The Student Room Group

CPS Legal Trainee Scheme Progress

Hello all. Anyone else in the midst of the joy that is the CPS Legal Trainee Scheme recruitment process? :biggrin:

After the online verbal and numerical reasoning tests back in November the next stage has finally begun - had an assessment centre with the productive thinking test and a written case study the other day. They've got a few weeks of those and then some people get invited back for an interview and presentation in March. We asked the guy in charge of the tests and he said they had 2,000+ applications and around 600 people made it through to the assessment centre stage. Didn't tell us how many they were going to interview though! I think they're planning to offer 20-25 places in the end, for both training contracts and pupillages? Scary stuff...

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Reply 1
I went to the assessment day in London... was tired and hungover, can't imagine i'll get through to the next round! I'm BVCing... is 20-25 places in total or for Solicitors? M
Reply 2
As far as I know they lump trainees and pupils together so it would be for both. I confess I can't remember where I've got the 20-25 places number from though - it might just be based on the numbers they took last year...

EDIT: Just checked the website: "There will be at least 25 places in this campaign. These include training contracts and pupillages, and we handle all applications together."
Reply 3
Huzzah I got an email today saying I'm through to the next stage - interview and a presentation on the case study from the assessment day! :biggrin:

Anyone else got good news?
Stupidly long process. My wife took the tests back in November, but had already applied to another place, been interviewed, got an offer and accepted it long before the CPS got back to her to say she'd passed and to invite her to the assessment centre, months later. They should get their arses in gear IMO - surely the online tests are marked automatically, they'd have the results immediately.
Reply 5
I know what you mean - it's been nearly five months since I filled in the application form and I can't even remember what I wrote on it! But then the CPS are a public body - maybe the lengthy paperwork-filled application process is supposed to ease you into working for them! :wink:

There's at least one guy on my course who's in the same position as your wife - he'd accepted another training contract by the time they invited him to an assessment centre...
alocin, I've got an interview too, any ideas how many people you think they'll be interviewing? Is yours in London?

My plan so far has been hoping that people will get fed up of the huge long process, get other offers and drop out!
Reply 7
I'm kind of hoping that too! :biggrin:

I don't know how many they're interviewing but there's another girl in my small group on the LPC with an interview in London, and a girl I know who did it last year with one too but I'm not sure where. Mine is in Manchester in a couple of weeks at a stupidly early time in the morning (be there at 9:30am) so I've got to get a train at 4am from Cardiff to be there early enough!

Haven't a clue why mine is in Manchester when someone else who lives in Cardiff has one in London. I didn't specify a preference for where I wanted to train so maybe that has something to do with it? :confused:
Strange!! I didn't specify anywhere either, glad I don't have to go all the way to Manchester though! Maybe it's their way of testing our commitment!!

Good luck anyway!! :smile:
My interview is in York this Thursday. Anyone know how amny people got through to the interview stage yet?
Reply 10
53 Happy Bunny
My interview is in York this Thursday. Anyone know how amny people got through to the interview stage yet?


York? That's a new one on me! I know of two Manchester and two London so far. Did you specify a preference for where you wanted to work?

I haven't heard anything about numbers since the 600 at assessment centre stage. You're the person with the earliest interview date that I've heard of - when you get to the "any questions?" bit try asking how many are being interviewed! And then come and tell us on here of course! :wink:
CPS has headquarters in York, that's where my interview is but I've never had to specify a preference as to where I'd like to work although this doesn't really matter to me, I'm willing to go anywhere for the job.
Reply 12
53 Happy Bunny
CPS has headquarters in York, that's where my interview is but I've never had to specify a preference as to where I'd like to work although this doesn't really matter to me, I'm willing to go anywhere for the job.


Yeah I agree with you there - anywhere they need a trainee is fine with me!
Reply 13
Just a heads up - I've heard from two different sources now that the CPS have decided to take on twice as many trainees/pupils as last year, so that means that they might be taking on as many as 50 trainees and pupils!

Good luck to anyone out there who still has their interview yet to come!
Reply 14
Hi Alocin,

Where did you hear this? And did you ever manage to find out how many they interviewed for pupillage/training contracts?

Many Thanks
Reply 15
Hiya - I asked at my interview and they said they were interviewing 180 people.

Still not sure on the number of places - I've heard different things from different people now and the increase in numbers might actually relate to their internal scheme which they take 2/3 of their trainees from.

Someone else with an interview asked how long the decision making would take and we're unlikely to hear who has a place until towards the end of April. A while to stew and worry yet then!
Reply 16
Thanks. Someone I know who also had an interview rang them and asked how long it would be until we found out. Apparently they're having a meeting on 13th, so it should be soon after that. Here's hoping - Good luck!
well mine was a complete disaster so you can count me out of the competition!!! lol :s-smilie:

good luck!
Reply 18
I'm sure it wasn't that bad!

It'd be interesting to know how many barristers/solicitors they interviewed in that 180. Last year, according to my research, I think there were 27 jobs offered (instead on the 25 they intended as "the standard of interviewees was so good") and 7 of these were pupillages, the rest training contracts - anyone any ideas?
Well I've had the e-mail saying "we're not telling you for another 10 days" and that just made me feel worse - another 10 days of stressing and worry.

Also I asked the person I put as my second reference if she'd heard anything from them yet but she said she hadn't. I put that my first referee couldn't be contacted prior to a job offer but that my second could. Not sure whether i'm overreacting or whether this means that I'm probably out of the running. Has anyone else's referees been contacted?