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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26
- Thread starter Ram Sabaratnam
- Start date
Hi @Abbie Whitlock, hope your week's going well! I've just received a 45-minute interview invite for Stephenson Harwood's Dubai VS, and it's supposed to be held with the future talent team and a colleague from the Dubai office. Do you have any advice on how I should best prepare for this? The email doesn't state if it's a skills/competency/commercial awareness-based interview so I'm a bit unsure of what to expect. I'd appreciate any insight you have. Thank you!
Hey! So I failed 4 ACs this cycle - but I managed to pass 2 (what's even worse were that they were in no particular order, so my failures and successes seemed super random).Thank you so much. I always feel out of place in most firms so I think it must be imposter syndrome. I do have a somehow strong Eastern European accent and I often feel like this may be the problem, but that’s impossible because the firms I apply to are international, and I also speak 4 languages so my accent is all over the place. However, I still articulate myself well I feel. I just wish I was a native English speaker, so I wouldn’t make silly mistakes when I’m nervous e.g saying one thousand hundred instead of one hundred thousandbut that’s because I’m nervous
And thank you. DLA told me I’m not structured and I need to use different examples for star. So I’ve done that, but I have not received feedback for my second AC. I will get it in a couple of weeks.
Sometimes it's really just a combination of luck, preparation, and circumstances! All I can recommend is to keep working at it, learn what you did well and what you should avoid for next time, and keep at it! I trust you will be successful in due course!
But I also suffer from imposter syndrome haha, try not let it eat at you!
Hi! Does anyone have any advice on completing w&c VI? I can give insights into all the stages for Latham and Macfarlanes.
genuinely cant prepare for it, but you have enough time to think on it in the time they give
Thank you so much for your reply. Can I ask you if you would practice something anyway or not? If yes, how would you prepare?
HeySecond ever AC and rejection. I’m floored. This thread helped me a lot to get these ACs and can’t thank everyone enough- I’ve ever had the opportunity to get to the video interview stage with big firms like Dechert, Dentons etc. so im forever grateful.
HOWEVER I DONT KNOW WHAT IM DOING WRONG!!!!( in person) it’s my first ever cycle. How many cycles does it actually take. I’m not from the UK so it’s not as competitive but it’s pretty similar lol. I feel like genuinely giving up. Does it ever get better? I genuinely feel like I can get any app I want to the video/ interview or TC interview stage, BUT THEN IT ALL GOES WRONG IN THE ASSESSMENT CENTRE OR/ AND THE INTERVIEW.
How specific are you meant to be with STAR- is anyone able to answer a STAR competency question for a TC? Maybe my examples are too long. Could anyone pretty please provide me an example of this?
100 million thoughts are going into my head I just feel like maybe I’m not good enough and I’m not cut for this, maybe I should change careers, I’m 28 soon, it’s concerning
THANK YOU ALL!
I would really try not to be too hard on yourself (easier said than done, I know!) - getting to AC stage in your first cycle is a really strong sign that your applications are working and that firms clearly see a lot of potential in you. As Jaysen mentioned, it is incredibly common to go through a few cycles in the legal application process simply due to how competitive it is.
I can totally relate to what you are saying as well because applications were usually the part I had the most success with too - I often felt like I "got it wrong" at the later AC/interview stages, and it was incredibly frustrating to feel like the opportunities were slipping through my fingers. From personal experience though, this genuinely was something I improved at over time just by doing more of the types of exercises you typically get in ACs and becoming more familiar with them. Eventually you start recognising the skills they are looking for, learning how much detail to give, managing nerves better, and becoming more confident in the environment itself.
I also think it sometimes comes down to very small margins. Two candidates can both perform well and it can end up being something tiny like perceived confidence, communication style, or simply who connected slightly better with the interviewers on the day. Whilst I appreciate that is a frustrating concept (especially when so much time and effort goes into preparing for ACs), I ultimately think it means that you'll have the most success with firms that are a good fit for you.
On STAR, I'd definitely agree with other forum posts and say that I found it helpful to keep the situation/task element quite short (+ simply give enough context), and focus on the action part. Interviewers essentially want to hear what you did in the situation, so I'd make sure to highlight how you were directly involved and why that contributed to the overall success.
Also, please do not think that 28 is too late for law at all!! I have met so many trainees or people on vacation schemes that entered the profession at different ages, and they all bring a unique perspective or experience that make them fantastic solicitors. The fact that you are consistently reaching the interview stages in your first cycle is already a huge achievement, even if it probably doesn't feel like it right now. Those who end up succeeding in the process are usually those who keep showing up and learning from each experience, rather than getting it right on the first try.
Wishing you all the best
Hey!
I've had a good week, thank you! I hope you have too
Congratulations on the interview invite!! Whilst I'm not too sure on the specifics of the invite itself, I've found that when firms don't specify the interview type, it is usually best to prepare for a mix of motivational/competency questions with some commercial awareness woven in, rather than anything super technical.
As it is with both the future talent team and someone from the Dubai office, I'd definitely prepare for questions such as:
- Why Stephenson Harwood specifically
- Why Dubai/international work
- Why commercial law
- Competency questions (e.g. teamwork, leadership, handling challenges, etc.)
- Discussion around commercial stories or trends relevant to the region and firm
I would also make sure that you have looked into and researched things such as:
- Stephenson Harwood's key sectors and practice areas
- Recent deals/news involving the firm
- Why Dubai is an important legal/commercial hub (both for the firm, and more generally in the market)
- Trends in the Middle East market (e.g. energy, infrastructure, disputes, investment, etc.)
Best of luck - I'm sure you'll do great!!
Thank you so much Abbie!! This is incredibly helpfulHey!
I've had a good week, thank you! I hope you have too
Congratulations on the interview invite!! Whilst I'm not too sure on the specifics of the invite itself, I've found that when firms don't specify the interview type, it is usually best to prepare for a mix of motivational/competency questions with some commercial awareness woven in, rather than anything super technical.
As it is with both the future talent team and someone from the Dubai office, I'd definitely prepare for questions such as:
For competency questions, I always found it helpful to create a mini-bank of my past experiences and highlight what skills or traits I could discuss for each. This meant that I had a few ideas that I could fit into STAR examples for different questions that they may ask. I would try to keep the situation/task element of the STAR structure pretty concise, and focus most on the action that you took and the overall result.
- Why Stephenson Harwood specifically
- Why Dubai/international work
- Why commercial law
- Competency questions (e.g. teamwork, leadership, handling challenges, etc.)
- Discussion around commercial stories or trends relevant to the region and firm
I would also make sure that you have looked into and researched things such as:
As someone from the Dubai office will be interviewing you, they will probably be interested in your genuine motivation for the region. Therefore, I'd make sure that you can clearly articulate why you are motivated to work there and back it up with examples.
- Stephenson Harwood's key sectors and practice areas
- Recent deals/news involving the firm
- Why Dubai is an important legal/commercial hub (both for the firm, and more generally in the market)
- Trends in the Middle East market (e.g. energy, infrastructure, disputes, investment, etc.)
Best of luck - I'm sure you'll do great!!
Just had a feedback call for a pre VS interview which I failed. Feel so disheartened. She basically said I scored well on one question, weaker on another and the rest average. :/ I feel like my abilities aren’t enough to succeed
Hi - would anyone who has done well this cycle/past cycles be willing to look at some of my applications? Thanks so much!
I am a firm believer that practice makes perfect. In my first ever VS interview I was terrible. (You most likely did a lot better than me!). With time, the more I practiced and focused on having a bank of experiences I could draw from, I became naturally better. Your brain is learning everyday. There were times when I didn’t even notice I got better, but that repetition just made it easier. What I am saying is that this is not a reflection of you, you are simply learning to get better at a new skill. Get people to interview, pay for some mock interviews if within your budget or find other creative ways of practicing regularly like practicing interview questions in front of a mirror. I am rooting for you! You got this. I understand how disheartening this whole process is. I battle with that everyday but the good thing about it is that a lot of it does come down to practice and getting better at the typical tasks involved in the app process (with of course a sprinkle of luck too.)
Hey!
I am really sorry to hear that - I know how discouraging those feedback calls can feel, especially after putting so much effort in. However, from what you have said, it doesn't sound like you were "bad" across the board at all! Scoring well on one question shows that you absolutely have the strengths and skills that they recognised, and "average" in a competitive VS process often means you were still performing at a good level.
Sometimes these interviews can come down to a few answers being slightly stronger or more tailored on the day, rather than your overall potential or ability to succeed in law. The fact that you were able to get detailed feedback is really valuable as it gives you something concrete to work on for next time.
I also think that we sometimes underestimate how much nerves can impact performance in these processes. I found that once I became more familiar with interviews and assessments and started feeling a bit more confident, my performance improved a lot naturally. These things really do get a lot easier with practice, and it is always important to remind yourself that you wouldn't be making it to the later stages in the process if the firm didn't think you were capable.
I appreciate it feels personal right now, but one interview results really doesn't define your capabilities. A lot of people who go on to secure VSs and TCs have several rejections and disappointing feedback calls before things click (+ I received far more rejections than I can count!), so it is all about being resilient and focusing on the areas that you feel less confident in.
Wishing you the best of luck - you have TCLA rooting for you!!
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