Benefit Consultants Blog

Having finally completed the long and hard years of education, you find yourself one step closer to realizing your dream of becoming a solicitor. You are now in the stage of hunting for training contracts and, like many fresh graduates, you wish for that stage to be quick and short.

Grabbing a training contract for solicitors in the UK is one of the best things that could ever happen in your professional like. There are plenty of graduate training jobs in the UK. Here are a few tips on how to find one for yourself and help you get started with building your career.

• Look at the right places. – Having decided on the career path you are going to take is a great first step towards having a bright future. There is, however, the question of knowing where to look. There are many law firms in the UK that will accept your training contract applications as well as your resumes. At this point, it will serve you good to not be picky. Sure, it would be great to land a law training contract from a big and established firm, but if a small firm opens the doors for you, walk in and learn as much as you can to gain experience.

• Getting grants. – The Legal Services Commission (LSC) provides funding to support new legal aid solicitors’ training. The grant covers tuition fees for the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and the Professional Skills Course (PSC). However, the Legal Services Commission does not accept applications for grants directly. A Training Contracts Grants Scheme (TCG) must be secured. Applications are submitted to the different successful solicitors and non-profit organizations.

• Graduate Diploma in Law. – As the name suggests, a graduate diploma is a postgraduate diploma offered in the UK. The diploma is taken after successfully completing a Bachelor’s Degree. Getting a graduate diploma is an essential first step if you wish to pursue a career in law, but do not have an undergraduate law degree. The Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) is a conversion course that basically converts your non-law degree to take you to the next step: Legal Practice Course. The course will give you a solid knowledge on the fundamental principles governing many areas of law. It will also help you develop the skills you will definitely need such as legal reasoning and understanding the language of law. There are many institutions in the UK that offer graduate diplomas.

• Legal Practice Course. – It is the vocational stage for becoming a solicitor in the UK. The course is offered as full-time or part-time to thousands of students who are looking into getting a training contract. It aims to prepare you for practice as a trainee solicitor. The Legal Practice Course (LPC) teaches you how to apply the academic training you have learned during your law undergraduate studies or graduate diploma to real-world issues. It emulates the nature of work encountered in actual practice, following a specific set of clients through a case study.

• Writing your CV and cover letter. – Cover letters are optional. Taking the time to create them, however, sends the prospective employer a good impression of you and shows them what kind of character you have. The resume is a very dynamic piece of paper. It can either make you or break you. That is exactly why they should be well-written. Proofread and edit numerous times if you need to. It might even be smart to print out a copy so you can see how it looks like on paper. Bear in mind that your qualifications, skills and talents are your key selling points to getting a training contract. It is very vital to have all those essential personal information in your resume. Humility, at this point, should take a back seat. Let yourself shine, but make sure that the content of your resume and cover letter, should you decide to have one, are true. It is also important for you to be concise, but avoid being too wordy and keep your resume short.

Remember that the competition out there is tough and fierce. Looking for training contracts is not a walk in the park. Have faith in yourself. Allow your qualifications to do the talking for you. Trust in your abilities and, at the same time, work hard to achieve your most potential and get qualified. You will realize that, not long enough, your dreams of having a career in this field is slowly unfolding right before your eyes.

When you are looking for a job in any industry you will fail if you aren’t suited to that position, and even if you are suited to the position you will fail in attaining the job if you don’t have the right tools to showcase your talents and achievements job hunting.

The Perfect Job Fairy does not exist. Your dream job is not going to land in your lap. You have to be realistic in your expectations of what job you would be most suitable for, and then you have to prepare yourself in such a way as to make that job attainable.

The first thing in looking for a job is to know yourself well. Know your skills and attributes, and search yourself. What jobs have you had in the past that you excelled in? Not only excelled in but did you enjoy the job. What jobs should you steer clear of, you may think that you would like to do a particular job but would you be suited to that job. Something that is absolute basic job hunting.

Research the type of job you are looking for, what skills does it require, do you have those skills or can you obtain them. What will you have to do to obtain the skills that are required for that perfect job. Is further education a necessary step.

You may have to relocate to an area that has a number of opportunities. If you want to be a dog catcher there is no point in staying in a town that has only the one dog catcher, especially if he is young. You may have to move to where there are more opportunities.

It is a good idea to seek out a professional, you may need assistance in formulating your resume or job application. It is often that someone else can see the skills that you have accumulated over your lifetime that you take for granted. These skills that you don’t realize you have may be an important cog in the process of gaining that dream job.

Apply for positions for which you have the experience or education. If your education is a barrier to gaining that dream job, improve it, you are never too old to learn. There is no point in applying for any position where you have no experience or qualifications.

In this current economic climate, job hunting is not an easy task. It is a competitive market. Your skills and experience will be put to the blow torch. Your resume must be truthful but impressive. Before you submit an application be sure that it is the best application possible, a shabby application will elicit a shabby response.

Applying for the perfect job is one of many hurdles that you will have to overcome. But the most important hurdle is still to come, the interview. It is a good idea to enlist the help of someone to practice your interview skills. Role play the interview, become comfortable with the process so that you will have all of the answers to any questions that may be asked of you.