in first and second year.
One vac scheme at a MC, another form of competitive internship at an international and paralegal experience in Argentina.
Thank you so much for responding.

Your grades and experience are amazing!
Sorry. I don’t mean to be intrusive, but when you say your Alevels don’t meet the requirement, are you substantially far off, or just one or two grades. Cleary has AAA, which is objectively the highest A level grade requirement (alongside Sidley).

Just trying to see if they take a holistic approach. Cleary is a fantastic firm, congrats and wishing you success for the next stages :)
 

JBM

Active Member
Nov 16, 2024
16
16
Thank you so much for responding.

Your grades and experience are amazing!
Sorry. I don’t mean to be intrusive, but when you say your Alevels don’t meet the requirement, are you substantially far off, or just one or two grades. Cleary has AAA, which is objectively the highest A level grade requirement (alongside Sidley).

Just trying to see if they take a holistic approach. Cleary is a fantastic firm, congrats and wishing you success for the next stages :)
I was one grade off.
 

yasmars

Legendary Member
Premium Member
Jan 1, 2021
377
597
Spending so much time on those 2 stages... before they even read your application, so then getting rejected is so []. Hence, US firms are better at this, as most of them review your application personally and, only then, if successful, invite you to the next stage nvm about doing 2 tests for HL that contained SJT + WG + VI, and then a document-scanning exercise. It's not even a magic firm, either. Feels like way too much.
Agree. At least Freshfields have removed written answers from their applications
 

pfoapplicant

Esteemed Member
Dec 7, 2020
89
11
Hi everyone,

I hope all is well!

I graduated from university last year - I did well in my exams, but I graduated without a TC. After having done a bit of travelling over the last few months, I'm now about to embark on a new application cycle.

My dilemma is as follows: I'd like to get some work (ideally as a paralegal) over the next few months, in order to bring in an income to my household - would this make it inadvisable for me to apply for vac schemes as well (as if I'm working as a paralegal next summer, and I get offered a place on a summer vac scheme at another firm, this could cause problems)?
In other words, if I'm probably going to be in paid employment (quite probably as a paralegal, or something similar) by the start of next summer, should I restrict myself to just doing direct TC applications?

If anyone has any advice, I would be hugely grateful!
 
Reactions: Andrei Radu

johnsmith

Legendary Member
  • Oct 2, 2025
    192
    214
    People that did the simmons assessment. What were your scores? I got 8 , 4 ,6. Wondering if that hits their benchmark (High verbal & middle numerical reasoning as well)

    I got an 8, 7 & 5, high numerical and verbal but nothing back yet - there was one person who did get an AC alread but all they said was the date they did their test!
     
    Last edited:

    About Us

    The Corporate Law Academy (TCLA) was founded in 2018 because we wanted to improve the legal journey. We wanted more transparency and better training. We wanted to form a community of aspiring lawyers who care about becoming the best version of themselves.

    Newsletter

    Discover the most relevant business news, access our law firm analysis, and receive our best advice for aspiring lawyers.