Vacation Scheme Review

It was a very enjoyable insight. The people from other vacation schemers, trainees and up to partners were all very friendly and approachable, the firm had a very welcoming feel. There were also many social events put on for us - cocktail making, the firm summer party which we were lucky to be invited to, and drinks and food in 'Bounce'. The work itself was largely quite interesting, and I did tasks that were actually going to be used for a case, rather than just doing practice tasks, which made it that much more enjoyable.

Trainees, supervisors and partners went out of their way to talk to us, make us feel welcome, and ensure we knew that we could approach them with questions or for a chat. The amount of contact time we had with associates etc. was high, showing to me that the firm valued our presence and was willing to not only invest money, but time into us during the two weeks.

There was help provided when it was sought; when tasks were set it was made clear who we could talk to and we were given ample opportunity to discuss tasks with those who set them before starting them in order to ensure that we understood the requirements. Any questions we had there was someone to ask, so there was alot of support.

The skills we used were very similar to what I had done in my degree, to me the learning was much more about content and examples - for example, as a non-law graduate looking to go into law, my aim was to see and do the type of work a lawyer does to understand day-to-day life. The scheme enabled me to do this, utilising skills I already had/applying them to new tasks.

It was very well structured. We were each given a booklet on the first day which set out our timetabling for the 2 weeks, as well as giving us groups for our group project etc. Before, we knew what we would be doing as this had been communicated to us via email. The recruitment team who organised the placement gave us details and were approachable throughout the scheme if we had questions about what we were doing. They had assigned supervisors and trainee buddies to each vac schemer which ensured there was always a point of contact in our seat to talk to/get work from which gave the scheme structure as well. Events organised for all vac schemers were all timetabled in, such as 'focus on' events where each seat/department in the firm came and gave a presentation and scenario to us. At no point did I think "what am I meant to be doing now", it was all very clear.

The atmosphere was great. The vac schemers all got on with each other very well, and all the people I came into contact with were friendly and happy to have a chat, which left an impression of a very good general atmosphere. It was a collegiate atmosphere, and didn't strike me as very 'hierarchical' at all. From secretaries to partners, everyone was on good terms.

The firm invest a lot of time into us, for starters. Many members of the firm gave up their hours to talk to us, tell us what it was like, or to help us on the group task, or even just to take us for coffee. They also explained most tasks and had an open door policy so that if we needed help, we could go and get it. I haven't given this a 10 as I wasn't 'hand-held' throughout each task given to me - a good thing for me, but which some people like - as if we were confident with the task, we were left to get on with it, rather than being talked through every step before we began. Instead, we took our finished tasks to our supervisors/trainees to check over, which provided for plenty of learning opportunities.

Having had plenty of time to talk to partners/associates/trainees, as well as witnessing their work, meant I had a pretty good idea of what it would be like to work there full time.

The insight showed that how the firm is sold - friendly and welcoming - is true, it has a good culture which I greatly enjoyed.

It was very valuable. Not everything we will do in our jobs will be exciting, but some will - the insight had an appropriate balance of the more mundane tasks, and the more interesting ones, which gave me I feel a fair representation of what kind of tasks could be done. I could have done more tasks to get a better understanding, but it was useful none the less.

We were paid £275 a week, and previously to this, for interviews or social events before the scheme, we were reimbursed costs i.e. train fares. I thought this was very fair and a good amount.

Trainees attended drinks with us, and we attended the firm summer party which meant (if we choose) there was ample opportunity to meet people and network. Drinks were put on in one evening where our supervisors and others could come along, and there were several networking lunches. We were also given a group task which was aimed at giving us good reason to talk to different members of the firm, which helped us network.

The networking and social event opportunities were very good. We had several: lunches, evening drinks and dinner, cocktail making class, and the summer party.

Employees have sports teams, which some vac schemers got involved in, but I don't know many beyond this.

It was a very good insight in a good, welcoming firm, so I would thoroughly recommend it. The staff care about your experience, and you are not seen as a burden, which makes the experience very much worthwhile.