TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

I have a panel interview with 5 partners for a final dtc interview? ANy tips on how to approach, especially with asking questions at the end
Hey!

Congratulations on the interview invite!

I haven't had a panel interview with quite that many partners, but from my own experience with panel interviews, I'd keep in mind that it is still ultimately a conversation rather than five separate interviews. I'd try to engage with whoever is asking the question, while also maintaining eye contact with the rest of the panel where it feels natural.

In terms of preparation, I'd make sure that you are particularly comfortable discussing your motivations, experiences on previous schemes/work experience, commercial awareness, and why this firm specifically. As this is a DTC process, they are often assessing whether they can see you as a future trainee and colleague, and you need to make sure your enthusiasm comes across in a way that you'd usually be able to on a vacation scheme.

For questions at the end, I wouldn't put too much pressure on yourself to come up with something incredibly unique or technical, and just ensure that it isn't something that you could find online yourself. I've found that the best questions are often the ones that you are genuinely interested in hearing the answer to. If you know who will be interviewing you, you can definitely tailor some questions to particular partners and their practice areas. Equally, you can ask questions to the panel as a whole. In the panel interviews I've completed, they often just take it in turns answering, which can give you some really interesting insights into different perspectives across the firm.

I would also prepare a few more questions than you think you will need, as there is always a chance one or two get answered naturally during the interview.

Wishing you the best of luck - reaching the final DTC interview is an amazing achievement, and I'm sure you'll do great! :)
 
Hi!

I have a question about video interviews. If you get a similar question to something that was in the application, is it okay to use the same example or should you come up with something else?

For example, if you were asked about a time you received constructive criticism. I have a strong example from something that occurred during my placement year, and this was the first time I've ever really received valuable constructive criticism. I spoke about this in my application so I'm not sure if it would be okay to repeat as an example, but it's the only example I really have.

Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated!

@Abbie Whitlock
Hi!

Personally, I think it is absolutely fine to reuse an example if it is genuinely your strongest one and directly answers the question. In fact, I'd usually rather use a strong example twice than force in a weaker example just for the sake of variety.

It is also worth remembering that different stages of the process are often assessing slightly different things. In a written application, the focus is usually on the content itself and how well you have evidenced a competency or motivation. In a video interview, they are also assessing your communication skills, how you structure your thoughts, and how you present your experiences verbally.

If you do end up using the same example, I would have a think about whether there are any additional reflections, lessons learned, or details you didn't have space to include in the application. That way, even if the underlying example is the same, you are still providing a slightly different perspective on it.

If you have another example that answers the question well, it can sometimes be helpful to demonstrate a broader range of experiences. However, I wouldn't worry if this placement year example is the only one that genuinely fits the question, and I've definitely reused examples in a similar way before and still progressed to the next stage.

Best of luck with the VI! :)
 
Hi!

Personally, I think it is absolutely fine to reuse an example if it is genuinely your strongest one and directly answers the question. In fact, I'd usually rather use a strong example twice than force in a weaker example just for the sake of variety.

It is also worth remembering that different stages of the process are often assessing slightly different things. In a written application, the focus is usually on the content itself and how well you have evidenced a competency or motivation. In a video interview, they are also assessing your communication skills, how you structure your thoughts, and how you present your experiences verbally.

If you do end up using the same example, I would have a think about whether there are any additional reflections, lessons learned, or details you didn't have space to include in the application. That way, even if the underlying example is the same, you are still providing a slightly different perspective on it.

If you have another example that answers the question well, it can sometimes be helpful to demonstrate a broader range of experiences. However, I wouldn't worry if this placement year example is the only one that genuinely fits the question, and I've definitely reused examples in a similar way before and still progressed to the next stage.

Best of luck with the VI! :)
This is really helpful abbie thank you so much!
 
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