Vacation scheme student Review

by Shoosmiths

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

4.4/5
  • About You
    4.5
  • The Company
    4.3
  • Everything Else
    4.3

    About You

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy the insight?
  • I completed a one week summer vacation scheme with Shoosmiths. I really enjoyed the experience and loved working for the firm. My team were really friendly and made an effort to welcome me, and I was given a variety of interesting and relevant work. At the end of the week, I was a bit sad I could not just stay on!

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued during your time at the company or firm?
  • I felt really valued during my placement. I got assignments from lawyers at all levels, from paralegals to partners, and everyone, including the partners, took a real interest in me and how I was getting on. The placement involved a presentation on the final day and several partners watched my presentation and gave me very useful constructive feedback.

    5/5

  • 3. How much guidance/support did you receive during the insight?
  • The trainee solicitor in the team was my host during the placement. She was very friendly and supportive and took a lot of time to explain things to me and help me. Other members of the team were also always happy to help when I was stuck with a task, and gave me feedback on the assignments I completed.

    5/5

  • 4. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and information you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • While this was only a one week placement, it provided a really valuable insight into the workings of a national law firm and the reality of being a lawyer. It helped me develop some essential skills such as time management, working under pressure and prioritising tasks, as well as helping me to think commercially rather than from an academic perspective.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 5. How well structured was the insight?
  • I felt like there was a good balance between scheduled activities, such as the presentation at the end, and unallocated time which allowed me to assist the team with legal work. While my team were fairly quiet during my placement, I was never bored as my host made sure I had work to do while also being careful not to overload me.

    5/5

  • 6. How was the general atmosphere during your insight?
  • My team were very sociable and inclusive, and this reflected the general culture of the firm. My host invited me to various social events during the week, such as a sporting event and several drinks after work, which gave me the opportunity to speak to different members of the firm in a social context as well.

    5/5

  • 7. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • I ended up securing a training contract with the firm and the firm sponsored my legal studies. During my placement, the different members of the team also made an effort to explain legal concepts to me and give me valuable advice on both technical and personal development points, which helped me when starting my training contract.

    5/5

  • 8. To what extent did the insight help you to understand what it would be like to have a full time role with the company or firm?
  • While the team was undergoing a quiet period at the time, the tasks I was assigned gave me a good idea of life as a trainee. The fact that several team members gave me work meant that I got an idea of the trainee challenges of prioritising and managing expectations, as well as learning to adapt to different people's working preferences.

    4/5

  • 9. How much did the insight help you in understanding the company culture?
  • I think that I got a good insight into the culture of the firm and its focus on being approachable and working well together. While a week provides limited insight and the limited knowledge of vacation scheme students means that the expectations placed upon them are lower, I felt like my general impression was nevertheless accurate.

    4/5

  • 10. How valuable was the content in helping you to decide on your future career path?
  • The placement was very helpful in that it confirmed my career choice of becoming a solicitor. It also helped me choose the type of firm I wanted to train in, as I found that the friendly culture of the firm was really conducive to learning as much as possible and enjoying my work.

    5/5

    Everything Else

  • 11. Were you paid or reimbursed adequately for this experience?
  • I was paid £200 for the week.


  • 12. Were there opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company or firm?
  • There were a couple of drinks evenings at which I had the chance to mingle with employees from the wider firm. I also found that people were very outgoing and chatty, so even making tea in the kitchen provided an opportunity to meet and get to know other people in different departments.

    4/5

  • 13. How were the networking/ social event opportunities?
  • The drinks evenings took place in a pub and were very relaxed which helped a lot as it made it less intimidating to chat with senior colleagues.

    5/5

  • 14. Did you find out about activities that employees can get involved in outside of work?
  • I was taken along to a regular sporting event one evening.

    4/5

  • 15. Would you recommend this insight to a friend?
  • Definitely

    5/5

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Details

Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)

South East

November 2015


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