Vacation Scheme Student Review

The vacation scheme is a nice experience. It is a good balance of social events, where you can interact with and meet people at the firm, and spending time doing work at the seats. Since the scheme is structured to allow you to sit with two different departments, it improves your exposure to distinct practice areas.

You are definitely valued at the firm with everyone, from trainees to partners, taking out time to interact with you and answer any questions you may have. Everyone is warm and welcoming.

During the scheme I sat with a supervisor and had a trainee buddy. Both the supervisor and the trainee provide great support and guidance throughout the scheme and take an active interest in providing you with help.

The scheme enables you to gather useful data about the firm and see whether you can work there. The scheme also has several presentations by the various departments at the firm which provides an insight into what kind of work you may receive in the seat you decide upon. However, the information gathered during the scheme is not directly linked to academics.

The scheme is quite well structured and provides you with the opportunity to sit in two different practice areas. However, the time spent in the second seat is only five days. As mentioned already, the scheme has a good balance of social events and actual time spent at the seat.

The general atmosphere during the vacation scheme was very friendly and welcoming. The firm has a great work environment and culture. The people are motivated and happy at the firm and everyone is willing to help and take out time to talk to you.

The firms invests a lot in terms of personal training and development. I sat with a supervisor during the scheme who provided me with useful feedback. Further, the firm organises a L&D (learning and development) session to teach you about soft skills. You also engage in team building exercises and group presentations.

The firms invests a lot in the scheme and in ensuring that you receive an accurate description of what it would be like to work full time with the firm. The firm has a Network's Fair to familiarize you with the various out of work events you can get involved with. You also receive the opportunity to interact with people from all levels at the firm that enables you to understand the kind and nature of work that they do.

Naturally, during any scheme you are sitting in a department so you understand the culture of the department. However, the firm's scheme enables you to understand the culture of the entire company. This is due to the events you attend during the scheme and by virtue of sitting in two different departments.

The content of the scheme is definitely helpful in deciding a future career path. This is for two reasons, first, it helps you see whether you would be able to work in the firm and whether or not the firm is a right fit for you. Second, it exposes you to different practice areas available in law firms and see which kind of work you like better.

The firm pays you a stipend of four hundred pounds a week and reimburses any expenses you may have incurred due to activities linked with the scheme. Further, since I was an international vacation scheme student, I was provided with flight tickets as well as accommodation for the duration of the scheme.

Yes, there were ample opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the firm. These events included practice area presentations, team building exercises, a fair of all the networks at the firm, drinks with partners at the firm, meeting future joiners of HSF and feedback sessions with the HR team.

The networking/ social event opportunities were great. You were able to get a good understanding of the firm, its culture and the employees at the firm. The events were very well organised.

Yes, the several social events and networking opportunities enabled me to find out about the various activities that employees can get involved in outside of work. The firm has very active networks and sports groups that one can get involved with, as well as a fantastic pro-bono practice.

Yes, I would definitely recommend the insight to a friend.