Private vs Public Universities

It will be Uni of Law or rather thats where my bet is.

Doing the GDL as an international student with a 2.2 isn’t a great idea unless it’s going to help you with the qualification route in your home country.

Getting a training contract (despite unis like BPP’s career guarantee, which is a complete farce btw) with a 2.2 and needing a work permit will be exceptionally difficult.

In the U.K., yes. Firms will care much more about your undergrad degree than a GDL or LLM.

That’s definitely something to think about, thanks for the input. Though if I do pursue the GDL I would move on to the LPC and I definitely don’t plan on getting a 2:2. I’m not concerned about getting a visa at this moment so I’m not worried about that aspect my main concern is career opportunities. If I study Law in the UK I do plan on working there for a while before moving on.

The people who hold 2:2 undergraduates who decide to pursue law do they never end up being a lawyer in the UK? This isn’t the case for my home country but I don’t know how things work in the UK.

@Tass41

It would help if you told us where you're from. Are you from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka? You should find out if there are any unis in UK offering the GDL via online studies. You can then continue working in whichever country you're from/in and then study online.

Once you graduate with the GDL, you should aim to work in an international law firm in your country, that has offices in UK, Europe, or USA. After you complete 2 to 4 years in the local office in your home country there is every chance the international law firm will second you to the UK office or an office in another country before you end up in UK. It has happened to my international friends who're from Brunei and Singapore who completed 2 years in the law firm in their country and were immediately posted out to UK.

Clearly UK is where you want to be and it looks like you want to become a UK citizen eventually. To do a GDL in UK and automatically get a training contract is difficult unless you have connections. That's how it works in UK. There's about 130 to 160 UK institutions and many of them offer law as a degree. So year on year there's so many law graduates but very little jobs.

The good thing is that this is a forum. You will receive many replies. Consider everything, do your research and then decide.

An international firm was my first option but there are only few of those in my home country and even fewer with overseas office. Though neighbouring countries have that option. It’s extremely difficult to transfer from my home country and so much of a hassle that it would be my very last option.

Online courses are not an option I want to take, I simply don’t prefer it and since I can afford to do it on campus that’s the way I’d like to do if I’m given the opportunity.

I currently have no desire to become a UK citizen, I only need 2-3 years as a lawyer in the UK before moving to the next country (I’ve already looked into it).

I don’t know much about the institutions offering these GDL and LLM Programmes which is kind of why I’m posting here to get opinions on different universities and their courses. I’m only familiar with conversion courses in the U.S and I’ve already lived there and I have no desire to return (I don’t hate the U.S though I just don’t want to move back there).

There are also too many law graduates in my home country a well, that’s kind of what deterred me from pursuing a second undergraduate (LLB) right after finishing the first but now I’ve decided to give it a shot and see what happens.

I’m really appreciating everyone’s input, I would like as much information as possible so I can make an informed decision.

Also, one of best friend from France is named Audrey. 😁

With that academic profile, in the UK you almost certainly wouldn;' be competitive for any of the large firms who have the ability to sponsor visas. It's the kind of profile that might perfectly well get a role in a local town solicitors, doing divorces, conveyancing, traffic cases etc, but they wouldn't be able to sponsor visas. Education as a previous career isn't likely to give you any specific point of leverage into niche legal roles like oil and gas or aviation might.

Also I’m not interested in doing a law in the country that I currently reside. It’s a wonderful country I simply no longer wish to live here. I’m ready to move on.

Even large firms have struggled with visas in the last 12 months where the national quota has been met and therefore the salary benchmark for a tier 2 has increased. It’s no longer as simple as just meeting the RLMT

There are no Home Office difficulties with a small firm sponsoring a Tier 2 visa and indeed there are plenty of small firms offering training contracts to the senior partner’s brother’s cousin’s nephew from back in the old country.

The problem is in persuading a small firm to go to the trouble and cost of a Tier 2 visa for an open recruitment process when they are probably looking for someone to spend 25 years plus with the firm.

That 2ii is seriously problematic for me and, I suspect, you. Coupled with the immigration issues and a firm not being happy to make a bit of a gamble investing in someone who might up sticks and go back to wherever... it doesn't look promising to me.

With that academic profile, in the UK you almost certainly wouldn;' be competitive for any of the large firms who have the ability to sponsor visas. It's the kind of profile that might perfectly well get a role in a local town solicitors, doing divorces, conveyancing, traffic cases etc, but they wouldn't be able to sponsor visas. Education as a previous career isn't likely to give you any specific point of leverage into niche legal roles like oil and gas or aviation might.