Supervisor and Future Trainee Review

I really enjoyed the vacation scheme as I enjoyed the work that I was given and I also enjoyed the people and the events that were put on for vac scheme students.

I felt that the firm really truly values its vac scheme students. For example, people always thanked me for completing work for them, whether it was a trainee or a partner which I thought was really nice. Additionally, the graduate recruitment team put on events for us everyday which was really nice as it showed me that the firm really cares about its potential future trainees and attending such events made me feel included in the firm. Moreover, everyone who I spoke to during my scheme treated me like a person and seemed to really value my opinions.

When people asked me to do work for them they explained what they wanted me to do in really clear terms. Additionally, I knew that if I had any problems with completing the work that I could always easily approach the person who had given me the work. We were also given a list of contacts and emails so that if we had any problems we had someone to contact.

I feel that the scheme was an invaluable experience and it definitely gave me a unique insight into the firm. The skills that I developed from the scheme and from meeting employees at the firm assisted me in securing a training contract with the firm. Additionally, the experience showed me how the firm operates.

The scheme was very well structured in the sense that there were presentations, events and lunches scheduled throughout the week which meant that there was a clear structure to the week. This also showed me that the grad recruitment team had really thought about the week and how to make it as interesting as possible for us. However, the only issue I had was that in the department I was in there was a confidentiality barrier in place which meant that I did not receive as much work as I would have otherwise been able to receive. This did not negatively impact on my experience massively, but it would have been more helpful to have been given more work.

I found the atmosphere really good during the scheme. Everyone who I met was really nice and fun and the events that the graduate recruitment team put on (there were about 4 in total over 5 days!) were so much fun!

The firm always did their best to get me involved in things that were going on. For example, I attended an Employment Tribunal with an Associate. Additionally, the firm seemed to really care about my experience and invested time everyday to give various presentations on different areas of law that the firm operates in. Moreover, there were lunches arranged everyday with trainees which meant that we could ask trainees any questions we wanted to. This showed me that the firm really does invest in the experiences of vac scheme students.

The insight showed me exactly what life as a trainee with the firm is like. I attended various socials and presentations and I also had a research project to complete during my scheme- as well as work to complete from my department. This meant that I had to really plan my time well and prioritise various tasks that were given to me. I think that this gave me a realistic insight into life as a trainee with BLP.

My insight involved various presentations which really showed me what the company's culture is like.

My vac scheme at BLP made me realise just how much I wanted to obtain a training contract at the firm- by the end of the week I had no doubt that this was the firm for me. I even felt a little bit sad when I left!!

We were given a sum of money for the week which would be more than adequate if living in London or nearby. However, I had to pay to stay in a hotel for the week so by the time I had paid for my hotel and train, I found that the payment from the firm was not enough to cover this. However, given how valuable the scheme was to me, I did not mind paying towards the hotel etc.

There were opportunities everyday for meeting and networking with employees. Such opportunities ranged from meeting trainees, to having a drink with an associate to attending partner presentations.

The social events were excellent. I went to a pub quiz and there were a few nights where we met for drinks. Such events allowed me to socialise and let my hair down after a hard day at the office.

During my scheme I didn't really hear much about the opportunities that employees can get involved in outside of work. However, from looking on the firm's website etc I know that there are plenty of things to get involved in outside of work.

I loved the vac scheme and would highly recommend it to everyone. I have no doubt that the things I learnt during the vac scheme really helped me to secure a training contract with the firm!