TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[lawyersum]

Bumping this question - would it be a 2:1 minimum in every module, or would a yearly average be able to bump it up (i.e. getting first in most, but a 2:2 in one)

2:1 in every module, not just the yearly average.

 

[nimramansoor]

Hi,

So Sidley's A-Level requirement is AAA - I achieved an AAB but have also now graduated from a prestigious university with a 2:1, <1% away from a First. Is this something I could plausibly try to elaborate on in order to still try to apply?

I know firms generally have contextual recruitment, so just wondering if this would fall into that scope? Thanks

Hi, I hope you are well.

I believe it is still worth making an application, especially due to your high grades at undergraduate level. Firms look at your applications holistically, and if you are genuinely interested in the work that Sidley Austin does, make a strong application based on: 'why Sidley Austin' and 'why commercial law.' Good luck!

 

[chiichii]

Hi, does anyone know whether Skadden has a harsh academic requirements, whether in A-levels or undergraduate degree? For context, I obtained a 2:1 from a RG but i completed my secondary school in another country and my a-level equivalent was kinda sh*t.

Also, speaking of academic requirements, i heard linklaters and HSF Kramer needs 60% in every single module of your degree. Are they really strict with this as well? Because i think one or two module just 1 or 2 marks below 60% (((((

 

[Sachin Chandra]

For the work experience section of the Sidley application, should I use the STAR format to describe my experiences, or is it better to list them in a concise, bullet-point style (e.g. ‘Drafted X’, ‘Reviewed Y’)? @Jaysen @Ram Sabaratnam would you be able to help me with this? Thank you so much!

Would be great to hear back on this for me also

 

[Sachin Chandra]

I am in a similar situation and would be interested to know, too.

If the question is whether firms will take people on who have already done the SQE, the answer is yes. In this situation, you would have already completed the education requirements, expect in the cases of some firms (e.g. White&Case, Hogan Lovells) which have their own additional SQE course to complete.

Hope that helps

 

[lilymawe1]

As Sidley winter vac scheme applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and given that the deadline is 12.09, should I instead wait and apply for the spring/summer scheme?

 

[emily3827]

any tips on how to talk about previous vac schemes in work experience sections

 

[TortillaTC]

Hi,

So Sidley's A-Level requirement is AAA - I achieved an AAB but have also now graduated from a prestigious university with a 2:1, <1% away from a First. Is this something I could plausibly try to elaborate on in order to still try to apply?

I know firms generally have contextual recruitment, so just wondering if this would fall into that scope? Thanks

I think one mark won’t hinder you since you’re very close to the A levels minimum + very strong undergrad performance

Do we know if they wanna see a high 2.1 or a lower 2.1 might suffice?

 

[TortillaTC]

As Sidley winter vac scheme applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and given that the deadline is 12.09, should I instead wait and apply for the spring/summer scheme?

I think we can still apply if we submit in the few next days - last year, I didn't hear back until 30 October even though I submitted 16 August (deadline was mid September like this year).

 

[floral.tcla]

2:1 in every module, not just the yearly average.

I spoke to grad rec and they confirmed this but said that extenuating circumstances are considered

 

[CharlesT47]

Hi, I am a 2025 graduate from a RG university having studied law. I am applying to VS now and often times, the applications ask me about whether I am intending to take the SQE and when I am intending to take the SQE. I am so confused about this. What year would I be intending to take the SQE? The goal is to have a TC by next september, ideally through a return offer. I don't intend on self-funding the SQE. Should I put SQE in 2026 then? Any advice?

 

[jojo23]

Do any of these firms look at applications on a rolling basis?

Pinsent Masons
Taylor Wessing
Mishcon De Reya

Pinsent non rolling
The other 2- rolling

 

[whywhy88]

Does anyone know if firms dislike it if you apply to their vac scheme without attending an open day? I want to apply for the Paul, Weiss winter vac scheme but I haven't been to any of their open days and as they are competitive, am unsure if I will gain a place before I apply. Any advice appreciated!!

 

[BonanzaBih_]

I am in a similar situation and would be interested to know, too.

Hey, I completed the SQE prior to gaining my tc and no firm I applied to held it against me. In fact my firm gave me a much earlier start date than the one I applied for because I had completed it and was ready to start!

 

[vera.mekhonoshina]

any tips on how to talk about previous vac schemes in work experience sections

Hi @emily3827,

First, I want to say that completing a vacation scheme is a HUGE achievement, and you should be really proud of yourself!

I also want to note that talking about past vacation schemes will not put you at a disadvantage when applying. If anything, it will demonstrate your commitment to the profession and illuminate the skills and knowledge that you gained. You can even use past vacation scheme experiences to substantiate and evidence your motivations for commercial law, specific sectors and practice areas in your application answers.

When it comes to work experience sections specifically, here's my advice:

1. First things first, don't avoid talking about past vacation schemes in your application. Some people worry that an unsuccessful vacation scheme with one law firm will negatively alter other firms' perception of them as an applicant. This is not true! The reality of not getting a TC offer is much more nuanced, and firms understand that.

2. Focus on skills and knowledge that you gained during the scheme. A vacation scheme is arguably one of the best ways to prove your commitment to commercial law. You've literally experienced the day-to-day life of a commercial lawyer!

What specific tasks did you complete? What did you learn about the role of a commercial lawyer through those tasks? Did you get the opportunity to network with lawyers in different practice areas? Try and be as detailed as possible in your descriptions while adhering to confidentiality rules and appropriately anonymising any sensitive information.

3. Don't feel the need to justify why you didn't convert the scheme into a TC offer (if that was the case!) in the work experience section. While this will most likely come up at the interview stage, I would personally consider keeping the work experience section action-focused. Show the law firm that you took the vacation scheme seriously, reflected on the skills and understanding that you acquired, and further developed your interest in commercial law as a career.

I hope this helps!

 

[Nimaj]

Hey, has anyone had a look at the Pinsent Masons application form yet? They just opened today and it looks like there is no section for long written answers (Why Commercial Law/PM? style). The form only has sections for academic history and relevant experiences and after that it goes straight to the blended assessment (case study, SJT, and VI). Did they remove the written application element this year or am I missing something?

 

[LadyGagaWithATC]

I have a question about the "education" section for most application portals, and would be interested to hear people's opinions...

I completed my GCSEs in 2009 and A Levels in 2011, and an undergraduate degree in Film Studies a few years later. It seems fairly anachronistic to list these grades on current applications, considering my career change and subsequent qualifications (including a PhD and SQE 1 Prep).

My judgement is that if a firm asks for that data as part of the application, however, it does need to be submitted. Career changers must be resigned to fill in GCSE data multiple times, just like any current undergraduate looking for a training contract!

I believe that I present a compelling narrative about how and why I am moving from my initial academic background into Law, but I am wondering how to avoid allowing my subject choices to prejudice future applications.

Thanks for any feedback / comments!

Hi Will! Welcome to the forum!

That is an excellent question, and I know many career changers have similar worries about whether their background will prejudice the firms they are applying to, as they may not align with what is considered “standard” for a trainee solicitor.

Firstly, I would like to emphasise that there is no single “type” of trainee that firms want to hire. I have met many trainees at various types of firms who came from very different careers and were successfully able to make use of their past experiences during their training contracts. In fact, two partners at a US firm once told me that they can always tell when a trainee is a career changer, as they bring a lot of valuable real-life experience that fresh graduates have not yet built up. Therefore, if your worries relate to your GCSEs, A-Levels and your undergraduate degree not being relevant to legal practice, do not worry; firms will take into account the value of all kinds of experience, and it will not matter whether the experience is legal or not.


Secondly, as you say, it is still vital that you submit your GCSEs, A-Levels and undergraduate studies as part of your applications where the application form asks for this information. Firms often have minimum requirements for all of these (for example, several firms ask for an AAB or an ABB at A-Level, and a 2:1 or above in your undergraduate degree). If you do not meet a firm’s minimum requirements, I’d advise you to contact the firm’s graduate recruitment team, briefly outlining your background, including, for example, your PhD, and ask whether the benchmark would still apply in your case.

You have already stated that you have developed a compelling narrative explaining the reason for your career change. This tells me that you’re on the right track, as a true motivation to start a career in legal practice is what firms often look for in career changers.

Best of luck!

 

[LadyGagaWithATC]

Hi all, for the work history section, should I collate open days/first-year schemes into 1 experience, or discuss each separately? Thank you!

Hi @Bhavana!

It is often difficult to navigate the work experience section in law firm applications, and there is no single way to do it. For the types of experiences you have mentioned, and similar experiences, I would suggest the following approach:

• Especially for Open Days, check if the firm that you’re applying to has already specified whether there is any particular way they would like you to list these experiences. Often, right above the work experience section, there is a brief note on what type of experiences should be included. For example, if the firm has suggested that you should list all types of experiences here, “including Open Days”, I would advise you to list all Open Days separately.

• If there is no concrete guidance, I would combine Open Days into one entry, especially if you will also include multiple First Year Schemes. The advantage of doing this would be to have the opportunity to mention similar components of each Open Day to avoid repeating yourself. For example, you may want to mention a dispute resolution exercise at Firm A and a mediation workshop at Firm B together, and then explain how these experiences together introduced you to the role of a dispute resolution lawyer at a commercial firm! However, it is generally perfectly acceptable to have a separate entry for each of your Open Days.

• While you did not mention these, I want to briefly note (as it is a similar and common question) that I would also combine Virtual Internships, such as those on Forage, into one entry. You can then write a few sentences for each virtual experience programme, explaining the details of this experience and how it motivated you to pursue a career in commercial law.

• However, without any explicit guidance against it, I would list each First Year Scheme individually. Often, First Year Schemes offer comprehensive insight and experience, as they last for multiple days or even a whole week. I believe that it is important to have the space to explain your experience on a First Year Scheme in detail.

Lastly, I just wanted to say congratulations on having attended multiple Open Days/First Year Schemes! I know how competitive they can be, and I’m sure they must have been very valuable. Best of luck!

 

[Linus]

After reading about A&OS' grades requirements, I was wondering if my high variance in grades will effect my applications? I averaged a 2:1, but I achieved it through getting both high firsts and 2:2s (mainly 2:1s, but the variation does exist).

Will this pattern of grades automatically disqualify me from a lot of firms who put a hard limit on no grades lower than 2:1 in a module?

 

[LadyGagaWithATC]

If you could witness any event, past, present, or future firsthand, what would it be and why? (300)
this is one of the application questions for Covington. how would you recommend structuring an answer for this question? can it be any event or does it need to something specific which we can connect it back to the firm's practice area/work/culture?

Hi @a1024 !

This is a very interesting question, and I believe that it is one of the most difficult questions that I have seen!

I believe it is very difficult to tie questions like this to the firm's practice area or work, so I would not worry about this. Firms often ask questions like this not to assess a candidate's motivation or experience, but to see whether they can write succinctly while explaining their reasoning clearly and answering all aspects of the question.

Therefore, I believe you can pick any event and it does not have to be tied to the firm, or even the work of a commercial lawyer generally.

When structuring your answer, I would advise you to pay attention to the following aspects:

• Clearly identify and state which event you would want to witness, ideally in your first sentence: This may seem obvious, but I think it is important to be really clear as to what the particular event you would want to witness is, and when it was/is/will be.

• Explain any important details about the event: If there are any significant details about this event which may not have been clear from your initial description, you should do this next. However, I would not spend too much of your limited word count in explaining what the event is; certainly not more than 100 words, as the more significant aspect of the question, to me, appears to be the question "why?".

• Explain why you would like to witness this event: This is the most important part of the question and, in my opinion, should be the majority of your answer. Offer ideally two or three reasons outlining why this event would be particularly interesting to witness. Pay attention, in particular, to what insight you might gain by witnessing this event, rather than reading about it online. Also, don't be afraid to explain why the event is interesting to you in particular! It is always good to be able to tie your answer to such questions to your personality, background and other experiences!

Good luck!