• Get Everything You Need to Secure a Training Contract
    Now half the price. Join TCLA Premium for £30/month and get step-by-step application support, daily commercial awareness practice, and 700+ successful examples of past applications and interview experiences. Plus so much more.
    Join Premium →
  • Office Hours with BCLP (Live Q&A)
    17 December 2025 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm (UK) Hosted on TCLA TV
    Join Isabel Elsey, Legal Recruitment Manager at BCLP, for a live Q&A session. Get details on secondments, innovation, growth areas, and everything else you’ve wanted to ask about life at BCLP!

    📺 View Event →

Winter Vacation Schemes during the GDL

Jooooopp7

Legendary Member
Junior Lawyer
Nov 25, 2019
149
193
Hi, I'm starting the PGDL in sept at BPP and have not yet secured a training contract so will need to be applying to places next cycle. I was wondering how doable a winter VS is during the gdl, is there enough time? does it clash with winter exams? I'm concerned as the timetable, I have seen (not sure if it's 100% correct) states that there will be exams the last 2 weeks of the winter semester which sounds like I won't be able to do any vacations schemes. However, I have heard of loads of people managing to secure TCs from winter vac schemes during their GDL so was wondering if anyone has any advice on this? I don't want to waste time applying to winter VS when I can't even do them!
 

gg999

Star Member
Apr 14, 2020
47
97
Hi, I'm starting the PGDL in sept at BPP and have not yet secured a training contract so will need to be applying to places next cycle. I was wondering how doable a winter VS is during the gdl, is there enough time? does it clash with winter exams? I'm concerned as the timetable, I have seen (not sure if it's 100% correct) states that there will be exams the last 2 weeks of the winter semester which sounds like I won't be able to do any vacations schemes. However, I have heard of loads of people managing to secure TCs from winter vac schemes during their GDL so was wondering if anyone has any advice on this? I don't want to waste time applying to winter VS when I can't even do them!

It is only this year with the PGDL that exams are in December. It looks like they will clash with the winter vacation scheme dates so I really doubt you will be able to do any December ones if I am being completely honest. There were people on my winter scheme last year doing the GDL who did not have exams but missed a lot of teaching and fell behind quite a bit, I wouldn't recommend.
 

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.