Hi all,
This is my first post here so I will try to be as concise as I can.
I am 28 years old and currently teach A-level and GCSE Science/Maths at a college in London. I hold a BSc from arguably the best university in Canada (University of Toronto) and a Bachelor of Education from a lesser known Lakehead University (it is equivalent to a PGCE in UK and is NOT considered an honours undergraduate degree by NARIC but rather a post-graduate professional qualification).
My first two years in BSc yielded a GPA of 3.3 (~2:1) but after getting married at 21, I graduated with a cGPA of 2.3 (~3rd). I later completed a Bachelor of Education with a GPA of 3.7+ (~1st) and have been a teacher for 2 years.
I wish to study law part-time in London while I am working. But after reading countless threads outlining the difficulty in securing training contracts with a 3rd class degree, I am also wary of the costs/time commitment/risk.
I recently got accepted into the GDL at ULaw so here are my options:
1) Do the GDL and hope that I get my foot in the door with a foreign third class undergraduate degree.
2) Do the GDL and put down Bachelor of Education as my undergraduate degree (because it is one in UK after all!) & keep my fingers crossed that the firms do not ask for my BEd transcript- I would like to clarify that I will not be lying because it IS called Bachelor of Education and it IS an undergraduate degree in the UK when done in conjunction with another discipline. I simply won't be disclosing my BSc with poor grades and let the recruiters assume that I did my BEd in 4 years instead of 1 year.
3) Do the LLB at ULaw instead of the GDL (4 years part-time vs 2 years part-time).
4) Do the LLB at UoL External on a part-time basis.
5) Do the LLM QLD at Birkbeck, UoL: 3 years part-time
I will be self-funding my fees. I am also aware of the tuition fees for international law students so the part-time LLB at ULaw @ £18,000 (total) was the best bargain I could find for myself. The LLM QLD would cost around £22,000
Here are my concerns:
1) Would UK law firms care about my third class Canadian degree marks? If yes, can I not just only put down my First Class BEd as my undergraduate education and let them assume that it is a bachelor's degree? Would they wish to see transcripts? Because one glance at it suggests that it is a 1 year program.
2) Is it worth the effort to get a 4-year LLB (PT) vs a 2-year GDL (PT) simply for the sake of having a better chance at an interview?
3) UoL's LLB looks attractive but I have read a lot of negative things about their support and admin. I like the price and I have always been an independent learner; is it really that hard? If I am going to get a second undergraduate, I would definitely want a First.
4) What is the reputation of ULaw's LLB? How will I fare against Oxbridge graduates at Magic Circle firms (assuming I get a First in the LLB and after we standardise for extracurriculars/volunteering/work experience)?
5) Will having a Distinction in the QLD LLM (basically GDL with a research component) negate my poor undergraduate GPA while being considered for interviews?
6) Is ULaw's First Class LLB good enough to be applying to elite masters programs such as BCL at Oxford or LLM at Cambridge?
I recently read a survey of all the institutions attended by trainees at big firms and found no sign of ULaw or BPP! I understand that they are for-profit universities but not a single trainee holding LLB from these institutions based IN London is quite alarming. (Only about 400 trainees were interviewed so sample size might not be big enough).
Please don't tell me about other part-time LLB programs because I cannot afford them! And I am also aware of the fact that ULaw and BPP are known for their LPC, BPTC, and GDL rather than their LLB.
Thanks for all your help in advance.