Vacation Scheme Review

The vacation scheme was pretty enjoyable overall - especially helped by the people at CMS, who were lovely.

I felt fairly valued, though at points I did feel like I was being a bit of a burden on the department I was with by needing to be given work all the time.

I received as much support as I needed or asked for - everyone was very happy to explain things again if I required this, and we had IT training on the first day which was really helpful.

I doubt the information I received/skills developed will help very much in my actual degree, as actually the work I did was very different from anything done in my law degree! However skills - confidence, presentation skills etc - will doubtless be helpful generally.

The insight was fairly well-structured, with partner presentations spaced throughout the two weeks, a social each week, a group presentation in the second week and generally training in the first few days. The departmental work slotted in around these, which meant there was flexibility whilst the programme also maintained a satisfactory structure.

The atmosphere was generally upbeat and positive, though at times work was quite slow in my department. However it was great getting to know everyone else on the vac scheme and we all got on really well.

I did feel like CMS were making an effort to help us develop (as of course this was to their benefit as well). They encouraged us to keep a work diary charting what we had done and learnt, and one particularly good experience was actually the group presentation we were tasked with, which gave us all more confidence with presenting.

I think the insight generally did show well what it would be like to work with CMS, though we definitely weren't fully exposed to the long hours the lawyers sometimes have to work.

I think this was a particularly good point. Being in the same department for two weeks meant I could get a really good feel for the culture (including experiencing a 'jolly trolley' going around at 5pm laden with champagne!). The culture generally seemed very open and inclusive.

I was paid £250 per week - unfortunately this didn't actually cover the costs of renting accommodation, travelling and eating in London for two weeks, however I think this depends heavily on whether you do have to rent acccommodation or have somewhere you could stay more cheaply.

There were quite a few opportunities for networking, most obviously the social events - though admittedly it was mainly trainees who came to these so meeting more senior members of the firm was harder. In this respect, it wasmore down to your own initiative and how confident you felt in approaching someone to talk.

The social events which the firm organised were really good - cocktail making in the first week, a meal in the second and then farewell drinks on the final night. It might have been nice to have one more social. However I did really like how the social events were genuinely relaxed and non-intimidating.

Yes, we got told lots about the CSR work which CMS does, which was really impressive. Some people got the opportunity to visit one of their pro bono projects and in fact a group of us ran a bake sale in the second week raising money for one of their chosen charities.

I would certainly recommend this insight to a friend, as its a great experience and does give you the chance to develop some valuable skills and meet some great people.