vacation scheme participant Review

I really enjoyed the activities and tasks we were assigned and meeting my future colleagues

we were given a high degree of responsibility especially when it came to the client meetings - we were left to own devices which made me feel I was trusted and respected

whatever the issue - workload or tech related one of the ETA team were always within in reach and happy to help

the online nature of the week has really helped me to adapt to the new online learning format of university - I was well prepared for online classes as I know how they work and I know there is no need to be nervous

the week was very well organised and everything ran like clockwork

everyone, staff and participants were friendly approachable and easy to talk to despite the online barrier it felt like everyone was in the same room together

the lengths the team went to to ensure the programme went ahead was impressive especially when many other firms were postponing or cancelling theirs - this made it feel like they really wanted to show up for us and they did. the ETA team went to a lot of effort to make sure the programme was rewarding for us and the emphasis on learning rather than assessment was very helpful in terms of reducing the pressure levels

although the activities did not reflect day to day activities it made it clear the atmosphere within CMS is very positive and friendly and through this I could see it would be a happy working environment. through break out chats with trainers it was possible to find out more about the culture of the office and how this varied (or didn't) between each office and country it was interesting to here from many different people in different positions from different parts of the world

the friendliness of the ETA team, the trainers, associates and partners who joined us throughout the week demonstrated the warm and open culture of CMS being in touch with potential future colleagues was also a great way to engage in what sort of people CMS look for. Although actually going down to London as planned would have been more engaging it was still great to meet everyone and it was an eye opener in terms of making new friends - it was especially exciting to meet people who would be working from the same office

the content was not as diverse as expected but I think CMS did what they could given the remote nature of the programme and they managed to fit a broad range of content into the week. for me however the stakeholder task and the clients was a great way for me to get real hands on experience with talking to actual clients and understanding that there is more to commercial law than just the legal element

I was paid a good sum for this week. It was a shame to miss out on the full pay ( we were only paid for one week rather than the planned 3 weeks) but this cannot be helped due to corona it was still nice to see that CMS saw our time as valuable to the firm as well for ourselves and to be rewarded for our participation was just a bonus - the learning was valuable in itself

Zoom breakout rooms were provided throughout the week and there were ways in which we could stay in contact with the other participants as well as staff. These were also non-assessed so we did not have to worry or feel pressured. They were very natural and therefore gave a true insight into what the people in the firm were like. due to how busy work is at the moment it was a shame the parters were unable to stay in the chat rooms after hours

due to the online nature it was hard to organise social events but breakout rooms were offered at the end of each day to get to know each other. At the end of the week each office (by location) had the opportunity to Make a group chat as well so we could get to know each other better. this was nice because you could meet people who you could be working with in the future

this was limited as the focus wasn't really on social life in my experience however it came up briefly in conversations before the days actually begun. events previous to this have shown however what other actives and events CMS do outside of the office. Although it couldn't go ahead the plan for the business of law week also showed what CMS employees are like outside of the office and this was very encouraging and promising

I would definitely recommend such an experience to a friend even though it was not in a traditional format. despite feeling strange and slightly overwhelming at the beginning of the week you soon get used to the online nature of the programme and there is really nothing to worry about. I have already given advice from my experience of the programme to friends who have similar upcoming events. As daunting as it may feel it really is very manageable and can be very fun if you engage with it properly