• TCLA Premium: Now half price (£30/month). Applications, interviews, commercial awareness + 700+ examples.
    Join →

TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

Dannie

Legendary Member
Premium Member
Mar 20, 2024
168
286
Samsies, got to the AC this year and had such a weird interview experience. Partners were standoffish and didn't seem like they cared. I kept wondering what I did wrong and got such wack feedback.
I worshipped the firm. I thought I knew everything about them until I met them in person and had an unpleasant experience with recruitment. All I am going to say is that this new tests are a reflection of their recruitment team.
 

JBM

Star Member
Nov 16, 2024
49
182
Congrats!

I’m really keen on cleary, may I ask what your grades are like and how much work experience you have?
a levels did not meet requirement.
Firsts in first and second year.
One vac scheme at a MC, another form of competitive internship at a international and paralegal experience in Argentina.
 

l789

Legendary Member
Aug 19, 2020
241
289
a levels did not meet requirement.
Firsts in first and second year.
One vac scheme at a MC, another form of competitive internship at an international and paralegal experience in Argentina.
Thank you so much for responding.

Your grades and experience are amazing!
Sorry. I don’t mean to be intrusive, but when you say your Alevels don’t meet the requirement, are you substantially far off, or just one or two grades. Cleary has AAA, which is objectively the highest A level grade requirement (alongside Sidley).

Just trying to see if they take a holistic approach. Cleary is a fantastic firm, congrats and wishing you success for the next stages :)
 

JBM

Star Member
Nov 16, 2024
49
182
Thank you so much for responding.

Your grades and experience are amazing!
Sorry. I don’t mean to be intrusive, but when you say your Alevels don’t meet the requirement, are you substantially far off, or just one or two grades. Cleary has AAA, which is objectively the highest A level grade requirement (alongside Sidley).

Just trying to see if they take a holistic approach. Cleary is a fantastic firm, congrats and wishing you success for the next stages :)
I was one grade off.
 

yasmars

Legendary Member
Premium Member
Jan 1, 2021
482
783
Spending so much time on those 2 stages... before they even read your application, so then getting rejected is so []. Hence, US firms are better at this, as most of them review your application personally and, only then, if successful, invite you to the next stage nvm about doing 2 tests for HL that contained SJT + WG + VI, and then a document-scanning exercise. It's not even a magic firm, either. Feels like way too much.
Agree. At least Freshfields have removed written answers from their applications
 

About Us

The Corporate Law Academy (TCLA) was founded in 2018 because we wanted to improve the legal journey. We wanted more transparency and better training. We wanted to form a community of aspiring lawyers who care about becoming the best version of themselves.

Get Our 2026 Vacation Scheme Guide

Nail your vacation scheme applications this year with our latest guide, with sample answers to law firm questions.