How to make your vacation scheme a success

Read our top 10 tips for making a great impression when on a vacation scheme and getting the most out of the experience.

Reading time: six minutes

It’s that time of year again! Firms are opening their doors to aspiring lawyers keen to get a taste of what life in a legal environment is like. Now more than ever, when it comes to exploring a legal career, it’s essential that you make the most of every opportunity.

Firms use vacation schemes increasingly as a recruitment vehicle, which means that the schemes are structured, often with firms’ training contract recruitment process forming part of the scheme. This means that competition is fierce and getting onto a firm’s vacation scheme is a feat in itself. So, if you’ve been lucky enough to secure a place, make sure you get the most out of it!

Rather than approaching your vacation scheme as simply work experience, you should use it as a real opportunity to explore not only the career, but also the firm. When reading recruitment brochures or researching online, it may appear that all law firms are similar. However, this certainly isn’t the case – even firms of the same size and in the same location can be wildly different.

The focus of, and culture within, each firm differs considerably and you need to find the right one for you. Think back to when you attended university open days; some universities were undoubtedly more appealing than others. And remember the scheme is very much a two-way process – you’re looking at the firm just as much as it’s looking at you.

Check out our Vacation Scheme Insider profiles to get an idea of what different firms’ vacation schemes are really like from candidates who’ve experienced them first hand.

Our top 10 tips for getting the most out of a vacation scheme are as follows:

1. Leave the application form/CV at the door/on your laptop

Don’t forget that you’ve fought off some tough competition to get your place, so you should feel confident that you have the necessary intellect and ability. Try to discuss your experiences in a natural manner, nobody’s expecting you to have memorised your CV line by line!

You’re so much more than some words on paper – use the time in a law firm to bring alive the skills and motivation you wrote about during the application process.

2. Look the part

It’s important to look the part when you arrive for your vacation scheme. Make sure you’re dressed appropriately; while many firms operate dress-down policies, they can vary considerably from firm to firm and it’s worth checking with the firm about its dress code.

If in doubt, wear something smart. Remember, you want to be noticed for your ability and not how you’re dressed. Also, you don’t want to miss out on a trip to court or an important client meeting just because you look too casual. First impressions count for a lot and making the right impression is vital.

This Oracle on what to wear to an interview should give you a sense of what to wear on a vacation scheme.

3. Have the right attitude

If you’ve secured a spot on a vacation scheme, it’s taken as a given that you have the intellectual ability to do the job. Try to use the time you have during the scheme to create a good impression and remember that the best way to do that is by having the right attitude. Friendly, enthusiastic, willing and keen students are a joy to work with and with these attributes you’ll find that you not only get good work experience but that the people you’re working with will also champion your application for a training contract.

4. Ask questions

A vacation scheme may be your first (or only) chance to see first-hand what you’re potentially signing up to as a future career, so you must seize the opportunity and find out as much as you can about the firm. Ask questions and be willing and able to take on the answer, even if it isn’t what you were expecting. Working with an array of lawyers ranging from trainees to partners is your golden opportunity to quiz these people about their lives; why they chose the career, what keeps them at the firm, how they chose their practice area when qualifying and so on. Remember most vacation scheme supervisors are happy to open their door to you and are expecting to be grilled!

Struggling to decide where to specialise? Here are our top five tips on choosing a legal practice area.

5. Social situations

Part of the vacation scheme process is working out how suited you are as an individual to the firm, both from your perspective and the firm's! Social events provide the opportunity to chat and network with your peers and the firm on a casual basis. Your conduct at events will be reviewed to identify what you’re like in social situations. A lawyer’s social skills are now considered to be very important – the days of the ‘backroom lawyer’ are over! Even as a trainee you’ll be expected to attend client functions and/or deal with clients generally.

6. Read a quality newspaper

If you haven’t already got into the habit, now’s the time to start. As well as practising as a lawyer, you’re part of that business so you need to know how it’s run. The same applies to your clients. They’ll expect you to know about their business – how else are you going to be able to properly advise them? Firms look for commercial awareness, but how do you become commercially aware? You could:

• read the business pages of newspapers – printed or online;
• read this Feature on trending commercial issues to know about in 2024;
• check out firms’ ‘news’ section on their websites;
• follow firms on social media (X, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok);
• read LCN’s weekly Commercial Question; and
• listen to podcasts, including our own Commercial Connect series.

To further your commercial awareness even more, read LCN’s commercial news round-ups, which are available weekly and our ultimate guide to commercial awareness.

7. Have fun

This may seem difficult when you know you’re being tested and evaluated at every social event and task you complete, but it’s important. Bizarre as it may sound, if you don’t enjoy the scheme then you should be questioning whether the career and/or the firm is right for you.

8. Try to avoid name dropping

Remember, you’re on the scheme because the firm believes you’re a viable candidate for a training contract and a good fit for the firm, so capitalise on that rather than name dropping any external connections you might have. On top of this, we’d also suggest avoiding talking about what you did on other vacation schemes with other firms. While firms will be aware this may not be the only scheme you’ve done, don’t rub it in!

9. Analyse

Rather than returning home exhausted or falling straight into your next scheme, take some time to reflect on your experience. We recommend keeping a learning log/journal of your time with the firm. Schemes can last over two weeks and you’ll often switch departments during this time and are likely to forget what you did at the start. Keeping an accurate record will allow you to ask the important questions. Did you enjoy it? If so, why? Was it what you expected? It’s worthwhile asking yourself these questions as you must be absolutely certain if you later accept a training contract with the firm that your decision is informed.

10. Keep in touch

If you enjoyed your time on the vacation scheme, drop them an email saying so – or you could post about your experiences on LinkedIn. It won’t guarantee you a training contract offer, but it might make the firm’s recruiters and training principal remember you. Networking is an important skill and lawyers are always looking to bring in new business, make useful connections and learn more about the legal and business worlds.

For all our top tips on networking, check out this Feature.

Finally, be self-aware, have fun and good luck!

Bethany Wren (she/her) is head of content and events at LawCareers.Net.