Vacation Scheme Participant Review

by Taylor Wessing

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

Rating

3.4/5
  • About You
    3.1
  • The Company
    3.5
  • Everything Else
    3.4

    About You

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy the insight?
  • A very good experience - nice variety of activities and focus on sessions to give us a real insight into the firm, different departments and the work that Taylor Wessing does. Good social activities put on by the grad recruitment team, and a nice environment created for us to work in.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued during your time at the company or firm?
  • Occasionally I was given a chance to do some work that was really valuable, and certain employees made a huge effort to ensure that I was busy and introduce me to everyone in the department. It was nice to be invited by my trainee buddy/supervisor to events happening in the department that I wouldn't otherwise have known about, like meetings and focus groups that they were participating in and thought I might enjoy.

    3/5

  • 3. How much guidance/support did you receive during the insight?
  • Both of my supervisors checked in occasionally to give me work and ensure that I was being kept busy - my trainee buddy also regularly gave me things to do and offered to sit me down and talk me through anything that I didn't understand. Certain colleagues gave me a great deal of guidance and feedback throughout my placement.

    3/5

  • 4. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and information you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • This question doesn't really apply to me as I've actually just finished my degree, but my aim for the placement was to gain a greater understanding into the areas of law that I might wish to go into, and Taylor Wessing ensured that this aim was met. I think that the time management skills that we were encouraged to hone would have probably carried through nicely into my degree, if I were still doing it.

    3/5

    The Company

  • 5. How well structured was the insight?
  • We were given a clear timetable, with plenty of activities and we knew exactly where we were supposed to be and when. The range of activities was also excellent, and there were plenty of opportunities to engage with other areas in the firm. I enjoyed being able to sit in two departments as well, as both provided a good opportunity to draw comparisons between transactional and contentious work, which was beneficial.

    4/5

  • 6. How was the general atmosphere during your insight?
  • The firm seemed very friendly and had a tangible open-door feel - we were encouraged to get to know as many people as possible and even partners seemed to have plenty of time to engage with us, which was nice. The trainees were very friendly and I thought that the high trainee turnout to our evening activities was encouraging and proved that the firm genuinely is regarded as a pleasant place to be.

    4/5

  • 7. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • A lot of the learning that we were encouraged to do was "on the job", and we were trusted with a number of activities that really tested us whilst giving us responsibility. The focus on sessions also gave us a good chance to experience other areas and a lot of these sessions involved practical activities to train us to think like the lawyers working in each department.

    4/5

  • 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?
  • I think that sitting in two seats is incredibly beneficial for a good overview of the firm and the firm atmosphere, however I would say that it didn't give us a great opportunity to get really integrated into the teams that we were in - so I think in general we were given a very thorough idea of what the firm is like holistically but not necessarily on a team level.

    3/5

  • 9. How much did the insight help you in understanding the company culture?
  • Both the focus on sessions and the presentation work (which involved seeking out and speaking to many people in the firm) gave us an incredibly detailed idea of what the culture of the firm was like, and all employees who I spoke to seemed happy to discuss Taylor Wessing's culture and why they are proud of it.

    5/5

  • 10. How valuable was the content in helping you to decide on your future career path?
  • The fact that we were encouraged to get really stuck into the day job (getting taken to our desks really early on) gave us a good idea of what trainees do as part of their role every day. This really enabled me to envisage myself as a commercial lawyer and reinforced that this is the career path I would like to follow.

    4/5

    Everything Else

  • 11. Were you paid or reimbursed adequately for this experience?
  • I understand that firms have fixed pay days each month, but it would have been good to know in advance that our pay day wasn't going to be until after we had finished. Fortunately I had enough money to support myself throughout the internship, but I can see that others may have struggled perhaps.


  • 12. Were there opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company or firm?
  • I was invited to numerous meetings where I was able to introduce myself to people in other teams/areas, and we were invited to firm-wide events too. By tasking us with creating a presentation over the two weeks, and stipulating that we should speak to a wide range of people in order to enhance the content, we felt comfortable approaching partners who we otherwise wouldn't have had the opportunity to encounter.

    4/5

  • 13. How were the networking/ social event opportunities?
  • Most employees were very happy to engage with vacation schemers and talk about their job and their career history, as well as giving us tips and advice regarding our future careers. The socials were really fun, varied and relaxed, and it was nice that so many trainees came along to them as well.

    4/5

  • 14. Did you find out about activities that employees can get involved in outside of work?
  • Certain vac schemers were invited to play football, but besides this I wasn't really aware of social activities that employees could engage with outside of work.

    3/5

  • 15. Would you recommend this insight to a friend?
  • I had a good time at Taylor Wessing, it is certainly a fantastic firm for learning a great deal about the various areas of law and the range of experiences encountered by solicitors. Most of us on the insight have stayed in touch with each other, as it was a very friendly experience, and I enjoyed the variety of the tasks that we were given and the chance to take some real responsibility.

    4/5

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Details

Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)

Corporate Law, Legal/Law

South West

July 2016


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