TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Amma Usman]

Hey @hopefulforatc , I am unsure about FF in particular, but I know standard telephone interviews tend to include…

• The basic motivationals.. why law, why commercial law, why this firm. In telephone interviews, you will need to go deeper on what’s in your form - as I suspect more often times than not, this will be in front of them. Bring up new ideas, new motivations, or build up heavily on your existing answers.
• I have once been asked in a telephone interview some situational judgement questions too during first-year scheme applications. So, expect this to be a possibility too. Ideally, most will cover your proactive approach and your ability to work well in a team, or demonstrate how you navigate challenges, deal with stress, manage multiple responsibilities at once, etc. Have a few examples of instances under your belt where you’ve shown these traits, but ensure to leave space to let your mind wander freely too, as you wouldn’t want to follow such a narrow approach. Expect follow up questions too. Unlike ACs, these may just be soft questions, rather than hard technicals, so I believe it’s really about getting into the crux of your skills and motivations well.

Best of luck and I have no doubt that you’ll nail it

Hey @Amakaa ,

Very well done on getting to both stages. My tips are more on soft skills.

For the telephone interview, I recommend knowing your competencies very well and avoid preparing too heavily on verbatim answers. This is because you want your answers to sound very natural. The best way to do this is to know your passions for commercial law and Akin well, such that any question you’re asked would not necessarily trip you off.

For the AC with RS, perhaps I’ll be able to provide more guidance on that once they inform you what the AC is comprised of.

My general few interview tips are as follows;

• Smile and be confident. At the end of the day, law firms are not just hiring for lawyers, they are hiring for people.
• Keep building your commercial awareness up until then. As you would have heard many times, this is a skill that needs constant developing. You do not need to spend hundreds of hours every week doing this as that would even be counter-effective. Take little strides every day to learn something knew. It would amaze you how those little industry trends or buzz words would be weaved into your interview by you, without you even knowing it. You want your commercial awareness journey to be a natural one, not a forced one as this is what would help out more through the process and beyond.
• With regards what you can ask GR, provided you have any questions on the specifics of the stage or are not clear about anything, GR would be the best to speak to. Don’t hesitate to reach out when in doubt.
• With regards what to ask Partners, don’t ask questions just for the sake of it as most times such questions tend to be those you can easily get by deep-diving into the firm‘s website. The best questions at the end of interviews are those which talk about a topic discussed in the interview itself, or an area of your interviewers specialisation you want to learn more about and why.

Hope this helps, and best of luck!

Thank you very much Amma! this is super helpful

For context this is what they’ve mentioned in their email - As part of the selection and shortlisting process we would like you to take part in a brief telephone interview. We use telephone interviewing to help us understand your commitment and motivation, and it enables us to assess a number of attributes. The interview is likely to last around fifteen minutes.

Is there a question bank I can refer to in relation to this which is accessible to all without membership?

Many thanks in advance

Hi there,

I have quoted some posts I have made in the past to help.

 

[tianna09]

Given it is an informal work experience you are requesting, I am guessing there is no exact date published on the firm’s website. Assuming there was a date on the website, then a reasonable time to follow-up, in my opinion, is 3-6 weeks beforehand. However, as the firm will need to accommodate round the informal work experience, I will suggest holding off for a couple more weeks as they may respond within that timeframe. There is the likelihood they are deliberating round office needs, such as supervisors who will mentor you during the scheme (their availability), as well as other operational considerations.

thank you so much! it was advertised as a type of work experience that they will provide at any given time for the right candidate. so ultimately i will give it until the end of march/ start of april. do you reckon that the most appropriate thing is to give a call or send an email? ive never really done the whole informal thing before so i dont want to feel like im pestering the firm.

 

[Miss Chocolate]

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[User5678]

Would love to know what questions people ask the recruitment team at the end of an online interview!

Thank you very much!

 

[AnAnonymousDuck]

@Jessica Booker

Just wanted to post to ask for advice for an upcoming vac scheme. I do not live in London and the commute to the office in question is roughly 2 hours each way (so a total of 4 hours every day). The firm has on their website that support for travel/accommodation is to be discussed with grad rec and is looked at on a case-by-case. I am a bit nervous about emailing and am unsure of how to ask for support.

Ideally, I would love to ask for help with accommodation, but I’m nervous that they will look down on that considering the fact that I can technically commute (as in I don’t live on the other side of the country or anything like that). If so, I’m also a bit nervous they might see a request for help with travel costs as silly if they view the money paid during the scheme as what should be covering those costs anyway (even though the costs will add up to almost 200 pounds a week).

Should I send an email and ask this anyway or will it make me seem an undesirable candidate or one simply asking too much?

 

[Will123]

Hiya. Have they told you what the AC will be based on/ any components to focus on like written exercises, competency interviews, etc?

Hi @Amma Usman, the components are: a group activity, negotiation exercise, technical assessment and a 'mini interview'. Thanks for the help!

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker

Just wanted to post to ask for advice for an upcoming vac scheme. I do not live in London and the commute to the office in question is roughly 2 hours each way (so a total of 4 hours every day). The firm has on their website that support for travel/accommodation is to be discussed with grad rec and is looked at on a case-by-case. I am a bit nervous about emailing and am unsure of how to ask for support.

Ideally, I would love to ask for help with accommodation, but I’m nervous that they will look down on that considering the fact that I can technically commute (as in I don’t live on the other side of the country or anything like that). If so, I’m also a bit nervous they might see a request for help with travel costs as silly if they view the money paid during the scheme as what should be covering those costs anyway (even though the costs will add up to almost 200 pounds a week).

Should I send an email and ask this anyway or will it make me seem an undesirable candidate or one simply asking too much?

A four hour commute each day is quite long - I don't think many firms would be expecting someone to commute for that long unless they were happy to do so (some people will because they just want to stay home). I'd say 90 minutes or less is reasonable but anything beyond this (and calculated door to door) is worthwhile having a conversation with Graduate Recruitment about. The worst that they will say is no - but that is not going to impact how they see you as a candidate.

You can always contact them in a more inquisitive way asking what factors they take into account when offering accommodation or other travel support. For some firms. this may be means tested, for others it maybe either calculated on a cost basis or a time basis. By asking what support they would give you (and outlining your circumstances), rather than just asking straight out for accomodation, the firm will come back to you with the appropriate support they would be happy to give you.

 

[tomsmitg]

Hi @Jessica Booker! I’m just wondering what a firm usually does if they call a candidate and they don’t pick up. Do they normally call back the same day or ?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker! I’m just wondering what a firm usually does if they call a candidate and they don’t pick up. Do they normally call back the same day or ?

They will call back when they have time - that might be the same day or the next day (or even later in the week if they are busy). If they are concerned about getting through to someone, they usually email. For instance, I'd often email the candidate just to say I had tried to call them and can they call me back at an appropriate time.

 

[AnAnonymousDuck]

A four hour commute each day is quite long - I don't think many firms would be expecting someone to commute for that long unless they were happy to do so (some people will because they just want to stay home). I'd say 90 minutes or less is reasonable but anything beyond this (and calculated door to door) is worthwhile having a conversation with Graduate Recruitment about. The worst that they will say is no - but that is not going to impact how they see you as a candidate.

You can always contact them in a more inquisitive way asking what factors they take into account when offering accommodation or other travel support. For some firms. this may be means tested, for others it maybe either calculated on a cost basis or a time basis. By asking what support they would give you (and outlining your circumstances), rather than just asking straight out for accomodation, the firm will come back to you with the appropriate support they would be happy to give you.

From door to door it would be around 2 hours each way - a half an hour walk from my home to the station, then an hour train ride into london, then abt a half hour ish to take the underground and walk to the firm.

I had considered simply asking about what kind of support is available but ideally i’d like accommodation. Covering travel costs would obviously help but the main issue for me is the 4 hours every day. I would really like to ask about accommodation but im nervous they will say they can cover travel costs and then i seem rude by essentially saying that is not enough. I could stick it out for only a week, but this scheme is 3 weeks long and i dont really know if i can handle 4 hours a every day for that long, especially if it means i have less time to work on the assignments given during the scheme.

Are vac schemers typically expected to pay for travel costs out of the money paid for the scheme? The travel costs would be almost half of the money paid in total.

 

[Apple]

From door to door it would be around 2 hours each way - a half an hour walk from my home to the station, then an hour train ride into london, then abt a half hour ish to take the underground and walk to the firm.

I had considered simply asking about what kind of support is available but ideally i’d like accommodation. Covering travel costs would obviously help but the main issue for me is the 4 hours every day. I would really like to ask about accommodation but im nervous they will say they can cover travel costs and then i seem rude by essentially saying that is not enough. I could stick it out for only a week, but this scheme is 3 weeks long and i dont really know if i can handle 4 hours a every day for that long, especially if it means i have less time to work on the assignments given during the scheme.

Are vac schemers typically expected to pay for travel costs out of the money paid for the scheme? The travel costs would be almost half of the money paid in total.

some firms will give you an advance on the vac scheme pay which you can put towards accommodation costs.

 

[johnnysins]

Anybody else still waiting on Sidley post interview for the Spring/Summer scheme?

 

[Jessica Booker]

From door to door it would be around 2 hours each way - a half an hour walk from my home to the station, then an hour train ride into london, then abt a half hour ish to take the underground and walk to the firm.

I had considered simply asking about what kind of support is available but ideally i’d like accommodation. Covering travel costs would obviously help but the main issue for me is the 4 hours every day. I would really like to ask about accommodation but im nervous they will say they can cover travel costs and then i seem rude by essentially saying that is not enough. I could stick it out for only a week, but this scheme is 3 weeks long and i dont really know if i can handle 4 hours a every day for that long, especially if it means i have less time to work on the assignments given during the scheme.

Are vac schemers typically expected to pay for travel costs out of the money paid for the scheme? The travel costs would be almost half of the money paid in total.

You are not going to seem rude unless your tone and language is such. The firm advertises it offers this support, so it is reasonable for you to enquire as to whether accommodation would be possible. Explain the route - the walk, the train and then travelling in central London. Even if the firm cannot offer accommodation they may be able to cover the cost of a taxi to and from the station so your journey is reduced a little. But see what the offer you by explaining what your journey will be and what your circumstances are.

The firm will have a policy on what they consider and what they won't - so by you giving them a clear picture of what you will experience with your commute/your circumstances will allow the firm to determine whether you have met the criteria for this policy or not.

And its not an issue if you don't meet the criteria - this does not impact your candidacy.

 

[fTS3002]

Should I assume PFO if I haven't received the test post app for SH? :/

 

[AnAnonymousDuck]

You are not going to seem rude unless your tone and language is such. The firm advertises it offers this support, so it is reasonable for you to enquire as to whether accommodation would be possible. Explain the route - the walk, the train and then travelling in central London. Even if the firm cannot offer accommodation they may be able to cover the cost of a taxi to and from the station so your journey is reduced a little. But see what the offer you by explaining what your journey will be and what your circumstances are.

The firm will have a policy on what they consider and what they won't - so by you giving them a clear picture of what you will experience with your commute/your circumstances will allow the firm to determine whether you have met the criteria for this policy or not.

And its not an issue if you don't meet the criteria - this does not impact your candidacy.

Would it be okay if I simply phrased it as enquiring about the support and then emphasising the 4 hour commute each day? Do firms that advertise help with accommodation actually do so or do they only really help with travel costs as a rule?

 

[Chris Brown]

Should I assume PFO if I haven't received the test post app? :/

I’m assuming this is for SH. If it is, I don’t think you should assume PFO this early! While they do review applications on a rolling basis, they do not make any offer decisions until after the final deadline. The deadline for SH was the 28th of Feb, which was around 2 1/2 weeks ago, so it hasn’t been that much time! I think SH only began to send test invites out mid last week. 🙂

I think they have been mostly focused on processing Spring VS applicants first (test invite / VS offers). Once they have completed this, they will most likely then move on to Summer VS applicants. A few of us applied for both Spring and Summer VS, but put Spring VS down as our first choice for the VS. I think I applied for Spring, Summer 1 and Summer 2. 🙂

Based on what some people have told me who applied for the Summer VS in previous cycles, they didn’t receive the online test invite until around mid April onwards! Best of luck for SH. I am sure you will hear back positively from them soon! No news is good news! 🙂​

 

[billyonthespeeddial]

Would love to know what questions people ask the recruitment team at the end of an online interview!

Thank you very much!

I ask always ask them "when can I expect to hear back?"

and they never tell the truth <3

honestly though personally I don't have much to ask grad rec besides that, and you don't have to either

 

[fTS3002]

I’m assuming this is for SH. If it is, I don’t think you should assume PFO this early! While they do review applications on a rolling basis, they do not make any decisions until after the final deadline. The deadline for SH was the 28th of Feb, which was around 2 1/2 weeks ago, so it hasn’t been that much time! I think SH only began to send test invites out mid last week. 🙂

I think they have been focused on processing Spring VS applicants first (test invite / VS offers). Once they have completed this, they will most likely then move on to Summer VS applicants. A few of us applied for both Spring and Summer VS, but put Spring VS down as our first choice for the VS. I think I applied for Spring, Summer 1 and Summer 2. 🙂

Based on what some people have told me who applied for the Summer VS in previous cycles, they didn’t receive the online test invite until around mid April onwards! Best of luck for SH. I am sure you will hear back positively from them soon! No news is good news! 🙂​

Thank you for your response, this is really helpful! Congrats on all the vac scheme offers!!

 

[student353]

Should I assume PFO if I haven't received the test post app for SH? :/

Don’t stress too much about it! I know for a fact (I had a call explaining circumstances) that they are processing the summer intake later and focusing on the spring (they stated that over the phone). Don’t give up hope; they will definitely get back to you!

 

[James Wakefield]

Should I assume PFO if I haven't received the test post app for SH? :/

I’m not one for false hope on this and I’m still waiting for a test like you. :/

There’s a lot of positivity on this forum, which is great, but often a lot of very optimistic reassurance.

I personally think SH have probably sent out all their tests by now. Hopefully I’ll be proven wrong and I’ll come back and apologise if that’s the case. 😅