TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

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Is it a common thing to be rejected from an open day because you have significant experience, like would the firm see someone who has a decent amount a legal experience and think that they may not benefit from an open day, and therefore hand an offer to someone else with less experience? @Jessica Booker
Yes - this can be something many firms factor into their decisions when inviting people to open days. It’s difficult to say whether it’s common, but it happens enough.
 
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Ram Sabaratnam

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Is it a common thing to be rejected from an open day because you have significant experience, like would the firm see someone who has a decent amount a legal experience and think that they may not benefit from an open day, and therefore hand an offer to someone else with less experience? @Jessica Booker

Hiya @NJS


I’d be curious to hear @Jessica Booker 's take on this and how common it is, but I do think it’s a real possibility, depending on the firm. I had an experience where I was rejected from an open day but subsequently encouraged to apply for the vacation scheme. The recruiter mentioned they'd appreciated my experience and application but felt I'd benefit more from applying for the vacation scheme. When I followed their advice, I ended up progressing all the way to the assessment centre. That said, I’m not sure how common this scenario is.

This is partly why I always encourage people to apply for vacation schemes even if they were previously rejected from an open day. Just make sure to take the opportunity to improve your application since your last submission to the firm. Hope this helps, and good luck!
 

Ram Sabaratnam

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Andrei Radu

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Hill Dickinson application
As a firm, we operate across a number of sectors and specialisms, and offer sector-specific training contracts in each of our business services, health and marine groups. Which of our teams would you be most interested in completing a seat in and why?


I think the word "seat" confuses me here. Are they asking whether I want to pursue the Business Services, Health, or Marine training contract?

I started my answer by saying I’m especially interested in the Business Services TC and explaining why. Then, I talked about a specific seat I’d like to experience within that.
Just want to make sure I'm on the right track.

@Andrei Radu 🙏
Hi @bella98 the question uses slightly ambiguous phrasing but I think you are going for the right approach. Having taken a quick look across Hill Dickinson's website, I think it's clear you have to choose only one of the three broad groups for your TC. However, then you get to choose between a number of different seats offered by each group. The way I see it, the question can be interpreted in two ways depending on what is meant by the term 'teams':
  1. Which practice area in which group are you most attracted to?
  2. Which of our groups are you most attracted to?
Your approach seems to track the first formulation. Intuitively, I think this first interpretation is likely the right one, since if the second interpretation was right using the word 'seat' would be completely superfluous.

However, I would also look at this from a upside/downside risk perspective. If all the firm wants you to do is explain your motivation for one of the groups, and you also explain your motivations for a practice area within a group, it should not hurt your chances too much. If anything, the more specific interest in a practice area can support a point about your more general interest in the group. If however the firm does want you to discuss a practice area interest as well and you only discuss your interest in one of the groups, you will have missed out on one of the key points of the question.
 

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