TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

[Jessica Booker]

So with no word from SH I am assuming my cycle is at an end. Final year non law. No VS but did get to 5 assessment centres Inc a US firm and a Silver Circle.

When applying next cycle should these be mentioned or would it indicate I wasn't even good enough for a VS let alone a TC?

Do have a grad offer for a grad scheme job but for next year 2025 so can have that as plan B. But unsure whether mentioning ACs is a good thing or not? Maybe @Jessica Booker or @axelbeugre could indicate what they would do/did.

When you say mentioning ACs in what context do you mean and to whom?

 

[Legalstalker]

If it helps - my experience was it’s way more expensive for the firm to replace you than it is for them to give you 4 days unpaid leave! In most cases especially if it’s full time white collar work - you probably have the negotiating leverage. My prev firm told me they’d be ok giving me the three weeks off vs me leaving!

ahh i see that's great they helped!!

I don't work within law (I have a grad job) so to them me going elsewhere would not make any sense whatsoever. My manager struggled to give me 1 day off with my own annual leave for an AC 😂 they're soo supportive as you can see haha

 

[Miss Chocolate]

Still no word from SH summer scheme post-app?

I swear they are so slow with this? Like so strange. None of the other firms I have applied to this year have been so slow/unresponsive.

 

[tcplease2345]

I swear they are so slow with this? Like so strange. None of the other firms I have applied to this year have been so slow/unresponsive.

I know I applied more than a month ago.

 

[Happycloud100]

ahh i see that's great they helped!!

I don't work within law (I have a grad job) so to them me going elsewhere would not make any sense whatsoever. My manager struggled to give me 1 day off with my own annual leave for an AC 😂 they're soo supportive as you can see haha

I also worked outside law and to do multiple schemes had to ultimately quit but I think it would’ve been fine for a three week stretch!! Hope your situation gets resolved 🩷🩷

 

[axelbeugre]

So with no word from SH I am assuming my cycle is at an end. Final year non law. No VS but did get to 5 assessment centres Inc a US firm and a Silver Circle.

When applying next cycle should these be mentioned or would it indicate I wasn't even good enough for a VS let alone a TC?

Do have a grad offer for a grad scheme job but for next year 2025 so can have that as plan B. But unsure whether mentioning ACs is a good thing or not? Maybe @Jessica Booker or @axelbeugre could indicate what they would do/did.

I am sorry for the firm not contacting you with an update on your application, you might want to email them to ask for an update, reinforcing your interest in the firm.

However, I think that your cycle was very successful with 5 assessment centres. You should be so proud of yourself and I personally believe that this cycle made you understand that you are very strong at application stage so that is not your weakness. What seems to be a challenge is managing to convert these assessment centres into actual offers, which is a very daunting, difficult and sometimes outside of our control, so I would say to reflect on this, reflect on what you think you did wrong and what can you do to improve. Moreover, start practicing law firms interviews with family and friends is such a good way to gauge how you come across and ask them to be brutally honest with you so you can take the feedback on board and improve yourself.

When it comes to mentioning this experience, I personally would not mention it as I would want to focus on the positive aspects of myself. However, for questions around 'a time where you did not succeed or you failed at something, how did you learn from it' I think that this experience could be a good example to make. It shows that you are resilient, you learn from your mistakes so you are teachable and you are hard-working.

Good luck with your journey and congratulations for the progress you made thus far!

 

[tcplease2345]

Does SH send out rejections or do they just ghost you? I think by now they must have sent out all VIs for the summer scheme as it has been a while sine the deadline passed.

 

[mp2000]

Anyone know when we should expect to hear back from Hill Dickinson?

 

[TheLawSucks]

Anyone heard back from Dentons after last week Wednesday’s AC?

 

[InvesmentBanker]

To all the people who think they have been ghosted by SH, I got a VS with them last year and they were VERY slow with responding. I sent my application in October 2022 and did my first interview in May 2023.

 

[PFOenthusiast]

Has anybody heard anything from Bevan Brittan, regarding the summer vac scheme?

 

[tealzeal]

does anyone know if withers ghosts or sends rejections? apparently people have been getting pfos but also someone recently said they got ghosted?? it's late march now so i just want to know if i've been rejected;-;

 

[tc252627]

Still no response from Gateley sigh

 

[trainee2025]

To all the people who think they have been ghosted by SH, I got a VS with them last year and they were VERY slow with responding. I sent my application in October 2022 and did my first interview in May 2023.

Echo this. Possibly the slowest firm I’ve dealt with in terms of trainee recruitment (not necessarily a criticism, it just seems to be their way of dealing). Think last year for summer they sent VS invites about 2 weeks before the schemes started and then did a mass PFO in July(?) which is crazy late. They also amalgamated parts of the assessment process (different this year) to try to make up lost time.

I really feel for people who have to sort out accommodation etc. in a 2 week turnaround though…congratulations to those who have been offered spring schemes and hope you can make it work at short notice.

 

[NJS]

Anyone heard from V&E?

 

[Madeline186]

Has anybody heard anything from Bevan Brittan, regarding the summer vac scheme?

No I’m waiting on this too. Which offices did you select as preferences?

 

[3000to1shoteverytime]

When you say mentioning ACs in what context do you mean and to whom?

As part of a question as what have you undertaken (some ask about Open Days) or even of mentioned as other experiences. I saw a person listing their ACs on LinkedIn today under work experience and wouldn't dream of that.

If they said why law or commercial law? Could you

 

[3000to1shoteverytime]

I am sorry for the firm not contacting you with an update on your application, you might want to email them to ask for an update, reinforcing your interest in the firm.

However, I think that your cycle was very successful with 5 assessment centres. You should be so proud of yourself and I personally believe that this cycle made you understand that you are very strong at application stage so that is not your weakness. What seems to be a challenge is managing to convert these assessment centres into actual offers, which is a very daunting, difficult and sometimes outside of our control, so I would say to reflect on this, reflect on what you think you did wrong and what can you do to improve. Moreover, start practicing law firms interviews with family and friends is such a good way to gauge how you come across and ask them to be brutally honest with you so you can take the feedback on board and improve yourself.

When it comes to mentioning this experience, I personally would not mention it as I would want to focus on the positive aspects of myself. However, for questions around 'a time where you did not succeed or you failed at something, how did you learn from it' I think that this experience could be a good example to make. It shows that you are resilient, you learn from your mistakes so you are teachable and you are hard-working.

Good luck with your journey and congratulations for the progress you made thus far!

Thank you. Yes that would be great for the failed at something questions. I will make some noted on what happened and my feedback to use to answer those types of questions. Thank you

 

[Jessica Booker]

As part of a question as what have you undertaken (some ask about Open Days) or even of mentioned as other experiences. I saw a person listing their ACs on LinkedIn today under work experience and wouldn't dream of that.

If they said why law or commercial law? Could you

I strongly advise not putting them on LinkedIn. It’s my opinion, but I don’t think this is something to add to your profile.

I also don’t think they are suited to the careers events/open day section of an application form.

I think it just causes more doubt on why you are not securing something if you are ultimately highlighting unsuccessful recruitment processes.

 

[3000to1shoteverytime]

To all the people who think they have been ghosted by SH, I got a VS with them last year and they were VERY slow with responding. I sent my application in October 2022 and did my first interview in May 2023.

Thank you. My application was October and test and VI November so this gives me faint hope!