Vacation Scheme Review

Taylor Wessing was extremely friendly and welcoming, making the experience very enjoyable. This was further supported by the collegiate atmosphere between Vacation Scheme students. I was given significant responsibilities and enjoyed seeing how my research or other work fitted into the overall picture. The work was challenging but not inaccessible, so it was very interesting.

During my first week I felt highly valued as I was given significant tasks and people took time to answer my questions. In the second week I experienced perhaps a more realistic aspect of the firm as being a very busy place, giving less opportunity to feel integrated but demonstrating that the environment can sometimes be excitingly fast-paced.

In addition to the support of graduate recruitment before and during the scheme, there were also supervisors and trainee buddies to ensure that there was lots of guidance and support throughout. I received significantly more feedback in the first week, but again this was probably just due to how busy each department was while I was there.

The professional environment was something new to me so the experience offered the chance to develop my skills. The Focus On sessions gave a very helpful insight into all aspects of Taylor Wessing's work, helping me to spark an interest in new areas. These have left me open-minded as to what I might want to specialise in.

There was a very helpful introductory morning on the first day to help us settle in. There was a clear structure of informative Focus On sessions to give us a grounding in varied areas of the firm's work. There was also a group presentation that we had to deliver on the last day.

The atmosphere exceeded my expectations. Social events offered the opportunity to ask trainees about life at Taylor Wessing and they were very positive. The firm's forward-thinking reputation was also evident on a daily-basis, for example through events about technology, showing how Taylor Wessing would be a very exciting place to work.

There was lots of training on the first day to become familiarised with the IT system, and the IT team were very helpful throughout the scheme. More broadly, there was a clear effort to expose those on the Vacation Scheme to varied work so as to allow us to develop a range of skills.

Trainees indicated that many of the tasks I undertook during the scheme were typical trainee tasks, helping me to understand what it would be like to work at Taylor Wessing. Listening to calls with clients gave the opportunity to see how roles might change as one progresses through the firm.

Throughout the scheme, we had to prepare a group presentation on a topic related to Taylor Wessing's culture. This offered the chance to explore the culture in depth and see how the firm really values having a brilliant culture. Talking to people about their own experiences offered a real insight into daily life at the firm.

Sitting in Private Client for a week made me realise that this is something that I would definitely want to consider by ensuring a training contract includes a seat in Private Client. Nevertheless, the varied Focus On sessions about the other areas of the firm’s expertise were very interesting, leaving me open-minded.

I struggled to afford accommodation in London and so had to commute for most of the scheme which was very tiring.

We were encouraged to meet with as many employees as possible and people were generally very willing to take the time to chat to us.

There were regular social events, offering the chance to talk to trainees about their experiences. There were also plenty of networking opportunities given the willingness of employees to make the time for meetings with us. This helped me to develop my confidence as I began to contact more people towards the end of the scheme.

From pro bono work to sports, there seemed to be lots of things to get involved in outside of work. There were also lots of different groups so that similar people could get together.

The scheme was a very valuable and enjoyable experience, and the varied practice areas means that it leaves so many options open, so I would definitely recommend it.