TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

[hopefulstudent888]

Has anyone heard back from Bates Wells post-WG?

Yes on 07/03.

 

[hopefulstudent888]

Congrats! I got a PFO with lots of very useful general advice that included "be available for a Training Contract in 2026". Good luck for the WG!

Maybe I'm being dumb but what is a PFO?

 

[neonorange]

Maybe I'm being dumb but what is a PFO?

It's a rejection, or "please f*ck off" to be less kind about it!

 

[S87]

Does anyone know what working in-house entails? Do you guys have any resources to help me understand? @axelbeugre or @Jessica Booker do you have any tips?

 

[axelbeugre]

I am a recent graduate and this was my first application cycle for vacation schemes. I applied to 15 firms and some of my applications made it past the application stage however, I did not secure any AC. I am still waiting for three decisions however, I am not very hopeful.

I an international student and only have one more try left then my visa ends. What should I do to reach the AC stage and to make my application better.

Any advice would be helpful! @Jessica Booker @axelbeugre

Hey @hopefulforatc,

I can totally sympathise with you regarding how difficult the process especially as an international student. I think that this cycle has been very hard and very competitive so I would congratulate you for just applying to a lot of firms and give it a go. I am sure you have learned/are learning a lot from the process.

I think that there are some things you can do to start with which I shared on this post which I think would be useful: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ons-discussion-thread-2023-4.8038/post-170058

Secondly, I would try and prepare beforehand for the next cycle, whether it is making sure you have a very detailed list of firms you want to apply to with pages of research on each specific firm that you can update as the months progress, or speaking to future trainees and trainees who currently are at the firm who can share tips on how to prepare for the application stages and interview stages of the law firms. This will allow you to understand what is going on and be prepared for what is coming.

I hope this is helpful and good luck with next cycle!

 

[axelbeugre]

Does anyone know what working in-house entails? Do you guys have any resources to help me understand? @axelbeugre or @Jessica Booker do you have any tips?

Some things that you might find useful are:
https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/caree...nging-career-direction/should-i-work-in-house

https://www.legalleadership.co.uk/k...se-how-different-is-it-from-private-practice/

https://www.law.ac.uk/resources/blog/working-in-house-vs.-working-in-private-practice/

Hopefully these can be a bit helpful!

 

[S87]

Some things that you might find useful are:
https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/caree...nging-career-direction/should-i-work-in-house

https://www.legalleadership.co.uk/k...se-how-different-is-it-from-private-practice/

https://www.law.ac.uk/resources/blog/working-in-house-vs.-working-in-private-practice/

Hopefully these can be a bit helpful!

Thank you so much!

 

[hopefulforatc]

Hey @hopefulforatc,

I can totally sympathise with you regarding how difficult the process especially as an international student. I think that this cycle has been very hard and very competitive so I would congratulate you for just applying to a lot of firms and give it a go. I am sure you have learned/are learning a lot from the process.

I think that there are some things you can do to start with which I shared on this post which I think would be useful: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ons-discussion-thread-2023-4.8038/post-170058

Secondly, I would try and prepare beforehand for the next cycle, whether it is making sure you have a very detailed list of firms you want to apply to with pages of research on each specific firm that you can update as the months progress, or speaking to future trainees and trainees who currently are at the firm who can share tips on how to prepare for the application stages and interview stages of the law firms. This will allow you to understand what is going on and be prepared for what is coming.

I hope this is helpful and good luck with next cycle!

Thank you for your response! I have made a list of firms that I want to apply to and I am also looking for experience to make my application better.

I seem to fail the video interviews which is something I have to work on as well.

 

[mattyh23]

Really stressing about this so need some advice.

I had an AC interview today and at the end, I was asked if there was anything we hadn’t discussed that you’d like to mention. I felt like I’d covered everything in my interview: I’d mentioned work experience, why the firm, why law, all relevant competencies and motivations, so I just said “No, I think I’ve mentioned everything I would like to, thank you”.

The interviewers smiled and then allowed me to ask my own questions but now worried I’ve blown it as it looks disinterested or unprepared. That wasn’t the case, I just didn’t want to ramble about something that I’d either already covered or wouldn’t add much of value to the discussion.

Any thoughts @Jessica Booker?

 

[LawyerInMaking]

I am a recent graduate and this was my first application cycle for vacation schemes. I applied to 15 firms and some of my applications made it past the application stage however, I did not secure any AC. I am still waiting for three decisions however, I am not very hopeful.

I an international student and only have one more try left then my visa ends. What should I do to reach the AC stage and to make my application better.

Any advice would be helpful! @Jessica Booker @axelbeugre

Hi
I am attaching below what I feel is the best and most comprehensive resource for international students , that was published on TCLA a few months back.
Good Luck !

 

[Inderpreet996]

Hey, has anyone heard from Gateley post assessment + video interview? They said they would update by the end of the week commencing the 11th of March - but still nothing. I applied for the Birmingham office btw

 

[Inderpreet996]

anyone heard from PMC post AC?

hey have you heard back, I'm still waiting (I had my AC on the 22nd of Feb)

 

[axelbeugre]

Thank you for your response! I have made a list of firms that I want to apply to and I am also looking for experience to make my application better.

I seem to fail the video interviews which is something I have to work on as well.

That is really good!

The video interviews was something I used to be bad at too, combined with the watson glaser too. My advice with issues like this is that you need to know yourself. If you feel like these forms of assessments are severly hindering your chances, I would start focusing on firms that do not have these assessments. I was successful with firms that did not have these kind of tests because I was confident in my interview skills but I knew that a video interview or a watson glaser would have not even allowed me to show my interview skills. So applying to US firms with direct interviews after the application stage was something that worked for me. Considerations like this are important in my opinion as you understand yourself and you start spending time on firms that will objectively give you a chance.

However, if you want to improve your video interview skills, I shared some tips on here: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ns-discussion-thread-2023-24.8037/post-167426

Additionally, there are some posts on TCLA from me and Erin that might be helpful, I will include some links here: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/how-to-prepare-for-a-law-firm-video-interview-a-step-by-step-guide-⭐️.8346/ and https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ns-discussion-thread-2023-24.8037/post-151491

Good luck!

 

[axelbeugre]

Really stressing about this so need some advice.

I had an AC interview today and at the end, I was asked if there was anything we hadn’t discussed that you’d like to mention. I felt like I’d covered everything in my interview: I’d mentioned work experience, why the firm, why law, all relevant competencies and motivations, so I just said “No, I think I’ve mentioned everything I would like to, thank you”.

The interviewers smiled and then allowed me to ask my own questions but now worried I’ve blown it as it looks disinterested or unprepared. That wasn’t the case, I just didn’t want to ramble about something that I’d either already covered or wouldn’t add much of value to the discussion.

Any thoughts @Jessica Booker?

It is really difficult to gauge how this came off not being in the room but I personally think that if you did not have anything to add it is totally fine for you to not add anything. I agree with you, it is better not to ramble in these situations, you might say too much and potentially lose your interviewer's interest.

Additionally, you could have showed your interests with the questions you asked at the end, especially if they engaged the interviewer and they got them speaking about themselves or the firm (these are the questions that tend to involve the interviewers usually in my opinion).

Overall, I personally think you did not do anything bad and I am sure your interview was really good. I know it is easier to feel overthink everything that happened but trust the process and trust that you have done everything you were supposed to do. I am sure it went better than what you think!

Good luck with the results!

 

[axelbeugre]

What is the recommended format for a 'briefing note' in a written exercise? It is supposed to be 2-pages typed and based off information given in a pack. @Jessica Booker @axelbeugre if you had any insights I would be grateful!

I think that it should be no more than 1,5/2 pages and based on the information you are giving. It is important to focus on the relevant facts of the matter, without losing yourself in the irrelevant details.

Make sure your grammar and structure are impeccable as those are things that the assessors will look into. There is a a LinkedIn post that explains how to write on which I will leave here which is really good: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-write-briefing-note-govconnex/

 

[axelbeugre]

looking for some advice - I've just accepted a vs with a firm but have an AC next week for another but the dates of the two schemes clash.

if I were to try swap my application for the second onto direct TC route would it better to email them before the AC or do the AC, see what the outcome is and then ask to switch my application to direct TC?

I would do this after you get an offer if you can. However, this happened to me with a firm last year and I asked before the assessment but I ended up not doing the interview in the end so potentially you could also let them know now. However, you never know they might not be open to it, it is definitely firm-dependent.

I think that when in doubt, asking when you have the offer is always better in my opinion.

 

[axelbeugre]

Hi guys, in terms of people living outside of London for a summer internship in London:

Would it be advisable to email HR asking about whether they are able to help support with accommodation costs or should I sign the contract first, ask questions later? I think I should ask first but any thoughts/experiences?

Thank you

You can definitely ask first as it is your right to know. I would just say that many firms will not help you in these circumstances. Others will offer to put people in a hotel (like my firm) so asking is the best course of action.

Chances are that even if they cannot support you financially, they might send you accommodations options and that can be helpful too so it never hurts to reach out. Reaching out either before or after you sign the contract is not an issue, I believe that it does not have any impact whatsoever, I think it just depends on whether the firm not supporting you would be something that will lead you to not sign the contract with said firm.

 

[axelbeugre]

Michelmores HR interview invite

Congratulations!!

 

[axelbeugre]

@Jessica Booker If I'm supposed to send in my CV to the Training Principal for an application to an Open Day, should I be adding my Resume AND a cover letter?

I would include the specific documents they ask for, do not add documents for the sake of it as they will not read it. If they ask for CV only, just send the CV.

 

[lawbear123]

anything from W&C post AC?