TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[whywhy88]

For the Paul, Weiss 'How do your extra-curricular activities align with a career at Paul, Weiss?' question, does it matter if we only have one activity to talk about? I only have one main hobby/extra-curricular but am worried that this may put me at a disadvantage

 

[TCSeeker999]

I took the Arctic Shores for the NRF vacation scheme last cycle. Does anyone know if previous scores from the past 12 months are still accepted this year?

I did the same, and am on the AS NRF-BP mentoring scheme this year so have had to take it 'twice' in 12 months.

In essence, if you apply to NRF twice within twelve months, you have 2 options. 1 - re-use your previous scores. 2 - take the test again.

If you didn't pass to the HR interview last year for NRF recruitment, maybe retake the test. If you did pass to the HR interview stage, I'd keep the same scores as they were clearly good enough.

 

[aspringlawyer25]

Has anybody heard back from A&O yet?

Got an email asking me to re-record my VI cause of tech issues. Other than that, nothing. When did you apply?

 

[TCSeeker999]

Has anybody heard back from A&O yet?

i think if you applied for their winter vac, They said expect to hear from us from 29 Sept onwards, which would be for their AC rollout.

AC is the next stage after online app (just the work experience section really) + SJT/VI.

 

[FutureTraineeMaybe]

Can my volunteering experience be in the work experience section? - it was giving advice to clients and guiding them through forms

 

[Shahenshah]

Can my volunteering experience be in the work experience section? - it was giving advice to clients and guiding them through forms

I perhaps wouldn't call it giving legal advice, usually with legal volunteering you're advised not to describe it in such a way, but otherwise I always include my pro bono legal volunteering in the work experience section!

 

[Jennifer2003]

i think if you applied for their winter vac, They said expect to hear from us from 29 Sept onwards, which would be for their AC rollout.

AC is the next stage after online app (just the work experience section really) + SJT/VI.

Great thank you!

 

[ZNadeem]

For the Slaughters app, it says that a cover letter should be no longer than one side of A4. How many words is it roughly then, and what font size?

Hi! I wouldn’t go under font size 11 (Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri all work fine). That usually gives you around 800–850 words on one side of A4 if margins are adjusted.

 

[ZNadeem]

Any tips for preparing for interviews. I have one next week but I'm blank - not sure what to do, what to prepare.

Hi! Do you know if it’s CV-blind or competency-based? That will shape your prep.

In any case, I’d suggest:

• Focus on competency and strength-based questions — use STAR to structure your answers clearly. Look at key competencies firms usually value (teamwork, resilience, communication, leadership, attention to detail).
• Refine your answers to the basic motivational questions: “Why commercial law?”, “Why this firm?”, and “Why you?”. These often set the tone.
• Prepare for commercial awareness questions — have one recent deal the firm has worked on and one broader news story (ideally with business implications) that you can discuss.

That should give you a strong base of confidence going in.

 

[ZNadeem]

For the Paul, Weiss 'How do your extra-curricular activities align with a career at Paul, Weiss?' question, does it matter if we only have one activity to talk about? I only have one main hobby/extra-curricular but am worried that this may put me at a disadvantage

Hi! I would try to add another if possible. Even if you only have one main hobby right now, think about anything from the past few years — a society role, volunteering, sports, music, debate, mentoring, competitions, or even part-time projects. It doesn’t have to be ongoing to count, and having at least two gives you more room to demonstrate different skills that align with Paul, Weiss.

 

[TCchaser]

Just got an invite for Sidley's HR interview! I applied on August 24

 

[efm99]

When you complete Pinsent Masons online application, does it automatically take you to the blended test or do you have to be accepted giving people time to prepare? They emailed me with an automatic message saying I need to complete the application and the test so I wasn't sure and have been holding off since it's non-rolling.

 

[jojo23]

Anybody else still waiting on Reed Smith’s open day?

 

[norothrow324]

Has anyone heard anything from Taylor Wessing?

 

[aspringlawyer25]

Has anyone received their report from Gibson Dunn, and is the report supposed to come immediately after? completed the assessment yesterday and haven't received a report.

 

[aspringlawyer25]

@aspiringlawyer25 I applied on 05/09 and got the interview on 08/09 (just didn't post about it until now)

Oh, alright then, thanks.

 

[c.t.tc]

Has anyone heard anything from Taylor Wessing?

I got a test invite on Monday!

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

For the Paul, Weiss 'How do your extra-curricular activities align with a career at Paul, Weiss?' question, does it matter if we only have one activity to talk about? I only have one main hobby/extra-curricular but am worried that this may put me at a disadvantage

Hi!

As @ZNadeem mentioned, I would try and add another if you can!

I can really relate to your concerns as I had a similar issue when I was first completing applications, as I didn’t have many hobbies / extracurriculars outside of my degree.

To strengthen my extracurricular section, I reflected on activities that I genuinely enjoyed, even if they weren’t consistent hobbies. For instance, I discussed my interest in reading by highlighting recent books I had read and linking them back to the firm’s industry / sector focus. Whilst reading wasn’t a consistent pastime (and still isn’t!), my curiosity was genuine! Similarly, I mentioned activities such as go-karting, which I wasn’t able to do regularly but still enjoyed.

That being said, I would be careful not to overstate involvement too much, as it may be brought up in an interview and you will need to have an answer that is consistent with your original application.

Overall, showing curiosity and a willingness to engage with new experiences is valuable, even if your engagement with them isn’t always long-term and consistent

 

[norothrow324]

I got a test invite on Monday!

Is it automatic?

 

[SamiyaJ]

Hogan Lovells assessment.. what a nightmare. Don’t even want to see the report! Pretty sure I went over the recommended 90 minutes