• 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 →
  • How to Secure a Vacation Scheme (Ropes & Gray)
    1 Dec 2025 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm (UK) Zoom (registration required)
    In this interactive session, Maya Shah, Senior Early Careers Specialist at Ropes & Gray, will walk you through every stage of the firm's application process.
    Register on Zoom →
  • How to Stand Out in Law Firm Interviews (Willkie)
    3 Dec 2025 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm (UK) Zoom (registration required)
    Willkie’s new graduate recruiter and two trainees will break down what the firm looks for at the interview stage, common pitfalls to avoid, and how you can demonstrate confidence, clarity, and genuine motivation throughout an assessment centre.
    Register on Zoom →

Search results

  1. TCLA Community Assistant

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

    I am very sorry to hear about your father. You may want to explain this as mitigating circumstances in future applications. Providing some context on that you had to take time away from the vacation scheme and couldn’t give it your full focus is legitimate, and therefore should you choose to do...
  2. TCLA Community Assistant

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

    I wouldn’t expect application reviews (even those done by me!) to pick up on someone’s development points. They pick up on areas to improve in an application, but not a candidate as a whole.
  3. TCLA Community Assistant

    Attending Interview During Vacation Scheme

    It reflects far better with both firms if they can interview you at a later date.
  4. TCLA Community Assistant

    Attending Interview During Vacation Scheme

    The best thing to do is to ask the firm you are interviewing with for another date. Have you checked whether they have any flexibility with interview dates?
  5. TCLA Community Assistant

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

    Yes, I would email graduate recruitment to mention this and see if you can resubmit the information some how.
  6. TCLA Community Assistant

    Non Law Job

    Do what is right for you. All of these roles would bring a different range of transferable skills to an application, and I don’t see it being an issue going on to do any of them.
  7. TCLA Community Assistant

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

    I think you can spin it as a law, because ultimately the mechanism is a legal one. But making a separate process for a particular industry is likely to be policy led rather than legal as you are ultimately setting an exception to the legal rule.
  8. TCLA Community Assistant

    3 vacancies at 3 different offices - same firm - can I apply to all 3?

    I personally wouldn’t add this to your CV or LinkedIn under work experience, but some people add these things to other sections. I’d still apply if applications are still open and you are interested in the firm.
  9. TCLA Community Assistant

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

    There is a range of reasons - none of them are anything to worry about, especially where it is highly unlikely to be the case. It’s just likely yours hasn’t been reviewed yet. It may be allocated to someone who hasn’t had the opportunity for review. Or they just haven’t got to yours yet. I...
  10. TCLA Community Assistant

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

    My only challenge on this is how much is it a policy rather than a law.
  11. TCLA Community Assistant

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

    I’d try to focus on the U.K. if you can given that is where you are applying to and you’ll be working as an English/Welsh solicitor
  12. TCLA Community Assistant

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

    You should email the graduate recruitment team explaining the circumstances and ask them to reset the assessment.
  13. TCLA Community Assistant

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

    Call them and explain you have an exam on that date and ask whether there are an alternatives dates you can attend.
  14. TCLA Community Assistant

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

    More than likely yes, although it could have been reviewed and the recruiter could have just reset it to completed for it to be reviewed again.
  15. TCLA Community Assistant

    3 vacancies at 3 different offices - same firm - can I apply to all 3?

    I would suggest only applying to one. The criteria for the programmes will be the same, it is just to create different pipelines of talent and monitor that for each office more carefully.
  16. TCLA Community Assistant

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

    There is no set timeframe of when you should start a TC. It could easily be 2025 or 2026 if you so choose. The earliest you could start most TCs is 2023 though, given you need to complete either the LPC or SQE for them. However, some firms are building SQE prep into their training contract, and...
  17. TCLA Community Assistant

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

    It really depends on the rest of the recruitment process, application numbers and quality. For some firms probably closer to 70% of candidates get through to IV. With others it could be less than 10%.
  18. TCLA Community Assistant

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

    Yes, I would expect this to be the case.
  19. TCLA Community Assistant

    Clyde and Co video interview

    It will mean 23.59 on the date stated.
  20. TCLA Community Assistant

    Rejected after VS, spirit broken and motivation zero

    Good candidates can often be unsuccessful converting their vacation schemes to training contracts. I honestly doubt that it is down to either of the reasons you have stated though. £5k is nothing to most commercial law firms, and if visa costs was something they had to consider, it’s unlikely...

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.

Get Our 2026 Vacation Scheme Guide

Nail your vacation scheme applications this year with our latest guide, with sample answers to law firm questions.