Vacation Scheme Student Review

by Linklaters

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

Rating

3.6/5
  • About You
    3.5
  • The Company
    3.8
  • Everything Else
    3.4

    About You

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy the insight?
  • I found the insight to be rewarding but challenging, however the overall atmosphere in the office and the large number of vacation scheme students meant that I never really felt at home in the firm.

    3/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued during your time at the company or firm?
  • For my first seat, I felt as though my supervisor would rather I was not in the office and I felt slightly burdensome on both him and my trainee buddy, however my second seat supervisor was incredibly helpful and made me feel involved with the work.

    3/5

  • 3. How much guidance/support did you receive during the insight?
  • All the workshops and sessions from the various departments were extremely helpful in showing you how a commercial law firm operates, and also set us up well for the tasks we were performing with our supervisors.

    4/5

  • 4. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and information you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • Again, the presentations and workshops were extremely helpful, particularly the financial ones which explains key legal concepts in basic language.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 5. How well structured was the insight?
  • Good structure with the itinerary provided at the beginning, however received quite a few emails about room changes and events being moved around.

    4/5

  • 6. How was the general atmosphere during your insight?
  • Myself and the other students on the scheme had a good time at the firm, particularly enjoying the taxi cab treasuring hunt and cookery skills workshop, however the office atmosphere was generally quite tense and quiet.

    4/5

  • 7. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • The number of workshops and skills sessions, as well as the partners' lunch, showed that the firm was taking the time and effort to impress students and set them up for a 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?
  • The tasks I was given, particularly in the Corporate department, were from both associate and trainee level, and I feel that I got a real insight into the level of work which is expected and the type of work which is undertaken on a daily basis.

    4/5

  • 9. How much did the insight help you in understanding the company culture?
  • As I did not get an office tour or a chance to speak to many people from my department, most contact was with graduate recruitment, recruitment partners and assigned trainee buddies, therefore I didn't really get a feel for the real culture.

    3/5

  • 10. How valuable was the content in helping you to decide on your future career path?
  • Quite useful, but mainly seeing the atmosphere in the office helped my decide whether the firm was for me or not. The level of work was typical of any commercial law firm.

    5/5

    Everything Else

  • 11. Were you paid or reimbursed adequately for this experience?
  • £350 a week, although this had to cover travel and accommodation.


  • 12. Were there opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company or firm?
  • Yes, plenty. From the Partners' lunch to the Summer Party and Friday Drinks, there were quite a few opportunities to meet both partners and trainees. Graduate recruitment partners in particular were also extremely friendly.

    5/5

  • 13. How were the networking/ social event opportunities?
  • Mostly pleasant, however very alcohol driven.

    4/5

  • 14. Did you find out about activities that employees can get involved in outside of work?
  • We were told about networks and sports teams but not particularly given information on how we could join them at the time.

    2/5

  • 15. Would you recommend this insight to a friend?
  • Very useful to see whether life at a commercial law firm is for you, and whether the culture of a magic circle firm is what you're looking for.

    4/5

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Details

Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)

London

November 2014


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