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With summer just around the corner, vacation scheme season is fast approaching. In this blog, I outline my top tips for how to make the most out of your vacation scheme.
What is a vacation scheme?
A vacation scheme is a short period of work experience offered by law firms to prospective training contract applicants, giving participants the opportunity to experience the firm and its culture first-hand.
Michelmores’ vacation schemes usually take place in June and are hosted across our Bristol and Exeter offices. Over the course of the week, participants will get to experience working within one of our legal teams. They will also attend skills workshops, take part in networking events and complete an assessment day. For further detail on Michelmores’ vacation scheme, see our Graduate Recruitment Brochure here.
Do your research
Before starting your vacation scheme, you will be notified which department you will be joining. Take some time to research the team in advance, as this will help you to prepare conversation starters and feel more confident. You may discover shared interests which can help ‘break the ice’ – maybe you attended the same university as your supervisor or support the same football team.
You are not expected to know everything from day one. However, having a basic understanding of the team’s work and showing interest by asking thoughtful questions will be viewed positively.
Put yourself out there
Throughout the vacation scheme, you will be given a range of tasks, which may include legal research, drafting documents and preparing client correspondence. This provides invaluable practical experience and an opportunity to apply the law you have studied in a real working environment. You should actively seek feedback, as this will help you develop your skills and provide strong examples to draw on in interviews or future applications.
You will be invited to a number of social events during the scheme. These activities offer a great opportunity to network across the firm, so make an effort to put yourself forward and take the initiative to speak with colleagues from different teams.
Ace the assessments
Every vacation scheme culminates in an assessment day, which gives you the opportunity of being offered a training contract. The assessment day is broken down into several activities, namely a group task (to assess your teamworking and presentation skills), a written task (to assess your written communication skills and attention to detail), an article discussion (to assess your commercial awareness) and a formal interview (to gain a better understanding of you as an individual). For tips on how to ace the assessment day, see some of our recent Graduate Recruitment blogs here and here.
Concluding thoughts
Being selected for a vacation scheme is a huge achievement. Make the most of the week by preparing thoroughly and putting yourself forward whenever opportunities arise. To those joining us in June, I look forward to meeting you shortly!