Are Vacation Schemes in Winter suitable for career switchers?

[prospectiveswitcher]

Hi all,

Hoping I can get some guidance here as feeling a bit lost - I am considering a career change to law, but obviously given the massive commitment I would rather get some work experience first / do a vacation scheme before I fully make the leap (I have a good career at the moment with good prospects, but am thinking it is not the long term play for me). I am in my late 20s with a 1st degree from a top EU university and already living and working in London. My two questions are mainly: will law firms consider an applicant like myself, who is not a student, for a vacation scheme? Is there a way to tell which ones are open to career changers and which aren't? Also, given constraints on my annual leave, I would only be able to complete a 1 or 2 week scheme during winter. My primary motivation is to genuinely get a feel for the work first, before throwing myself into the TC application process. Any other general advice / horror stories / joyous testimonials from other career switchers also very welcome!

Thanks all

 

[AvniD]

Hi all,

Hoping I can get some guidance here as feeling a bit lost - I am considering a career change to law, but obviously given the massive commitment I would rather get some work experience first / do a vacation scheme before I fully make the leap (I have a good career at the moment with good prospects, but am thinking it is not the long term play for me). I am in my late 20s with a 1st degree from a top EU university and already living and working in London. My two questions are mainly: will law firms consider an applicant like myself, who is not a student, for a vacation scheme? Is there a way to tell which ones are open to career changers and which aren't? Also, given constraints on my annual leave, I would only be able to complete a 1 or 2 week scheme during winter. My primary motivation is to genuinely get a feel for the work first, before throwing myself into the TC application process. Any other general advice / horror stories / joyous testimonials from other career switchers also very welcome!

Thanks all

@prospectiveswitcher welcome to TCLA! You've done so well by making a post here and seeking the support of the community. My initial thoughts on reading your post is that you're likely best suited to applying for TCs via the direct TC route. This route could be most suitable for those who cannot take the time out to undertake a vac scheme and already have a good understanding of working in commercial law. I'll link a thread I'd made recently on direct TCs here so you have more information and context. Does this seem like something that would work better for you?

 

[prospectiveswitcher]

@prospectiveswitcher welcome to TCLA! You've done so well by making a post here and seeking the support of the community. My initial thoughts on reading your post is that you're likely best suited to applying for TCs via the direct TC route. This route could be most suitable for those who cannot take the time out to undertake a vac scheme and already have a good understanding of working in commercial law. I'll link a thread I'd made recently on direct TCs here so you have more information and context. Does this seem like something that would work better for you?

Thank you - this is very helpful!

I had also considered the direct application route. One of my other concerns is what funding/options are available for the SQE if going via this route (my degree is non-law) but that may be suited for a different section of the forum. Thanks again!

 

[AvniD]

Thank you - this is very helpful!

I had also considered the direct application route. One of my other concerns is what funding/options are available for the SQE if going via this route (my degree is non-law) but that may be suited for a different section of the forum. Thanks again!

I don't believe the funding route changes regardless of what route you take? Maybe I'm missing something!

 

[Alison C]

Hi all,

Hoping I can get some guidance here as feeling a bit lost - I am considering a career change to law, but obviously given the massive commitment I would rather get some work experience first / do a vacation scheme before I fully make the leap (I have a good career at the moment with good prospects, but am thinking it is not the long term play for me). I am in my late 20s with a 1st degree from a top EU university and already living and working in London. My two questions are mainly: will law firms consider an applicant like myself, who is not a student, for a vacation scheme? Is there a way to tell which ones are open to career changers and which aren't? Also, given constraints on my annual leave, I would only be able to complete a 1 or 2 week scheme during winter. My primary motivation is to genuinely get a feel for the work first, before throwing myself into the TC application process. Any other general advice / horror stories / joyous testimonials from other career switchers also very welcome!

Thanks all

Hi hi - I'm a career changer too and was under the naive impression that this would be almost universally seen as an asset. I'd been steeped in a diverse field for many years. Most HR's and training partners are naturally very risk-averse, but you sound as if what you are doing has some commercial elements, which is bankable.

I'm hearing that you feel the need to explore more fully. A good place to start is by approaching some of the Career Change Ambassadors on the Aspiring Solicitors (AS) website, who are happy to chat about their journeys to a range of firms. You don't need to tick all the diversity boxes to do that - but if you do, then AS and other organisations such as Rare, SEO and some others will be helpful to you in making your decisions - they run events and programmes which will help you to differentiate between firms. You can also easily do things like watching court proceedings online/at the RCJ and there are masses of events from eg LawCareers.Net, Bright Network, Legal Cheek - who even have regular career changer panel events but usually in summer. Because you're looking at making the switch early, you should be fine, but what you don't want is another unfulfilling route. So you are absolutely right to do some research, but this may take rather longer/more energy than you'd anticipated so starting early is a great strategy.

You asked for horror stories - I don't have any of those but, several years post-GDL and now successfully working as a paralegal, amazed as to how it's so difficult for firms to see the fundamental importance of genuine diversity of thought to a successful business, at the entry-level. I have a strong CV and extensive transferable skills but it's been far from easy, and it's not a level playing field.

A VS is closer to gold dust than you'd think but can only be of help to get to know the marketplace, so do apply and see how the process feels. I did get a summer VS, but in the end they went with younger, less unusual candidates. As I say, hiring teams like what they know - or what they think 'diversity' looks like. The direct TC's often close later so if you don't win that prize you still have time to find your feet.

Shearman used to do a really helpful 'Re-Start' career changer open day in November/December so keep an eye out for that too, though you'd have missed their Christmas VS by then if they are a target firm for you. That's the only specific event I found, but many firms are receptive in theory, it's just a question of finding the right match.

With carefully targeted applications you could do really well. Your timing sounds excellent (the summer and you are in your twenties) and you are in a good place on the TCLA forum. If you put 'career changer' and similar into the search bar (top right) you will find some discussions that may help.

Maybe discreetly start researching some of the firms your current employer uses?

If you are in a position to pay for the TCLA premium resources, they really are excellent and there are often discount codes to help out.

Good luck and welcome!

 

[Kubed]

Hey - I'm a career changed in my early-thirties. I completed two (summer) vacation schemes and received TC offers from both. A lot of firms are receptive to career changers and many also recognise the value we bring - so I would really think about what transferable skills you bring and how you can frame these as an asset. In my opinion, being able to craft a genuine and compelling story about your journey and motivations is key to success. I personally did not apply for any winter vac schemes as I wanted to focus on building up my knowledge by attending events (Legal Cheek, Aspiring Solicitors etc) - for me, this paid off, but you may feel ready for vac scheme applications already.

One thing to note - while vac schemes are a great learning experience, for me they also felt like an extended assessment. So when you're applying for vac schemes, I would advise for it to be treated as if you were making a TC application - the vac scheme is generally a pathway into a TC.

I hope that helps and please let me know if you have any other questions

 

[HorsesForCoursesNeighNeighNeigh]

Hi @prospectiveswitcher ! I haven't been on TCLA for a while but if you look at my post history you can see I was in a similar position, and like you didn't want to take on the risk of self-funding or sacrificing career number 1 until I got a firm answer on career number 2! You can find a much longer-winded version of this here: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/my-tc-journey-career-changer-advice.4110/

There's nothing on your profile at all to suggest you won't be considered, however the thing I will say is I cannot emphasise enough just how competitive the process is. So if you are going in to it, you need to have your eyes wide open about the amount of work and prep needed.

Getting a vac scheme requires a LOT of work, so if you really are genuinely just looking to see whether the work is of interest, an open day or some shadowing might be a better first step? A vac scheme is not really a first step to deciding on whether it's the career for you.

I applied for direct TCs and vac schemes, but like you had severe constraints on actually doing vac schemes (plus didn't want it known publicly that I was considering a career change). This was definitely an issue for me. I got vac scheme offers, and one of my direct TC applications was returned as a vac scheme offer--basically, they said that while they did give direct TC offers they wanted to be 100% sure I would actually enjoy the work, and as I had no vac schemes under my belt they wanted me to do one first. I didn't end up needing to do any of the vac schemes in the end (as I got an offer elsewhere) but I found that most of my direct applications wanted to consider me for VS instead, due to lack of direct experience.

On direct TC applications and funding--I think you are getting confused about different things? A VS will be a short internship with tests and a decision on whether to sponsor you. A direct TC application is basically the tests without the internship. That's the only difference! Once you get a TC offer the funding, etc is identical.

 

[prospectiveswitcher]

Hi hi - I'm a career changer too and was under the naive impression that this would be almost universally seen as an asset. I'd been steeped in a diverse field for many years. Most HR's and training partners are naturally very risk-averse, but you sound as if what you are doing has some commercial elements, which is bankable.

I'm hearing that you feel the need to explore more fully. A good place to start is by approaching some of the Career Change Ambassadors on the Aspiring Solicitors (AS) website, who are happy to chat about their journeys to a range of firms. You don't need to tick all the diversity boxes to do that - but if you do, then AS and other organisations such as Rare, SEO and some others will be helpful to you in making your decisions - they run events and programmes which will help you to differentiate between firms. You can also easily do things like watching court proceedings online/at the RCJ and there are masses of events from eg LawCareers.Net, Bright Network, Legal Cheek - who even have regular career changer panel events but usually in summer. Because you're looking at making the switch early, you should be fine, but what you don't want is another unfulfilling route. So you are absolutely right to do some research, but this may take rather longer/more energy than you'd anticipated so starting early is a great strategy.

You asked for horror stories - I don't have any of those but, several years post-GDL and now successfully working as a paralegal, amazed as to how it's so difficult for firms to see the fundamental importance of genuine diversity of thought to a successful business, at the entry-level. I have a strong CV and extensive transferable skills but it's been far from easy, and it's not a level playing field.

A VS is closer to gold dust than you'd think but can only be of help to get to know the marketplace, so do apply and see how the process feels. I did get a summer VS, but in the end they went with younger, less unusual candidates. As I say, hiring teams like what they know - or what they think 'diversity' looks like. The direct TC's often close later so if you don't win that prize you still have time to find your feet.

Shearman used to do a really helpful 'Re-Start' career changer open day in November/December so keep an eye out for that too, though you'd have missed their Christmas VS by then if they are a target firm for you. That's the only specific event I found, but many firms are receptive in theory, it's just a question of finding the right match.

With carefully targeted applications you could do really well. Your timing sounds excellent (the summer and you are in your twenties) and you are in a good place on the TCLA forum. If you put 'career changer' and similar into the search bar (top right) you will find some discussions that may help.

Maybe discreetly start researching some of the firms your current employer uses?

If you are in a position to pay for the TCLA premium resources, they really are excellent and there are often discount codes to help out.

Good luck and welcome!

Thanks so much for the thought-out reply, I really appreciate it! I will reach out to some of the org's you mentioned that offer career switcher programmes and see what is available. I had already attended a 'virtual' vacation scheme (between work when it allowed) with LegalCheek and found it spurned my interest further. I'll look into the others too. Thanks again, much appreciated!

 

[prospectiveswitcher]

Hey - I'm a career changed in my early-thirties. I completed two (summer) vacation schemes and received TC offers from both. A lot of firms are receptive to career changers and many also recognise the value we bring - so I would really think about what transferable skills you bring and how you can frame these as an asset. In my opinion, being able to craft a genuine and compelling story about your journey and motivations is key to success. I personally did not apply for any winter vac schemes as I wanted to focus on building up my knowledge by attending events (Legal Cheek, Aspiring Solicitors etc) - for me, this paid off, but you may feel ready for vac scheme applications already.

One thing to note - while vac schemes are a great learning experience, for me they also felt like an extended assessment. So when you're applying for vac schemes, I would advise for it to be treated as if you were making a TC application - the vac scheme is generally a pathway into a TC.

I hope that helps and please let me know if you have any other questions

Thanks for this - very encouraging to hear! Congrats on securing your training contract.

I think/hope my career will hopefully be quite relevant (I am currently working in strategy consulting which is commercial by nature, and also have exposure to M&A and legal disputes via a large multinational client where we have worked alongside their in-house legal team). One of my 'fears' is that I would be asked why I am closing the door on that to start again, so like you say, I think really honing the story around my motivations will be key.

Thanks again, really appreciate the response!

 

[Alison C]

Thanks so much for the thought-out reply, I really appreciate it! I will reach out to some of the org's you mentioned that offer career switcher programmes and see what is available. I had already attended a 'virtual' vacation scheme (between work when it allowed) with LegalCheek and found it spurned my interest further. I'll look into the others too. Thanks again, much appreciated!

You should also check out Forage - a number of the bigger law firms have some really valuable activities there, for free. Enjoy!

[PS - I think that the Legal Cheek event might have 'spurred' rather than 'spurned' your interest - attention to detail ]

 

[prospectiveswitcher]

You should also check out Forage - a number of the bigger law firms have some really valuable activities there, for free. Enjoy!

[PS - I think that the Legal Cheek event might have 'spurred' rather than 'spurned' your interest - attention to detail ]

Thank you - will do! Good catch on the typo too hahah! Better to make those mistakes here than in an application 😅