• Hey Guest, Have an interview coming up? We’ve opened new mock interview slots this week. Book here
  • Received a training contract offer? We're hiring. It's fully remote. Apply by 27 April 2026
  • TCLA Premium: Now half price (£30/month). Applications, interviews, commercial awareness + 700+ examples.
    Join →

TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

Just to get a feel for things - if anyone has any previous experience: usually how many rejections can one expect for VS/TC applications per cycle? I think I need to reset my expectations lol

Edit: by rejections, I mean pre-AC rejections
All I can say is don't focus on rejections. If you progress to further stages in any of your apps, focus on making it further. It's honestly a big, big luck to receive one interview these days. Of course, it also depends on your educational and professional background, but even for the brightest minds from the best universities, it's still quite hard.
 
Hi guys! Does anyone have any tips for Mischon de Reya's chat-based video interview?
In particular, is it generally advisable to avoid (where possible) talking about experiences I referred to in my application?

As ever, if anyone has any tips, I'd be hugely grateful! :)
 
Hi guys! Does anyone have any tips for Mischon de Reya's chat-based video interview?
In particular, is it generally advisable to avoid (where possible) talking about experiences I referred to in my application?

As ever, if anyone has any tips, I'd be hugely grateful! :)
From what I remember from the open day insights and also doing the test:
1. The chat-based interview is to give more colour into what you've said in your main application. The purpose is to allow you to express them with full liberty and it does translate well if you manage to give suitable responses.
2. I used the speech-to-text and it worked perfectly fine (except for names, which you can edit it manually before hitting send). It saved me a lot of time (I completed the test in about 50-60 mns.
3. In the left hand side, you can see what are the points the AI taking notes of to send it to the grad team. I would suggest you to take a look at it constantly and tailor your successive inputs accordingly.
4. Towards the end, there is an option to add additional work experiences and details you wanna say, but it's just open text and you can't copy paste. So I would advise you to write them in a paper as notes, and read them out as a single message concisely, it helps to add everything without the pressure of token limit.
5. Be familiar with what the firm is looking for. That's what most of the questions are about.
6. After the video recording ended, I personally took the photos of all the notes the AI has made from the conversation, just for my future reference. I would suggest the same as to know how things went.
7. Treat it like talking to your chatGPT and not like an interview, it eases the situation and helps you have genuine conversation (which the AI is looking for)

Best wishes ✨
 
If Legal Cheek will be conducting another virtual Law Fair at 24th March 2026, whilst most participating firms deadline has passed, do they accommodate for the next cycle in 2026/2027 or they will reopen vacancies to fill out the TC intake for this cycle incoming in 2028??? Eg. some candidates decline their offer, or future trainee failed SQE so they need to postpone intake.

I'm wondering if it's possible that more firms would follow Reed Smith's path this cycle to open new TC route like last year, especially those which open through VS route only. Sorry if it sounds silly as this is my first cycle. @Abbie Whitlock
 
Just to get a feel for things - if anyone has any previous experience: usually how many rejections can one expect for VS/TC applications per cycle? I think I need to reset my expectations lol

Edit: by rejections, I mean pre-AC rejections
i have applied for solicitor apprenticeships, first year schemes and finally vac schemes this year. i think I have sent off over 60 applications throughout, got to one AC this year and was successful at macfarlanes. the three days before my AC i recieved rejections from S&M, Jones Day, and A&O. reflecting on it all, id say my applications the past two years deserved to get rejected but dont forget just because you get rejected doesnt indicate ur strength as a candidate. its a two way thing as well, you could write the same quality app for two firms and get accepted and rejected by each, because it also depends on general fit.
 
  • Like
  • 🏆
Reactions: yk1906 and Amgrad

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.