-
TCLA Premium: Now half price (£30/month). Applications, interviews, commercial awareness + 700+ examples.Join →
TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5
- Thread starter TCLA Community Assistant
- Start date
- Status
Has anyone heard back from King & Spalding?
Weightmans interactive assessment invite
I got a pfo
Thank you so much for your advice. I really needed to hear that.
Your words are so reassuring and I will definitely take some time off, this application cycle has been rough.
Thank you!!!
when did you apply? i got an email from them this morning but just stating that they’re going through applications and they’ll get the outcome latest end of april.
PFO from HCR yesterday.
In their PFO email, they said of the reasons for rejecting candidates was a lack of research about the firm and understanding of motivations for applying. The questions were mostly very competency based and I did make sure to link back to being a trainee at HCR, albeit not in huge detail because the focus of the question was competency. My usual approach is to answer the question I am given. I find the feedback hard to understand because the questions did not give us much room to expand on knowledge of the firm very much.
In their PFO email, they said of the reasons for rejecting candidates was a lack of research about the firm and understanding of motivations for applying. The questions were mostly very competency based and I did make sure to link back to being a trainee at HCR, albeit not in huge detail because the focus of the question was competency. My usual approach is to answer the question I am given. I find the feedback hard to understand because the questions did not give us much room to expand on knowledge of the firm very much.
Was this a post-app PFO? Or post subsequent stage?
If the former, please don’t spend time analysing the BS rejection emails. They have to let everyone down with some sort of generalised feedback and this is the easiest excuse to use.
If the feedback was tailored to you, fair enough, but otherwise just move on.
Just post-app and I know, I expect you're right. There could be so many reasons why I didn't get through that it's pointless trying to guess. I just worry about repeating mistakes in future applications
- Sep 7, 2024
- 608
- 1,381
Hiya @A worried graduate
I wanted to send across some firms that generally only make offers through their direct TC routes, as well as a few firms that have had a historically strong track record of taking a good number of applicants through direct TC routes.
Hope this is helpful to you and good luck with your applications!
I completed mine on the 9th but still nothing :/
This is great.
As I am a non-russell grad with grades below AAB, which of those are still realistic?
I think Baker McKenzie, BCLP, Macfarlanes, and SH don’t have a minimum A-level requirement at all. To be fair, even for firms that do have a minimum A-level requirement of AAB, they will still consider applicants who marginally miss the grades (e.g., ABB-BBB), provided that they meet their social mobility (rare recruitment) criteria. I know of someone who got a TC with White & Case with BBB/ABC (non-RG), even though they have a minimum A-level requirement of AAB. It’s worthwhile applying to whichever firms you have a genuine interest in. Best of luck! 
Last edited:
I second this. Applied to loads that wanted AAB and I only have ABB. Regularly passed app stages without any issues.I think Baker McKenzie, BCLP, Macfarlanes, and SH don’t have a minimum A-level requirement at all. To be fair, even for firms that do have a minimum A-level requirement of AAB, they will still consider applicants who marginally miss the grades (e.g., ABB-BBB), provided that they meet their social mobility (rare recruitment) criteria. I know of someone who got a TC with White & Case with BBB/ABC (non-RG), even though they have a minimum A-level requirement of AAB. It’s worthwhile applying to whichever firms you have a genuine interest in. Best of luck!
I’ve not got any mitigating circumstances sadly.I think Baker McKenzie, BCLP, Macfarlanes, and SH don’t have a minimum A-level requirement at all. To be fair, even for firms that do have a minimum A-level requirement of AAB, they will still consider applicants who marginally miss the grades (e.g., ABB-BBB), provided that they meet their social mobility (rare recruitment) criteria. I know of someone who got a TC with White & Case with BBB/ABC (non-RG), even though they have a minimum A-level requirement of AAB. It’s worthwhile applying to whichever firms you have a genuine interest in. Best of luck!
Bakers last year rejected me after four days so I don’t think they want me.
Macfarlanes have rejected me for the vac scheme this year so I cannot apply.
Would you say that BCLP is worth a shout?
As for W+C, I haven’t had my vac scheme back yet.
Big thank you though.
I don’t think you should assume a firm ‘doesn’t want you’. This whole process is super competitive, with some firms having just a 0.5% chance of securing a TC! Just because Baker McKenzie rejected you last year, doesn’t mean they will do the same this year. Besides, you wouldn’t know unless you gave it a shot and reapplied. I got rejected for one of their open days this cycle and I’m not letting that discourage me from applying for their DTC lmao. 
To my understanding, Macfarlanes allow you to re-apply in the same cycle, if you got rejected for the VS after the application stage. I would double check this though just in case. If you can apply again, I’d say go for it! The firm seems really good!
BCLP is a shout tbh. They have a really good training contract and offer a lot of client and international secondments. If you are interested in real estate, BCLP is the best firm for that kind of work. I went to their Dec open day this cycle and liked the firm a lot.
I would also recommend applying to Stephenson Harwood (SH). They don’t have a minimum A-level requirement, their annual trainee intake is around 25, their NQ salary is £100,000 and they specialise in things like shipping, aviation and international trade. If that sounds interesting then I’d apply to them as well.
I think social mobility and rare recruitment are different to mitigating circumstances. If for example you went to a comp state school, were eligible for free school meals, were the first generation in your family to attend university, come from a low income background, grew up in care, etc., you would be considered socially mobile, in which case firms would assess your A-level grades in the context they were achieved in. Mitigating circumstances is things like illness, bereavement and things beyond your control like the COVID-19 pandemic for instance.
I would say apply to any firm you are interested in, regardless of whether they have a minimum A-level requirement. I think firms are more concerned with performance at university than at school. If you are on track for a strong 2:1 or first, having lower A-level grades won’t matter too much. It would be more competitive for sure, but you have to give yourself a chance at least! Best of luck!
To my understanding, Macfarlanes allow you to re-apply in the same cycle, if you got rejected for the VS after the application stage. I would double check this though just in case. If you can apply again, I’d say go for it! The firm seems really good!
BCLP is a shout tbh. They have a really good training contract and offer a lot of client and international secondments. If you are interested in real estate, BCLP is the best firm for that kind of work. I went to their Dec open day this cycle and liked the firm a lot.
I would also recommend applying to Stephenson Harwood (SH). They don’t have a minimum A-level requirement, their annual trainee intake is around 25, their NQ salary is £100,000 and they specialise in things like shipping, aviation and international trade. If that sounds interesting then I’d apply to them as well.
I think social mobility and rare recruitment are different to mitigating circumstances. If for example you went to a comp state school, were eligible for free school meals, were the first generation in your family to attend university, come from a low income background, grew up in care, etc., you would be considered socially mobile, in which case firms would assess your A-level grades in the context they were achieved in. Mitigating circumstances is things like illness, bereavement and things beyond your control like the COVID-19 pandemic for instance.
I would say apply to any firm you are interested in, regardless of whether they have a minimum A-level requirement. I think firms are more concerned with performance at university than at school. If you are on track for a strong 2:1 or first, having lower A-level grades won’t matter too much. It would be more competitive for sure, but you have to give yourself a chance at least! Best of luck!
Last edited:
If it’s A-levels specifically you are concerned about, I got through BCLP this cycle with less than AAB. I’m also non-Russell group (although I don’t buy the whole RG thing anyway, my uni was better than most RG’s but technically isn’t one!)
The alternative is just don’t apply and never find out
Thanks a lot for thisI don’t think you should assume a firm ‘doesn’t want you’. This whole process is super competitive, with some firms having just a 0.5% chance of securing a TC! Just because Baker McKenzie rejected you last year, doesn’t mean they will do the same this year. Besides, you wouldn’t know unless you gave it a shot and reapplied. I got rejected for one of their open days this cycle and I’m not letting that discourage me from applying for their DTC lmao.
To my understanding, Macfarlanes allow you to re-apply in the same cycle, if you got rejected for the VS after the application stage. I would double check this though just in case. If you can apply again, I’d say go for it! The firm seems really good!
BCLP is a shout tbh. They have a really good training contract and offer a lot of client and international secondments. If you are interested in real estate, BCLP is the best firm for that kind of work. I went to their Dec open day this cycle and liked the firm a lot.
I would also recommend applying to Stephenson Harwood (SH). They don’t have a minimum A-level requirement, their annual trainee intake is around 25, their NQ salary is £100,000 and they specialise in things like shipping, aviation and international trade. If that sounds interesting then I’d apply to them as well.
I think social mobility and rare recruitment are different to mitigating circumstances. If for example you went to a comp state school, were eligible for free school meals, were the first generation in your family to attend university, come from a low income background, grew up in care, etc., you would be considered socially mobile, in which case firms would assess your A-level grades in the context they were achieved in. Mitigating circumstances is things like illness, bereavement and things beyond your control like the COVID-19 pandemic for instance.
I would say apply to any firm you are interested in, regardless of whether they have a minimum A-level requirement. I think firms are more concerned with performance at university than at school. If you are on track for a strong 2:1 or first, having lower A-level grades won’t matter too much. It would be more competitive for sure, but you have to give yourself a chance at least! Best of luck!
It was more the fact that I seemed to get “auto-rejected” by Bakers as everyone else’s applications took two months.
Thanks for the information though about Macfarlanes as I will have to take a look at that.
BCLP I will take a good look at too.
- Status
Similar threads
- Sticky
- Sticky
- Locked
