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

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker is right to take these with a pinch of salt but often such stats appear on ChambersStudent (as in it will tell you how many vac scheme offers they give and how many TC offers they give so you can work it out)

With this, do an approximate calculation:

80% of the vac scheme places
and then 80% of that figure

If the number is higher than the number of TCs there is a good chance the VS will be more competitive with little to no chance of a direct TC recruitment process.

If that number is less than the number of TCs, then the firm is going to have to probably run external direct TC processes.

The two 80% factor in there will likely be a proportion of people who just won’t make the standard/won’t be suitable for that firm and so would not get an offer, and then the second 80% factors in people declining the offer for another firm.

Obviously, these are just estimates and they still vary (eg acceptance rates can be as low as 50% for some firms), but gives you some idea of what you could be up against.

 

[rightletsdothis]

Is it normal to have not been allocated a team/group/sector/practice yet for a vacation scheme despite it starting on Monday? I’d love to specifically research the sector I will be working in but I still have no clue. Emailed grad recruitment and didn’t receive a reply sadly.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Is it normal to have not been allocated a team/group/sector/practice yet for a vacation scheme despite it starting on Monday? I’d love to specifically research the sector I will be working in but I still have no clue. Emailed grad recruitment and didn’t receive a reply sadly.

Yes it’s quite normal. I’d not tell people to their first day where changes could happen really last minute.

 

[zak98]

I did an AC for a firm over a month ago on 24th Feb and they said they'd get back to us by end of March but I've still not heard anything. Should I email them? Or does the radio silence mea my chances of securing an offer are slim?

 

[Limanehious]

I did an AC for a firm over a month ago on 24th Feb and they said they'd get back to us by end of March but I've still not heard anything. Should I email them? Or does the radio silence mea my chances of securing an offer are slim?

What firm was this for? I am in the same situation!

 

[rightletsdothis]

Yes it’s quite normal. I’d not tell people to their first day where changes could happen really last minute.

I also don’t have a schedule or anything yet. Is that also normal? I know there is meant to be some sort of welcome thing but I haven’t heard anything about it yet

 

[lawvc2021]

I just had a missed call from the direct line of one my AC interviewing partners - that is a good sign, right?

 

[Asil Ahmad]

I secured my first paralegal role out of my LLM by signing up to The Law Support Group and leveraging my language skills. That got me into a role at a MC firm which was initially doc review, but I managed to network and get myself plenty of other work and join a lot of social/D&I initiatives. Managed to leverage that experience over 2 years and get my current position as a paralegal at a small US firm.

That is really good ad I do use them for roles they are a good agency.

 

[bsqaured]

Has anyone heard back post ac in March for HSF for summer vs?

 

[Asil Ahmad]

My first paralegal role was a 3 month paid internship straight out my LLB, in-house with a large global telecoms company working on corporate and commercial matters, it would have been extended/continued had I not gone on to do masters in a completely unrelated area of law. I then went straight into a full time paralegal role in-house commercial law in another huge household recognised company again straight from my masters.

I leveraged my transferable skills having had a voluntary role and a full time job during my full time studies and keeping a part time job alongside the full time internship and meeting targets in work and keeping high grades - all 2.1s and Firsts throughout my degree.

Thats not to say that I also haven't had a huge number of rejections or just non-response to paralegal applications in that time because I have and now I seem to have the opposite problem of too much experience for entry level roles but not enough for the more senior roles.

Thank you very much for this and yes transferable skills is the key.

 

[zak98]

What firm was this for? I am in the same situation!

Trowers & Hamlins!

 

[Limanehious]

Trowers & Hamlins!

Same haha! Let me know if you hear anything!

 

[Ambs123]

Same haha! Let me know if you hear anything!

Same here! Hopefully we’ll hear back by the end of the week! Good luck!

 

[Green]

Same here! Hopefully we’ll hear back by the end of the week! Good luck!

I’m in the same position so hopefully they won’t keep us waiting for too long now!

 

[zak98]

I’m in the same position so hopefully they won’t keep us waiting for too long now!

Not sure whether I should email? Or if that just puts at a disadvantage?

 

[zak98]

Same haha! Let me know if you hear anything!

Will do! Which office did you apply for?

 

[Limanehious]

Will do! Which office did you apply for?

Manchester! What about you?

 

[dalia66]

I have an anxiety disorder and this has really been affecting my performance at ACs.. think I should give up ahaha

 

[Ambs123]

I have an anxiety disorder and this has really been affecting my performance at ACs.. think I should give up ahaha

Hey I have an anxiety order too and I know exactly how you feel! I haven’t had a vac scheme offer yet because of it (I think) where in my first AC, they said (in my feedback) I was so nervous I couldn’t even form sentences properly!

I’ve had 3 ACs now and I’ve seen how much I’ve improved with handling my anxiety, even if I haven’t had an offer yet. I think it just takes time and we should be proud of ourselves for going out of our comfort zones and pushing the limits. In all due time, when it’s right, things will happen for us. We just need to keep going!

if you ever need to talk to someone about it feel free to dm me! Mental health during this process is really difficult and I feel like talking about it is the only way to get through it!

 

[Asil Ahmad]

I wanted to ask has there been a thread made for the recent merger between Clyde and Co and BLM as I was thinking of starting a thread if there is not a thread yet.

I want to discuss the impact of this merger on many things such as training contract applications.