Turning VS to TC After Failed VS

[lawstudent18]

Hi everyone, I am hoping to get some advice on succeeding in an upcoming vacation scheme and securing a training contract after a not-so-successful vac scheme last year.

To summarise my previous failed vac scheme: I had so much pressure on myself to secure a tc. I think I took on way too much work, as by the end of my vs, I was pressed for time, very overwhelmed and stressed, nearly pulled two all-nighters to keep up, and had to submit two subpar pieces of work at the end of the scheme due to lack of time. This also resulted in my final case study assessment and interview being very bad, as I was completely drained and lack preparation time.

I have another vac scheme this spring and I am hoping to not make the same mistakes of last year, and I have a couple questions and would also appreciate any general advice:

- What is an acceptable amount of work to complete on a vac scheme? Last year, we were being assessed on every piece of work we completed over the five day scheme, and I wanted to ensure that I was 'doing enough', which I think led to me taking on too much, considering I had social and networking events scheduled every day as well. Do firms usually look at how much you have done?
- Is it appropriate to admit that you do not have the capacity to complete work if someone asks?
- I am worried as the firm's tc intake numbers are less than half of the vs numbers. I am worried about chances of being offered a TC
- Any other advice would be appreciated

 

[mg1]

hey, i did a five day vs last year and converted it, hope this might be helpful:

1. just for reference, i did around 3-4 pieces of work (drafting an agreement, legal research, writing client memo). my scheme was quite structured - there were a lot of talks, grad rec events throughout the day so realistically i only had a few hours at the desk each day. i comfortably produced those few pieces of work to a satisfactory standard without working outside business hours. i feel like that is the healthy balance you want to aim for - your supervisors and grad rec are acutely aware how time constrained you are, so as long as you have a few pieces of good work under your belt you are fine! at this early stage of your career, firms are equally if not more interested in your likeability/work ethic compared to your work quality.

2. absolutely. if anything, the associates/trainees assigning me work always asked me if i had too much on my plate. i think it reflects extremely well on you if you are self-aware of your capacity and can independently manage your workload.

3. i have not been in this position, but as i briefly mentioned, there are other factors affecting vs/tc conversion apart from your work. i would aim to strike a good balance between socialising with other scheme participants/members of the firm and producing good work. be nice to everyone and take advantage of every learning opportunity you get (or seek out yourself) without overwhelming yourself!

best of luck on your vac scheme and your legal journey in general