The Student Room Group

Confused about Training contracts and SQE

I am currently a postgraduate student at University College London, and I have some surrounding confusion around the SQE prep, following a training contract.
I have received a training contract from a law firm, and they are willing to pay for my SQE preparation. However, the intake for that law firm is 2027, and I will be done with my studies in 2025. Obviously, since they will be paying for my SQE prep, I wont have to worry about money in that regard, but I won't be able to live in the UK, since I am not working, and rent in London is expensive.
Is it possible for me to get a job as a paralegal for that 1 year, whilst also conducting my SQE preparation? Or is the SQE allowance enough for me to also rent in the UK, is that adjusted, as I am not from the UK and do not have any relative with whom I can stay with. Cause this particular firm offers a low maintainance grant, whereas others offer up to 20k for a maintainance grant in conjunction with SQE fees covered.
Should I apply to another firm providing better benefits, or can I work during those 2 years of waiting time before the 2027 intake?
SQE is a scam to squeeze out more money from poor clueless law students and so is the bar course
Original post by JohnLiatsos
I am currently a postgraduate student at University College London, and I have some surrounding confusion around the SQE prep, following a training contract.
I have received a training contract from a law firm, and they are willing to pay for my SQE preparation. However, the intake for that law firm is 2027, and I will be done with my studies in 2025. Obviously, since they will be paying for my SQE prep, I wont have to worry about money in that regard, but I won't be able to live in the UK, since I am not working, and rent in London is expensive.
Is it possible for me to get a job as a paralegal for that 1 year, whilst also conducting my SQE preparation? Or is the SQE allowance enough for me to also rent in the UK, is that adjusted, as I am not from the UK and do not have any relative with whom I can stay with. Cause this particular firm offers a low maintainance grant, whereas others offer up to 20k for a maintainance grant in conjunction with SQE fees covered.
Should I apply to another firm providing better benefits, or can I work during those 2 years of waiting time before the 2027 intake?

Your ability to work in the UK depends on your immigration status. It might be difficult to obtain a work permit for a job such as paralegalling.

TCs are hard to come by, so it's probablybetter to hold on to the one that you have. You may need to go to your home country and return for the TC.

For immigration advice, consult an immigration lawyer. Paul Simon is the best firm in London for immigration advice.

Enjoy UCL. Are you on the LLM course? If you are lucky, you won't have me teaching you!
(edited 2 months ago)
Original post by Academic007
SQE is a scam to squeeze out more money from poor clueless law students and so is the bar course

I cannot comment on the SQE, but I broadly agree with you about the Bar course. It ought to be done as a six week crammer, as it was until the 1960s, and as it is in the USA.

Learning how to be a practical lawyer is an on the job thing. Sitting in classrooms for a year teaches a person very little about lawyering. Maitland said as much in his Cambridge lectures circa 1910. He observed that substantive law could be studied at a university, but procedural law should be studied in chambers.

In a curious lesson in economics, removing the training monopoly held by the Inns of Court School of Law until the early 2000s has not advanced the public interest, and has instead harmed it. A single and reasonably good course provider charging a modest amount has been replaced by multiple rubbishy course providers charging rip off prices for rip off products, which lead many people nowhere.

Neo-liberalism's emphasis on services over goods as the main economic activity in developed countries has led to many more people seeking to enter professional service careers in the law and in other fields. But the economy can only support a finite number of lawyers, bankers, accountants etc. Thus many who aspire to enter professional service jobs end up frustrated, having wasted time and money competing to get through narrow gateways.

The gateways were never wide, but they didn't used to be so crowded, because not so many people wanted to work in professional services.

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