Traineeships in England and Wales

The profession in England and Wales is proportionately much larger than that of Scotland and this may explain the more comprehensive range of literature available to students seeking a traineeship there. While gaining work experience or a vacation placement is desirable for the student seeking a traineeship in Scotland, it is virtually mandatory for the student in England hoping to practice there. Perhaps because of the larger size of the profession in England and Wales, there is a more formal structure for vacation opportunities followed by applications for traineeships. The numbers of those seeking even vacation placements greatly exceed the places available, and you are unlikely to be offered a placement without first having submitted a persuasive application form and been successful at interview. Just as much care should be taken with the applications for vacation opportunities as might be accorded the interview for a traineeship. Recent research has found that just over a quarter of those who had been successful in gaining work experience with a particular firm were subsequently offered a training contract with that firm. That demonstrates the significance of making the right impression on firms irrespective of the stage in your career at which you are making the application.

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Gaining work experience is beneficial to all law students and is virtually essential for potential barristers. And if competition for a traineeship is intense, competition for the Bar is even worse. It is therefore expected that you will demonstrate your commitment to a career at the Bar by completing one or more mini-pupillages. Whereas solicitors practice in firms, sometimes as sole practitioners but often with partners, barristers practice in sets in chambers. Many sets offer mini-pupillages which involve you shadowing a barrister as he or she goes about a typical day in chambers and in court. There is no fixed time at which you should apply for a mini-pupilage-it could be while you are still at school or more likely while you are in your undergraduate years-and it is a priceless way of finding out if life at the Bar is really what you imagine it is and if you are suited to it.

If you want to find out more about how to apply for a mini-pupilage write to the General Council of the Bar or the Student Officer at any of the Inns of Court.

There are a number of publications (many on-line on the internet) which give valuable information and background to recruiting firms. This literature ought to be available at the university's Careers Advisory Service, or it can be purchased direct from the publishers. In some cases distribution is provided free to students on law courses. The main sources of information are the GTI Journal, Axiom, The Ivanhoe Career Guide to the Legal Profession, Prospects, and others.

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In regard to the interview there are a number of very obvious aspects that stand to be repeated. Be on time- consider carefully the timetables of your bus, train or car transport. Give yourself plenty of time. The last thing you want is to be harassed because you have selected a travel connection that inevitably leaves you pushed for time. Dress appropriately and professionally. You are entering a profession that is best described as conservative in attitude. Lawyers will expect to see you wear clothes and have an appearance that would not frighten off their clients. If you are a man that probably means removing the earring and cutting off the ponytail, and for both genders, wearing a suit. During the interview, try to participate in a very active way. Listen. In other words listen carefully to the questions that are being asked and the responses that the interviewers give to your answers. If you feel they have picked you up wrongly then intervene and say something like "I think you may have picked me up incorrectly" or "perhaps I did not make myself clear" and then go on to say what you meant to say in a way that is unambiguous and cannot be misunderstood. Make eye contact. This is extremely important. You should be aware from everyday interviews that you have been involved in, such as speaking to your lecturer, adviser of studies, bank manager, or vacation employer, of the significance of eye contact. Try to ask questions. There may be a specific space for this. Often, at the end of an interview, employers say "so, is there anything you would like to ask us?". Always have some questions prepared and even if they appear to have been covered in the interview, do ask something. Try not to ask questions that are always connected to salary, holidays and work expectations. For example, ask what kind of structured training is offered by the firm. Ask also what numbers of trainees are kept on at the completion of the traineeship. Ask what opportunities there are within the firm to specialize in particular areas of work. Ask whether the firm will support your wish (if this is so) to gain a limited practicing certificate in the second year of the traineeship in order that you might practice in court.

If you are asked awkward questions during the interview then do not feel hassled into a response. You might want to say something like "can I have a moment to think about this?" If you are asked your opinion on a matter, be it political, legal or academic, then do not give the answer you think they want-give the answer that you feel is correct. Avoid giving "stock" answers. That will be identified by the astute employer as being the perceived "correct" response and therefore discounted.

Mature students, women and ethnic minority candidates may be concerned about discrimination. Within the United Kingdom there has been some research into sex and race discrimination in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, though virtually none in Scotland. Nobody seems to have researched the issue of whether being older is a disadvantage. It is fair to conclude from the research findings that there are certain key discriminatory points that occur within the profession. The good news is that these tend to arise not at the point of initial selection for traineeship, but later, at the point of promotion to partnership where family or other responsibilities seem to work against women and prevent their being promoted in a similar manner to their male colleagues.

Perhaps a useful device when preparing for the interview is to think about your potential employers. What do you think it is that they are looking for? Do you think that you fit the bill? You need to think about what you have said already on paper and how you might wish to either bolster or soften this in person. For example, if you are a first class honors graduate with outstanding results then you might think that all was plain sailing. However, you might be facing a panel that is a little concerned that you are "too academic" and unable to operate in the real world. If so, then you will want to bring out the work experience and other practical aspects of your life that compliment your academic abilities in your interview. On the other hand if you are someone without an honors degree or with an honors degree that you thought was disappointing, then you might want to stress your wider capabilities. Thus, you might want to emphasize what you have done within the community or in other business settings which you think will appeal to the firm in question. There is no strict formula for this. Interviews are the essence of human interaction. At the end of the day it may well depend on the fundamental issue of "do you get on with them and do they get on with you". If the answer is in the negative then you are unlikely to be appointed and that may well be a good thing in the long term. If the answer is in the positive then the omens are good for the future.

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