Vacation Scheme student Review

I enjoyed the scheme - especially as the week progressed. During the first couple of days it was slightly too hectic. We had been given multiple tasks with the expectation of completing them to a high standard. This was made harder by the lack of free time and socials in the evening. As the week progressed, the workload became lighter. Further, I enjoyed more contact with members of my Practice Group and began to develop rapport.

I felt very valued towards the end. I was in communication with multiple employees, all of whom were trying to arrange calls with me! This made me feel valued. I think I could have felt more valued if it was possible for me to assist my Practice Group with tasks. I did offer to help, but my supervisor was (reasonably) reluctant to give me any due to the busyness of my schedule.

We received great support from the GR team, who frequently hosted catch-ups. My buddies were also excellent and made a real effort to include me and check how I was doing. I was slightly unsure how much guidance I could seek regarding the Practice Group task. I chose not to seek guidance to better reflect my abilities - it would not surprise me if others sought more guidance.

The main skills I developed relate to the remoteness of the scheme. I feel a lot more at ease when video calling or calling more senior employees. Virtual communication can be challenging, but I think I improved as the week progressed. I also developed confidence in requesting meetings just to catch-up.

The scheme ran very smoothly. I thought the excercises were well balanced - i.e. a day did not have too many of a certain session. I thought the catch-ups were also great for the added personal touch. I would prefer it if we had more free time throughout the scheme. We were being assessed on a limited number of points. The fact that we did not have much free time made it harder to complete these to the highest possible standard - e.g. more free time = more opportunity to call and speak to different members of the firm.

The atmosphere was great. Everyone accepted that these were novel circumstances. This includes fellow students on the scheme and the employees themselves. It was a fun talking point to discuss the situation. Overall, everyone was very grateful for TW to make the effort to continue the scheme.

I think the firm invested a lot. We had lots of sessions and individual employees were always willing to assist us in a friendly and supportive manner. This was impressive given that the purpose of the scheme was essentially an assessment; the firm still wanted to develop and teach us.

The remoteness of the scheme made this a lot harder. Usually on a vacation scheme, you would sit in the Practice Group and develop lots of relationships with the team. We were unable to do this here. This is not a criticism of the firm however - the circumstances are exceptional and I think they did the best they reasonably could have done.

This was probably the most important thing about the scheme. TW always emphasises its positive culture. The scheme allowed us to experience this assertion and to confirm its validity. Every person (without fail) was extremely friendly and welcoming. I think this truly represented the culture of the firm, making me feel more positive about potential employment.

I was already certain I want to be a solicitor at a firm such as TW. This scheme helped confirm this.

There were no expenses to be reimbursed. I think the pay was adequate - especially given that it was a virtual scheme.

There were lots of opportunities throughout the scheme. I would have appreciated more free time to arrange individual calls however.

The social events were quite good but obviously limited by their remoteness.

I did not.

Yes I would - mainly for the insight into the firm's culture.