Vacation Schemes

A vacation scheme is a paid placement at a law firm, usually one to three weeks, where you sit with one or more practice groups and do real trainee-level work. For most commercial firms it doubles as an extended interview: a large share of their training contract offers go to people who did a scheme with them.

Through a written application, then usually a test and an interview or assessment centre. The two things that separate successful applications are specific, evidenced reasons for that particular firm, and applying early in the cycle rather than near the deadline.

Winter scheme deadlines usually fall in October and November, spring and summer scheme deadlines between November and January. Dates move every year and popular schemes can close early once they fill.

At commercial firms, almost always. High street and legal aid firms are more variable, and some offer unpaid or expenses-only placements. Each firm publishes its rate, and it is a fair question to ask recruitment directly.

No. Most commercial firms take roughly half their trainees from non-law degrees and run the same schemes for both. Non-law applicants complete a conversion course before the SQE.