TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[Lissa06]

Anything from CC SPARK yet? My app still says "in review"

Nothing for me; neither for my two friends

 

[user55998384]

any last minute tips for my ac tomorrow would be super appreciated, so nervous!! - esp on how to approach a cast study!!

 

[EL2003]

For SH VI, does anyone know what the cut off seems to be for Amberjack? Last year I got an email saying I didn't meet the score requirements and I was wondering what it might be

Firms usually set the benchmark based on the scores that year so it varies so it is hard to tell but it seems like loads of people found it difficult

 

[alanshore]

Anything from CC SPARK yet? My app still says "in review"

At least you have in review. mine says archived. basically accepted the pfo atp

 

[rachl_shep]

At least you have in review. mine says archived. basically accepted the pfo atp

Im hoping and praying archived just means they have decided and in review means they haven't (mine says archived) but i think its in vain

 

[alanshore]

Im hoping and praying archived just means they have decided and in review means they haven't (mine says archived) but i think its in vain

I'm a pessimistic person in general, tbf. atleast cc will have the courtesy of rejecting me outright. Linklaters didn't even respond

 

[rachl_shep]

I'm a pessimistic person in general, tbf. atleast cc will have the courtesy of rejecting me outright. Linklaters didn't even respond

That is awful to not even respond. Was that post VI?

 

[alanshore]

That is awful to not even respond. Was that post VI?

for pathfinder, no follow-up after sjt and wg. shame because I had attended like 3 links events, 2 being application-based (if that matters which i doubt) and was overall most confident for that one. not shaping up to be a great first year but who knows.

 

[rachl_shep]

for pathfinder, no follow-up after sjt and wg. shame because I had attended like 3 links events, 2 being application-based (if that matters which i doubt) and was overall most confident for that one. not shaping up to be a great first year but who knows.

Theres still time plus you got 2 years left or so and even then you can still apply after graduating keep up hopee maybe tommorow we will find out archived doesnt mean PFO

 

[alanshore]

Theres still time plus you got 2 years left or so and even then you can still apply after graduating keep up hopee maybe tommorow we will find out archived doesnt mean PFO

i'm intl so don't really have that time after graduating. its a horrendous job market for intl students but i figured if i start early i might have some luck, but i guess we'll see tomorrow.

 

[LauraPM]

Did you guys also find the personality questions so weird lol I personally decided that if i don't hear by the end of this week i'll assume it's most likely a rejection since it's an asap start but idk, they may also want to be thorough

Yess, I thought the culture questions were so odd. I do hope we hear back by this week or the beginning of the next for interviews, which I assume would be the last stage (and hope).

 

[alanshore]

yeah I think it's common with them. as someone waiting to hear back from pathfinder, I literally know I've been rejected - because they seem to be done with the next stage (interviews). Yet it's been over a month and they haven't updated me

pathfinder applicant here. I believe they sent out phone interview invites in 2 rounds a few weeks ago, don't know why they don't just update our profiles. might as well make it official that I was rejected no need to put me on hold.

 

[florrrrnnn76]

Anyone heard back from Simmons bristol cycle? Someone i know got rejected after the SJT very early on meaning he must of not passed the benchmark, but they are taking very long to respond

 

[EfficientBag123]

Anyone heard back from Simmons bristol cycle? Someone i know got rejected after the SJT very early on meaning he must of not passed the benchmark, but they are taking very long to respond

I got rejected. Received email only a couple days ago.

 

[Hanzeeb]

Am i screwed if i got mid verbal and mid numerical intellect for amberjack

 

[EfficientBag123]

Progressed to CMS WG for insight programme. Does anyone know if CMS use a bench mark to pass/fail people?

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi @Abbie Whitlock, I had a quick question on how deep our insights are expected to be in interviews when looking at case studies. Obviously, we can talk about general trends but are we expected to mention very specific aspects of the deal e.g potential risks or threats or why it might take a long time? I'm a bit confused in general about commercial awarness in how deep our knowledge is expected to be.

Hey!

This is a great question, and you aren’t necessarily expected to have in-depth technical knowledge for these types of exercises.

In a case study, I would start by explaining the commercial rationale behind the deal. Why is the client doing this? Are they expanding into a new market, acquiring technology, increasing market share, or diversifying revenue? It is important to show that you understand the clients underlying business objective, as it shows you balanced the commercial factors that apply.

Then, I would identify a few logical risks or considerations that flow naturally from the situation you have been given. These could include regulatory approval, financing, integration challenges, or reputational issues. You don’t need niche legal points, I would focus on sensible and commercially grounded comments.

Lastly, and most importantly, briefly explain why those risks matter. For example, regulatory delays could increase costs or create uncertainty, and integration issues could reduce the expected value of the deal.

Commercial awareness at interview level is about linking the business aim to potential obstacles and then to commercial consequences. This is what the interviewers or assessors are usually looking for, rather than in-depth technical knowledge

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi @Abbie Whitlock, I had a quick question on how to find good resources to practice summarisation tasks in Acs?

Any advice would be really appreciated!

Hey!

I’d say that a good starting point is to take a news article, e.g. from the FT or BBC News, and challenge yourself to summarise it in 150-200 words. This should focus on the key facts, any potential issues, and the wider implications. This is a great way of practising identifying what the assessors are looking for in an actual assessment.

The key skill isn’t necessarily shortening for the sake of it - it is all about prioritisation. Therefore, it might help to ask yourself: “If a busy partner only had 30 seconds, what would they need to know?”

I found that consistently practising this skill was the best way to become more familiar and confident in these tasks

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Question for any TC holders: how long after the telephone offer did you receive written offer letter?

Hey!

I remember that there were a few days between the phone call and the formal offer letter, so it isn’t necessarily the same day! It is likely that firms will have different processes that they follow - for example, they might wait until they have called all the successful candidates before they send out formal offers, or they might deal with it on an individual basis

 

[Meg_Thee_Applicant]

That SH SJT was an absolute clusterf*** and I did sooooo badly lmaooooooooooooooOoOOooooOoOOoooOexcitedforthepfo