[uktrainees@freshfields]

For anyone thinking of applying for our two day non-law workshop or general open day (5/6 Jan and 9 Jan respectively), I encourage you to get your applications in over the next couple of weeks. Applications do close on the 9 December but we are screening as we go along.

For anyone who is considering applying for our vacation schemes, please do try and get your application in before the New Year (even though applications close on 9 January). If you are short-listed, you will have more choice of interview dates/times (which could be beneficial if you have assessments/exams in January) and if you are successful at be offered a place, you are more likely to get your choice of vacation scheme dates.

Also, please note our vacation schemes are for both law and non-law penultimate year undergraduate students.

[cej]

Heads up anyone applying for a Freshfields tc online!

Personal statement can't be more than 5000 characters inc. spaces. (Guidance note says "no more than 850 words" - it doesn't tell you the character count until you try to put your personal statement into the box). That actually took my ps to under 800 words.

[uktrainees@freshfields]

(Original post by cej)
Heads up anyone applying for a Freshfields tc online!

Personal statement can't be more than 5000 characters inc. spaces. (Guidance note says "no more than 850 words" - it doesn't tell you the character count until you try to put your personal statement into the box). That actually took my ps to under 800 words.

Hi there,

I know this is due to a problem with copying and pasting from particular word applications and how certain breaks are recognised as more than one character when it is transferred to the online application.

We have a couple of bits of advice on this issue:

1) Delete any spacing such as paragraphs and recreate it on the online application (this sometime rectifies the situation where a paragraph online accounts for a different number of characters than when it is in an application like word). Please keep paragraphs in however, it makes your application much easier to read!

2) Think about what can be shortened (e.g. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer to Freshfields)

3) At worse - retype the whole application from fresh rather than copying and pasting.

I hope this is of help. In the meantime we are asking our service provider to look into how this issue can be resolved. However, we do know that 850 words fits very easily into 5000 characters - so it must be something random about the formatting from the application.

Regards

Jess

[wenois]

Dear Jess,

Does the firm have any experience admitting international applicants with a post-study UK work permit for a training contract? I have a Bachelor's degree from Canada as also a Master's with Merit from the LSE. Is it worthwhile to apply?

Thank you very much for all your help.

Best regards,

Ivan

[uktrainees@freshfields]

(Original post by wenois)
Dear Jess,

Does the firm have any experience admitting international applicants with a post-study UK work permit for a training contract? I have a Bachelor's degree from Canada as also a Master's with Merit from the LSE. Is it worthwhile to apply?

Thank you very much for all your help.

Best regards,

Ivan

Hi Ivan,

Where the post-study visa only lasts two years it would not cover the period of a two year training contract (considering you would have time out before starting).

We currently apply for Tier 2 Certificates of Sponsorship for our trainees who require a work permit. Any offer of a training contract is subject to the individual obtaining the right to work in the UK for the entirety of their contract.

If you are interested in a training contract with the firm then you can apply. We have a number of trainees from various different nationalities who did require a work permit and that we have obtained one for each of them.

For anyone who does require a work permit we recommend that they look at the requirements for a Tier 2 CoS and keep up to date with the requirements for this visa as they have changed over time.

Kind Regards

Jess

[coffee?]

(Original post by uktrainees@freshfields)
Hi Ivan,

Where the post-study visa only lasts two years it would not cover the period of a two year training contract (considering you would have time out before starting).

We currently apply for Tier 2 Certificates of Sponsorship for our trainees who require a work permit. Any offer of a training contract is subject to the individual obtaining the right to work in the UK for the entirety of their contract.

If you are interested in a training contract with the firm then you can apply. We have a number of trainees from various different nationalities who did require a work permit and that we have obtained one for each of them.

For anyone who does require a work permit we recommend that they look at the requirements for a Tier 2 CoS and keep up to date with the requirements for this visa as they have changed over time.

Kind Regards

Jess

Are international students at a disadvantage then, do you have to be exceptionally good relative to other hires to get a place if you are an international?

[uktrainees@freshfields]

(Original post by coffee?)
Are international students at a disadvantage then, do you have to be exceptionally good relative to other hires to get a place if you are an international?

Hi there,

International students are not at a disadvantage. We recruit non-EU candidates in the same way as EU candidates and they are assessed against the same criteria.

Regards

Jess

[politicsobsessed]

(Original post by uktrainees@freshfields)
Hi there,

International students are not at a disadvantage. We recruit non-EU candidates in the same way as EU candidates and they are assessed against the same criteria.

Regards

Jess

Do you think this is fair on British students?

[uktrainees@freshfields]

(Original post by politicsobsessed)
Do you think this is fair on British students?

Yes, I do think its fair.

All candidates, no matter what their nationality, have to demonstrate the same qualities, skills and motivations and come through the same recruitment process.

[wenois]

Dear Jess,

Thank you for your reply.

One more question. What do you think is the most effective way to present course grades from a foreign University / school?

Thank you very much.

Best,

Ivan

[uktrainees@freshfields]

(Original post by wenois)
Dear Jess,

Thank you for your reply.

One more question. What do you think is the most effective way to present course grades from a foreign University / school?

Thank you very much.

Best,

Ivan

Hi Ivan,

We would recommend summarising your grades for each year of your studies. If it is not easy to convert your grades into a percentage, then please do leave them in the grading system awarded.

We then recommend that you send a scanned copy of your transcripts to uktrainees@freshfields.com once you have submitted your application. These will then be added to your form for it to be reviewed.

Regards

Jess

[lovejoypeace]

Hi Freshfields Recruitment Team,

Having submitted my verbal reasoning test, I was wondering how long a candidate should wait before expecting a reply from Freshfields.

Thank you

[uktrainees@freshfields]

(Original post by lovejoypeace)
Hi Freshfields Recruitment Team,

Having submitted my verbal reasoning test, I was wondering how long a candidate should wait before expecting a reply from Freshfields.

Thank you

Hi there,

It is usually about 1-2 weeks.

If you have been waiting longer than this, please drop me an email (jessica.booker@freshfields.com) and I will look into your application. Delays can sometimes be down to factors such as where we have requested further information or if there are technical issues with your test.

Regards

Jess

[slowdowngandhi]

Hello Jess,

Do you accept deferred applications? If someone was to apply in this cycle but had been asked if they were interested in applying for a one year, related post before commencing law school...would that be acceptable or not?

Thanks.

[uktrainees@freshfields]

(Original post by slowdowngandhi)
Hello Jess,

Do you accept deferred applications? If someone was to apply in this cycle but had been asked if they were interested in applying for a one year, related post before commencing law school...would that be acceptable or not?

Thanks.

Hi there,

If you know you are definitely taking time out then we would suggest you wait a year and then apply.

We do have a number of prospective trainees each year who do defer their start dates for various different reasons and this is not a problem at all. However they only do so once they have confirmed plans.

If you definitely know you will not be able to start a training contract until 2015 then we would suggest you wait until November 2012 and apply at that stage.

As the job would be prior to starting law school, waiting until then would have no impact on the on-boarding processes for the GDL/LPC.

Regards

Jess

[slowdowngandhi]

Thanks very much! While I'm here when it comes to open day applications, do you have a preferred CV format at all? Or is the standard reverse chronological appropriately set acceptable? How do you feel about profiles at the top?

[uktrainees@freshfields]

(Original post by slowdowngandhi)
Thanks very much! While I'm here when it comes to open day applications, do you have a preferred CV format at all? Or is the standard reverse chronological appropriately set acceptable? How do you feel about profiles at the top?

Hi there,

No set preference with the CV format but please keep it to 2 pages!

A personal profile on a CV is fine but it is usually the style and content that lets them down.

The good thing with the application process for the Open Days is that you have a covering email to explain your motivations and therefore this is likely to replicate what the personal profile would suggest anyway.

Regards

Jess

[glittergulch]

Hi Jess,

I was just wondering, for vac scheme applications, what kind of percentage/score should applicants be aiming for when completing the verbal reasoning assessment?


Thanks.

[slowdowngandhi]

Thanks very much.

[uktrainees@freshfields]

(Original post by glittergulch)
Hi Jess,

I was just wondering, for vac scheme applications, what kind of percentage/score should applicants be aiming for when completing the verbal reasoning assessment?


Thanks.

The online verbal reasoning test scores do not work on a percentage basis nor a "X out of Y" score.

You result is ranked against 1000's of other people who have taken the test who have applied for a similar role to you and educated to a similar level, and this results in a percentile score. Ultimately the higher the percentile score the better (on a scale of 1-99).

There are example questions and a practice test on the SHL website: http://www.shldirect.com/practice_tests.html. I do recommend having a look at the tests so you can become more familiar and hopefully more confident with the type of questions you may get during the test. Alternatively your careers service may have some paper based versions of similar tests.

I hope this is of help

Regards

Jess