Vacation Scheme Student Review

The insight was very useful and provided a good insight into the firm's different practice areas and culture. The events put on were very helpful in getting to know the different people inside the firm and the sorts of work that the firm gets up to. The work provided was also good quality.

I definitely felt as though people wanted to provide us with insights and help us understand the firm as much as possible. We were encouraged to engage in discussions and interactive activities which seemed like we were making valuable contributions. Being virtual perhaps made us feel detached from the firm in some ways, but that is an unfortunate drawback of the process.

In terms of guidance as to the different practice areas we were provided with huge amounts. There was lots of information we were given on how the different practice areas interacted, what kind of work each practice area did, as well as some useful technical details as to the operation of specific subsets of the practice areas. The fact that it was virtual probably made it feel as though we didn't have constant support, but not neglected in any sense.

I definitely learnt some useful technical aspects of the practice area I was sitting in which will serve me well when I start as a trainee. The exercises we performed also gave a good insight into the sort of work you would be doing as a trainee and how to structure responses and answers to client problems etc.

It was incredibly well structured. The insights into different practice areas followed a good format and were of a good length. They also left time at the ends for questions which formed a good and important part of the learning. The only potential negative might be that there were too many insights.

At times it could feel quite pressured as there were lots of insight sessions on top of the work we were set, and the need to interact with other people at the firm. But there was no sense of competition or hostility at any point and all attendees and firm members were supportive and friendly.

My supervisor put aside time to go through the work that I had been set which provided some really useful insight into my practice area and taught me some valuable things. The skills sessions we had on collaboration and innovation and how we approached our work was equally as useful, and has given me things I will take forward in my work.

I feel as though the tasks I was given represented well what a trainee would be asked to do at the firm. The only drawback was that there was not much work to be done (again not a fault of the firm but a consequence of the situation) and I feel as though I would have preferred to spend more time doing work in my chosen practice area than attending insights on other practice areas I did not have as much interest in.

All the sessions we had confirmed the friendly and collegiate place the firm advertised itself as being. Everyone was very supportive of each other and got on as friends not just as colleagues. The openness to discuss things and asked questions was also a testament to the firm's open culture.

The insight sessions on the practice areas uncovered areas that I previously thought I was not interested in. It has definitely made me think again about where I want my future career path to take me in terms of the area I specialise in, as well as the type of firm that I want to do this at.

We were reimbursed adequately for this experience. Especially considering we were not doing real work for the firm and we did not have to travel anywhere/ spend anything on food.

We were largely left to work out our own times for meeting others outside of the practice area insight sessions, as during these there was not a huge amount of time to network in the traditional sense. However, we were given ample time to do this, and all members of the firm were open to giving us the time to chat.

The networking and social event opportunities were good. There were two main social events: a quiz which was run by the firm and trainees participated giving a good opportunity for us to discuss things with them, and; a scavenger hunt which was run by the vacation scheme participants and which gave us time to socialise and relax as a cohort.

Yes. We were given the opportunity to participate in a a quiz that lots of firm staff attended from different offices and different practice areas. We were also told about the different types of social activities and committees that trainees can get involved in, as well as the chance to ask existing members of the committee about their experiences.

It was a really useful scheme with very interesting people. The firm seems like an incredible place to work where everyone genuinely enjoys the work and each other's company. I think anyone who attends will come out of it with something useful they have learnt which will help them in their future career.