TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2026-27

[Abbie Whitlock]

hi @Abbie Whitlock i hope you are well!! in my first year i recieved a 55 in one of my modules but feel i had genuine mc but i always wonder whether disclosing it makes the firm look less favourably. would it be possible to personal pm you the description as i would feel a lot more confident disclosing it knowing that it is genueinyl valid and is to the point

Hey!

I am doing well, thank you - I hope you are too!

Yes of course, please feel free to PM me

 

[awatling1]

I got a TC offer!!!!!!

Honestly can't believe it. When I say I couldn't have done it without TCLA I really mean that. All the support and insight on this forum has been invaluable to me. Thanks so much to everyone, there are so many current and past TCLA staff who have been so helpful. I used to have no clue what was going on and didn't even know the difference between a sector and a practice area hahaha!! I am so glad I chose to keep persevering.

I would be grateful for any and all pgdl advice

 

[sagekensuke]

Hi @Abbie Whitlock, do you have any advice on delineating between whether something is work experience or a hobby?

For context, I began doing something as a hobby and it would typically be regarded as a recreational activity, but eventually started earning money (not a huge amount, but roughly around £5,000) from it which is why I’m unsure how to categorise it.

Some application questions ask us to discuss our extracurricular activities etc. so for those I think I would benefit from not including it as a work experience, but where the application form doesn’t mention this, I might as well include it as a work experience entry? Or do you think it’s better to just save it until interview instead of potentially mischaracterising as a work experience

 

[Enyonam]

Hi all,

I am one year post grad from a non RG and working as a paralegal in house. I have done one vac scheme at HSFK which was unsuccessful. I have decided that I want this to be the cycle that I secure a training contract and I will work as hard as it takes to make it happen.

I will be documenting my journey here to hold myself accountable, hopefully this will be the community I need to keep me pushing.

This week, I’m applying for Macfarlanes’ Winter Vac Scheme… it opened so early!!

 

[Jaysen]

I got a TC offer!!!!!!

Honestly can't believe it. When I say I couldn't have done it without TCLA I really mean that. All the support and insight on this forum has been invaluable to me. Thanks so much to everyone, there are so many current and past TCLA staff who have been so helpful. I used to have no clue what was going on and didn't even know the difference between a sector and a practice area hahaha!! I am so glad I chose to keep persevering.

I would be grateful for any and all pgdl advice

This is awesome. Well done you! I'm so glad to read this

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

I got a TC offer!!!!!!

Honestly can't believe it. When I say I couldn't have done it without TCLA I really mean that. All the support and insight on this forum has been invaluable to me. Thanks so much to everyone, there are so many current and past TCLA staff who have been so helpful. I used to have no clue what was going on and didn't even know the difference between a sector and a practice area hahaha!! I am so glad I chose to keep persevering.

I would be grateful for any and all pgdl advice

Huge congratulations - that is incredible news!! I hope you take some time to celebrate this amazing achievement

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi @Abbie Whitlock, do you have any advice on delineating between whether something is work experience or a hobby?

For context, I began doing something as a hobby and it would typically be regarded as a recreational activity, but eventually started earning money (not a huge amount, but roughly around £5,000) from it which is why I’m unsure how to categorise it.

Some application questions ask us to discuss our extracurricular activities etc. so for those I think I would benefit from not including it as a work experience, but where the application form doesn’t mention this, I might as well include it as a work experience entry? Or do you think it’s better to just save it until interview instead of potentially mischaracterising as a work experience

Hey!

I think the fact that you've earned money from it makes it perfectly reasonable to include it as work experience, particularly if you were taking on responsibilities that went beyond simply doing the activity recreationally.

I would focus less on the label and more on what you actually did. If you were effectively running a small business/service, dealing with clients or customers, managing finances, marketing yourself, meeting deadlines, etc, there is definitely work experience value there.

For applications that specifically ask for extracurriculars/hobbies, I would still mention it there if you think the activity itself demonstrates something interesting about you. You don't necessarily have to choose one category exclusively - you can frame the same experience differently depending on the question. For example, in a work experience section you could focus on the commercial/responsibility side, whereas in an extracurricular section you could talk about how you developed the hobby and what you enjoy about it.

I also wouldn't worry about it being seen as "mischaracterising" it as work experience. If you were genuinely earning money from it and undertaking work as part of that, you can explain that clearly in the entry. I'd only leave it until interview if you don't have enough space or the application's categories make it difficult to include.

Ultimately, the substance of the experience matters much more than which heading you put it under, and I think either will work

 

[legallybrunette8]

Has anyone applied to CRS' CRED academy, or done so previously? Wondering what the timescales look like between apps closing and response

 

[e.jy336]

Does anyone know which firms typically use the Watson Glaser (or a 'critical thinking test' which is basically the WG repackaged) in their application process? In my experience it I've seen it with Hogan Lovells, Milbank, Linklaters, and Latham.