I don't want to do vac schemes or become a lawyer
I'm an Oxford law student and I've realised that whilst I enjoy studying law, I don't really have any desire to become any kind of lawyer (whether a solicitor or barrister) and I'm at the point of uni where I should be applying for vac schemes now and in the coming months and I really just don't want to do them.
I enjoy studying law and my grades have been okay-good while I've been at uni. I'm on track to get at least a 2:1 and I'm aiming for a first but would be relatively happy with a 2:1 in my overall degree. But, having done some general research and having spoken to past students from my college who are now on training contracts with law firms, I don't think a legal career would be at all for me. The main concerns are the lack of work life balance, I've heard people describe a 10 hour work day as it were generous and short, and talk about sometimes having to work all through weekends or doing 12 hour days. Along with the descriptions I've heard of the brutal competitive atmosphere that comes along with a legal career.
Of course I somewhat knew about these things in abstract when I picked my degree but I thought, after having studied law, I would be better equipped to deal with them. But now that the reality of finishing uni and looking for training programmes is upon me, I'm realising that that's not at all what I want to do. I'm naturally a very shy and reserved person and even having to do mooting exercises at uni makes me feel like I want to cry so I know for a fact I wouldn't enjoy brutal competition either in application processes or when working. I've also realised that the work life balance will be a major issue for me. Whilst I enjoy studying and am willing to put in 8 hours of studying on weekdays, I would not be willing to work 10-12 hour days, to give up my weekends, or to make work the central focus of my life. I've also spoken to students from the year above who said that the vac scheme application process had them spending 10 hour days in London, competing against people in their late 20s who had already sat the SQE, and doing intense on the stop debating exercises, all of which I know I really wouldn't be good at.
I know there will be certain users on here who will tell me to just drop out and give up because my apparent lack of work ethic means I will never succeed, but dropping out of uni is not something I'm even considering and in my opinion would be silly when I'm on track to have at least a 2:1 in Oxford law.
I really just want to not have to focus on vac schemes or applying for jobs until after finals so that I can give my energy to studying and then afterwards find a job that actually suits me, won't wreck my mental health and will allow me to actually be able to afford to live and have career progression from a 40 hour work week. Whilst I'm still enjoying my degree, in retrospect I wish I had picked differently and thought more beyond the studying about how realistic careers resulting from my degree choice would actually suit me.
I enjoy studying law and my grades have been okay-good while I've been at uni. I'm on track to get at least a 2:1 and I'm aiming for a first but would be relatively happy with a 2:1 in my overall degree. But, having done some general research and having spoken to past students from my college who are now on training contracts with law firms, I don't think a legal career would be at all for me. The main concerns are the lack of work life balance, I've heard people describe a 10 hour work day as it were generous and short, and talk about sometimes having to work all through weekends or doing 12 hour days. Along with the descriptions I've heard of the brutal competitive atmosphere that comes along with a legal career.
Of course I somewhat knew about these things in abstract when I picked my degree but I thought, after having studied law, I would be better equipped to deal with them. But now that the reality of finishing uni and looking for training programmes is upon me, I'm realising that that's not at all what I want to do. I'm naturally a very shy and reserved person and even having to do mooting exercises at uni makes me feel like I want to cry so I know for a fact I wouldn't enjoy brutal competition either in application processes or when working. I've also realised that the work life balance will be a major issue for me. Whilst I enjoy studying and am willing to put in 8 hours of studying on weekdays, I would not be willing to work 10-12 hour days, to give up my weekends, or to make work the central focus of my life. I've also spoken to students from the year above who said that the vac scheme application process had them spending 10 hour days in London, competing against people in their late 20s who had already sat the SQE, and doing intense on the stop debating exercises, all of which I know I really wouldn't be good at.
I know there will be certain users on here who will tell me to just drop out and give up because my apparent lack of work ethic means I will never succeed, but dropping out of uni is not something I'm even considering and in my opinion would be silly when I'm on track to have at least a 2:1 in Oxford law.
I really just want to not have to focus on vac schemes or applying for jobs until after finals so that I can give my energy to studying and then afterwards find a job that actually suits me, won't wreck my mental health and will allow me to actually be able to afford to live and have career progression from a 40 hour work week. Whilst I'm still enjoying my degree, in retrospect I wish I had picked differently and thought more beyond the studying about how realistic careers resulting from my degree choice would actually suit me.
Reply 1
Yea, but u don't necessarily have to do something strictly law related. It also depends what kinda law u want to do, I'm sure there are positions that pays less but with more manageable workload
Reply 2
Maybe ask the Careers Service at Oxford about what non-law jobs might be a good option for you? Although law is a vocational degree, that doesn't mean you have to work as a lawyer afterwards. A friend of mine read law, worked as a lawyer for a few years, and quickly decided she didn't enjoy it or want to do it anymore. She then changed career track and became manager within a uni administration research office. It was a learning curve but she really enjoyed it 
Good luck with figuring it all out!
Good luck with figuring it all out!
A law degree doesn't mean you have to only pursue a career in law - you'd be perfectly well qualified for plenty of other non-law careers 
Maintaining a good work life balance is a perfectly reasonable consideration for your career goals. I hear the civil service provides much better work life balance than a lot of private sector stuff so maybe explore the fast stream as an option
Maintaining a good work life balance is a perfectly reasonable consideration for your career goals. I hear the civil service provides much better work life balance than a lot of private sector stuff so maybe explore the fast stream as an option
Reply 4
hey there! i did my law undergrad at cambridge and was in a very similar position to you. i realised in my second year, also mainly due to vac scheme and tc apps, that law wasn't for me. i had a big identity crisis because i spent most of my secondary school years and sixth form time thinking i was going to do law and become a solicitor at some high-paying firm. but after realising it wasn't for me, i took some time to myself to think about what i really wanted to do, and ended up starting a conversion psychology masters. i enjoy it much more and i've found where both my personality and passion lies. while you don't have to necessarily switch subject, i also have some cambridge law graduate friends who are only applying to vac schemes after graduation, or looking at paralegal roles instead of jumping straight into tc roles.
another piece of advice - doing a tc is very tough, and some of my friends are staying up till about 2am but starting work again at 8am/9am. you also either needed to be motivated by the big pay slip and/or genuine love for the work. now, neither appealed to me, and i decided i'd rather to do a subject i enjoy, with a better work-life balance in terms of careers, and a liveable salary, rather than pursue a career path i don't really like with insane hours. i also dreaded mooting too lol. so don't think your work ethic is bad; people have different passions and strengths and that's okay.
so yes - if you still want to be in the realm of law, there's many different options upon graduation (paralegal, civil service, solicitor/barrister in criminal or family law instead of corporate law, legal research assistant etc. though note that they still do expect some level of legal experience, but it doesn't necessarily have to be from vac schemes). if not law, take some time to yourself to think about what you enjoy
another piece of advice - doing a tc is very tough, and some of my friends are staying up till about 2am but starting work again at 8am/9am. you also either needed to be motivated by the big pay slip and/or genuine love for the work. now, neither appealed to me, and i decided i'd rather to do a subject i enjoy, with a better work-life balance in terms of careers, and a liveable salary, rather than pursue a career path i don't really like with insane hours. i also dreaded mooting too lol. so don't think your work ethic is bad; people have different passions and strengths and that's okay.
so yes - if you still want to be in the realm of law, there's many different options upon graduation (paralegal, civil service, solicitor/barrister in criminal or family law instead of corporate law, legal research assistant etc. though note that they still do expect some level of legal experience, but it doesn't necessarily have to be from vac schemes). if not law, take some time to yourself to think about what you enjoy
Reply 5
Original post
by AnonymousI'm an Oxford law student and I've realised that whilst I enjoy studying law, I don't really have any desire to become any kind of lawyer (whether a solicitor or barrister) and I'm at the point of uni where I should be applying for vac schemes now and in the coming months and I really just don't want to do them.
I enjoy studying law and my grades have been okay-good while I've been at uni. I'm on track to get at least a 2:1 and I'm aiming for a first but would be relatively happy with a 2:1 in my overall degree. But, having done some general research and having spoken to past students from my college who are now on training contracts with law firms, I don't think a legal career would be at all for me. The main concerns are the lack of work life balance, I've heard people describe a 10 hour work day as it were generous and short, and talk about sometimes having to work all through weekends or doing 12 hour days. Along with the descriptions I've heard of the brutal competitive atmosphere that comes along with a legal career.
Of course I somewhat knew about these things in abstract when I picked my degree but I thought, after having studied law, I would be better equipped to deal with them. But now that the reality of finishing uni and looking for training programmes is upon me, I'm realising that that's not at all what I want to do. I'm naturally a very shy and reserved person and even having to do mooting exercises at uni makes me feel like I want to cry so I know for a fact I wouldn't enjoy brutal competition either in application processes or when working. I've also realised that the work life balance will be a major issue for me. Whilst I enjoy studying and am willing to put in 8 hours of studying on weekdays, I would not be willing to work 10-12 hour days, to give up my weekends, or to make work the central focus of my life. I've also spoken to students from the year above who said that the vac scheme application process had them spending 10 hour days in London, competing against people in their late 20s who had already sat the SQE, and doing intense on the stop debating exercises, all of which I know I really wouldn't be good at.
I know there will be certain users on here who will tell me to just drop out and give up because my apparent lack of work ethic means I will never succeed, but dropping out of uni is not something I'm even considering and in my opinion would be silly when I'm on track to have at least a 2:1 in Oxford law.
I really just want to not have to focus on vac schemes or applying for jobs until after finals so that I can give my energy to studying and then afterwards find a job that actually suits me, won't wreck my mental health and will allow me to actually be able to afford to live and have career progression from a 40 hour work week. Whilst I'm still enjoying my degree, in retrospect I wish I had picked differently and thought more beyond the studying about how realistic careers resulting from my degree choice would actually suit me.
I enjoy studying law and my grades have been okay-good while I've been at uni. I'm on track to get at least a 2:1 and I'm aiming for a first but would be relatively happy with a 2:1 in my overall degree. But, having done some general research and having spoken to past students from my college who are now on training contracts with law firms, I don't think a legal career would be at all for me. The main concerns are the lack of work life balance, I've heard people describe a 10 hour work day as it were generous and short, and talk about sometimes having to work all through weekends or doing 12 hour days. Along with the descriptions I've heard of the brutal competitive atmosphere that comes along with a legal career.
Of course I somewhat knew about these things in abstract when I picked my degree but I thought, after having studied law, I would be better equipped to deal with them. But now that the reality of finishing uni and looking for training programmes is upon me, I'm realising that that's not at all what I want to do. I'm naturally a very shy and reserved person and even having to do mooting exercises at uni makes me feel like I want to cry so I know for a fact I wouldn't enjoy brutal competition either in application processes or when working. I've also realised that the work life balance will be a major issue for me. Whilst I enjoy studying and am willing to put in 8 hours of studying on weekdays, I would not be willing to work 10-12 hour days, to give up my weekends, or to make work the central focus of my life. I've also spoken to students from the year above who said that the vac scheme application process had them spending 10 hour days in London, competing against people in their late 20s who had already sat the SQE, and doing intense on the stop debating exercises, all of which I know I really wouldn't be good at.
I know there will be certain users on here who will tell me to just drop out and give up because my apparent lack of work ethic means I will never succeed, but dropping out of uni is not something I'm even considering and in my opinion would be silly when I'm on track to have at least a 2:1 in Oxford law.
I really just want to not have to focus on vac schemes or applying for jobs until after finals so that I can give my energy to studying and then afterwards find a job that actually suits me, won't wreck my mental health and will allow me to actually be able to afford to live and have career progression from a 40 hour work week. Whilst I'm still enjoying my degree, in retrospect I wish I had picked differently and thought more beyond the studying about how realistic careers resulting from my degree choice would actually suit me.
Chartered Accountants with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales can earn an average of £150,000 per year here in London, UK and it is also an average of £130,000 outside of London. Also, working hours are just 37.5 hours to 50 hours a week.
From September 2025 there will be a change to a new format:
The first 6 CERTIFICATE LEVEL papers are entirely Computer Based Exams (CBEs) and 100% multiple choice with a 55% pass mark.
•
Accounting Fundamentals
•
Tax Fundamentals
•
Assurance Risk Fundamentals
•
Business Insight and Performance
•
Business Law
•
Sustainability and Ethics
•
Assurance, Risk and Reporting
•
Corporate Reporting, Data and Assurance
•
Business and Digital Strategy
•
Tax Compliance and Business Planning
•
Corporate Financial Planning
•
Fundamental Case Study
•
Technical Case Study
•
Strategic Case Study
ICAEW Chartered Accountants are in such demand that you can make between £150,000 to £200,000 per year by working just 2 or 3 days a week here in London, UK!!! 😀 lol 😉
https://www.firstintuition.co.uk/fihub/the-new-icaew-syllabus-next-generation-aca/
https://www.icaew.com/learning-and-development/aca/next-generation-aca/14-business-finance-and-accountancy-modules
You can also consider the Chartered Tax Adviser qualification (which is also offered as a JOINT PATHWAY with ACA i.e. ACA-CTA).
https://www.tax.org.uk/aca-cta-joint-programme
PwC, Deloitte, KPMG and EY have so many unfilled Tax vacancies, so it is not too difficult to get a job and roles vary between 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday but when tax deadlines approach you can be working 9am to 9pm or so. But you can earn £250,000 to £500,000 a year within 3 to 5 years and Tax partners in the Big 4 firms earn up to £5,000,000 a year!!! 😀 lol 😉
Here are the TAX ADVISER MAGAZINES:
https://www.taxadvisermagazine.com/magazines
(edited 11 months ago)
Reply 6
OP, have you considered an academic career? If you get a first you could embark on postgraduate study with a view to teaching and writing about the law. If you are interested in law reform, you might look at the Law Commission, There's also the EHRC, Parliament (staff not MP), NGOs and charities.
As others have noted, you could try many types of job, more or less anything that does not require STEM expertise. Your degree will not tie you to its subject.
Maybe avoid professional service firms in general, as they all live or die by the billable hour.
The working culture of big law firms is absurd. Work life balance is better at the Bar, but the Bar is no.place for the shy.
As others have noted, you could try many types of job, more or less anything that does not require STEM expertise. Your degree will not tie you to its subject.
Maybe avoid professional service firms in general, as they all live or die by the billable hour.
The working culture of big law firms is absurd. Work life balance is better at the Bar, but the Bar is no.place for the shy.
Reply 7
Original post
by AnonymousI'm an Oxford law student and I've realised that whilst I enjoy studying law, I don't really have any desire to become any kind of lawyer (whether a solicitor or barrister) and I'm at the point of uni where I should be applying for vac schemes now and in the coming months and I really just don't want to do them.
I enjoy studying law and my grades have been okay-good while I've been at uni. I'm on track to get at least a 2:1 and I'm aiming for a first but would be relatively happy with a 2:1 in my overall degree. But, having done some general research and having spoken to past students from my college who are now on training contracts with law firms, I don't think a legal career would be at all for me. The main concerns are the lack of work life balance, I've heard people describe a 10 hour work day as it were generous and short, and talk about sometimes having to work all through weekends or doing 12 hour days. Along with the descriptions I've heard of the brutal competitive atmosphere that comes along with a legal career.
Of course I somewhat knew about these things in abstract when I picked my degree but I thought, after having studied law, I would be better equipped to deal with them. But now that the reality of finishing uni and looking for training programmes is upon me, I'm realising that that's not at all what I want to do. I'm naturally a very shy and reserved person and even having to do mooting exercises at uni makes me feel like I want to cry so I know for a fact I wouldn't enjoy brutal competition either in application processes or when working. I've also realised that the work life balance will be a major issue for me. Whilst I enjoy studying and am willing to put in 8 hours of studying on weekdays, I would not be willing to work 10-12 hour days, to give up my weekends, or to make work the central focus of my life. I've also spoken to students from the year above who said that the vac scheme application process had them spending 10 hour days in London, competing against people in their late 20s who had already sat the SQE, and doing intense on the stop debating exercises, all of which I know I really wouldn't be good at.
I know there will be certain users on here who will tell me to just drop out and give up because my apparent lack of work ethic means I will never succeed, but dropping out of uni is not something I'm even considering and in my opinion would be silly when I'm on track to have at least a 2:1 in Oxford law.
I really just want to not have to focus on vac schemes or applying for jobs until after finals so that I can give my energy to studying and then afterwards find a job that actually suits me, won't wreck my mental health and will allow me to actually be able to afford to live and have career progression from a 40 hour work week. Whilst I'm still enjoying my degree, in retrospect I wish I had picked differently and thought more beyond the studying about how realistic careers resulting from my degree choice would actually suit me.
I enjoy studying law and my grades have been okay-good while I've been at uni. I'm on track to get at least a 2:1 and I'm aiming for a first but would be relatively happy with a 2:1 in my overall degree. But, having done some general research and having spoken to past students from my college who are now on training contracts with law firms, I don't think a legal career would be at all for me. The main concerns are the lack of work life balance, I've heard people describe a 10 hour work day as it were generous and short, and talk about sometimes having to work all through weekends or doing 12 hour days. Along with the descriptions I've heard of the brutal competitive atmosphere that comes along with a legal career.
Of course I somewhat knew about these things in abstract when I picked my degree but I thought, after having studied law, I would be better equipped to deal with them. But now that the reality of finishing uni and looking for training programmes is upon me, I'm realising that that's not at all what I want to do. I'm naturally a very shy and reserved person and even having to do mooting exercises at uni makes me feel like I want to cry so I know for a fact I wouldn't enjoy brutal competition either in application processes or when working. I've also realised that the work life balance will be a major issue for me. Whilst I enjoy studying and am willing to put in 8 hours of studying on weekdays, I would not be willing to work 10-12 hour days, to give up my weekends, or to make work the central focus of my life. I've also spoken to students from the year above who said that the vac scheme application process had them spending 10 hour days in London, competing against people in their late 20s who had already sat the SQE, and doing intense on the stop debating exercises, all of which I know I really wouldn't be good at.
I know there will be certain users on here who will tell me to just drop out and give up because my apparent lack of work ethic means I will never succeed, but dropping out of uni is not something I'm even considering and in my opinion would be silly when I'm on track to have at least a 2:1 in Oxford law.
I really just want to not have to focus on vac schemes or applying for jobs until after finals so that I can give my energy to studying and then afterwards find a job that actually suits me, won't wreck my mental health and will allow me to actually be able to afford to live and have career progression from a 40 hour work week. Whilst I'm still enjoying my degree, in retrospect I wish I had picked differently and thought more beyond the studying about how realistic careers resulting from my degree choice would actually suit me.
Honestly, good on you for figuring out what your priorities are in a job. Not everyone is suited to City law (saying this as someone who trained in a Magic Circle and went in house about 2 years after qualification), so don't feel obligated to become a City solicitor/ barrister just because that's what most of your peers are doing. Law at Oxford is an academic and not a vocational degree.
That said, not all law jobs have poor work-life balance. In house training contracts are one option - in house typically has better hours but this varies from company to company. You can definitely apply to non-law jobs too - one of my college batchmates joined Civil Service Fast Stream and one person two years ahead of me became a church minister. I also know other Oxford law graduates who worked as investment bankers and consultants, albeit these would probably not be suitable careers for you because they also have very poor work-life balance. The world is your oyster, and I suggest you spend some time thinking about what type of jobs would suit you (e.g. graduate schemes). Good luck!
Reply 8
Original post
by mishieru07Honestly, good on you for figuring out what your priorities are in a job. Not everyone is suited to City law (saying this as someone who trained in a Magic Circle and went in house about 2 years after qualification), so don't feel obligated to become a City solicitor/ barrister just because that's what most of your peers are doing. Law at Oxford is an academic and not a vocational degree.
That said, not all law jobs have poor work-life balance. In house training contracts are one option - in house typically has better hours but this varies from company to company. You can definitely apply to non-law jobs too - one of my college batchmates joined Civil Service Fast Stream and one person two years ahead of me became a church minister. I also know other Oxford law graduates who worked as investment bankers and consultants, albeit these would probably not be suitable careers for you because they also have very poor work-life balance. The world is your oyster, and I suggest you spend some time thinking about what type of jobs would suit you (e.g. graduate schemes). Good luck!
That said, not all law jobs have poor work-life balance. In house training contracts are one option - in house typically has better hours but this varies from company to company. You can definitely apply to non-law jobs too - one of my college batchmates joined Civil Service Fast Stream and one person two years ahead of me became a church minister. I also know other Oxford law graduates who worked as investment bankers and consultants, albeit these would probably not be suitable careers for you because they also have very poor work-life balance. The world is your oyster, and I suggest you spend some time thinking about what type of jobs would suit you (e.g. graduate schemes). Good luck!
if you don't mind me asking , why did you go in house from a magic circle law firm?
Reply 9
Original post
by sharuhss09if you don't mind me asking , why did you go in house from a magic circle law firm?
Reply 10
Original post
by sharuhss09if you don't mind me asking , why did you go in house from a magic circle law firm?
If you knew what life is like in a magic circle law firm, you might not find it surprising that a person might seek a better life elsewhere. People are easily dazzled by money, but there's more to life than that.
Reply 11
Original post
by AnonymousI'm an Oxford law student and I've realised that whilst I enjoy studying law, I don't really have any desire to become any kind of lawyer (whether a solicitor or barrister) and I'm at the point of uni where I should be applying for vac schemes now and in the coming months and I really just don't want to do them.
I enjoy studying law and my grades have been okay-good while I've been at uni. I'm on track to get at least a 2:1 and I'm aiming for a first but would be relatively happy with a 2:1 in my overall degree. But, having done some general research and having spoken to past students from my college who are now on training contracts with law firms, I don't think a legal career would be at all for me. The main concerns are the lack of work life balance, I've heard people describe a 10 hour work day as it were generous and short, and talk about sometimes having to work all through weekends or doing 12 hour days. Along with the descriptions I've heard of the brutal competitive atmosphere that comes along with a legal career.
Of course I somewhat knew about these things in abstract when I picked my degree but I thought, after having studied law, I would be better equipped to deal with them. But now that the reality of finishing uni and looking for training programmes is upon me, I'm realising that that's not at all what I want to do. I'm naturally a very shy and reserved person and even having to do mooting exercises at uni makes me feel like I want to cry so I know for a fact I wouldn't enjoy brutal competition either in application processes or when working. I've also realised that the work life balance will be a major issue for me. Whilst I enjoy studying and am willing to put in 8 hours of studying on weekdays, I would not be willing to work 10-12 hour days, to give up my weekends, or to make work the central focus of my life. I've also spoken to students from the year above who said that the vac scheme application process had them spending 10 hour days in London, competing against people in their late 20s who had already sat the SQE, and doing intense on the stop debating exercises, all of which I know I really wouldn't be good at.
I know there will be certain users on here who will tell me to just drop out and give up because my apparent lack of work ethic means I will never succeed, but dropping out of uni is not something I'm even considering and in my opinion would be silly when I'm on track to have at least a 2:1 in Oxford law.
I really just want to not have to focus on vac schemes or applying for jobs until after finals so that I can give my energy to studying and then afterwards find a job that actually suits me, won't wreck my mental health and will allow me to actually be able to afford to live and have career progression from a 40 hour work week. Whilst I'm still enjoying my degree, in retrospect I wish I had picked differently and thought more beyond the studying about how realistic careers resulting from my degree choice would actually suit me.
I enjoy studying law and my grades have been okay-good while I've been at uni. I'm on track to get at least a 2:1 and I'm aiming for a first but would be relatively happy with a 2:1 in my overall degree. But, having done some general research and having spoken to past students from my college who are now on training contracts with law firms, I don't think a legal career would be at all for me. The main concerns are the lack of work life balance, I've heard people describe a 10 hour work day as it were generous and short, and talk about sometimes having to work all through weekends or doing 12 hour days. Along with the descriptions I've heard of the brutal competitive atmosphere that comes along with a legal career.
Of course I somewhat knew about these things in abstract when I picked my degree but I thought, after having studied law, I would be better equipped to deal with them. But now that the reality of finishing uni and looking for training programmes is upon me, I'm realising that that's not at all what I want to do. I'm naturally a very shy and reserved person and even having to do mooting exercises at uni makes me feel like I want to cry so I know for a fact I wouldn't enjoy brutal competition either in application processes or when working. I've also realised that the work life balance will be a major issue for me. Whilst I enjoy studying and am willing to put in 8 hours of studying on weekdays, I would not be willing to work 10-12 hour days, to give up my weekends, or to make work the central focus of my life. I've also spoken to students from the year above who said that the vac scheme application process had them spending 10 hour days in London, competing against people in their late 20s who had already sat the SQE, and doing intense on the stop debating exercises, all of which I know I really wouldn't be good at.
I know there will be certain users on here who will tell me to just drop out and give up because my apparent lack of work ethic means I will never succeed, but dropping out of uni is not something I'm even considering and in my opinion would be silly when I'm on track to have at least a 2:1 in Oxford law.
I really just want to not have to focus on vac schemes or applying for jobs until after finals so that I can give my energy to studying and then afterwards find a job that actually suits me, won't wreck my mental health and will allow me to actually be able to afford to live and have career progression from a 40 hour work week. Whilst I'm still enjoying my degree, in retrospect I wish I had picked differently and thought more beyond the studying about how realistic careers resulting from my degree choice would actually suit me.
Hi,
Please don’t feel disheartened! As others have said, a law degree does not mean that you have to pursue a career as a solicitor in a law firm with a terrible work-life balance, or even that you have to be a solicitor at all. If you have enjoyed your degree, it has been worth doing. Just as non-law students can be lawyers, law students can be non-lawyers.
Law graduates go on to work in many fields, as the degree is highly transferable. This ULaw career finder tool may help you to consider other fields and pathways to get into them if the idea of working at a smaller firm which would require less working hours does not appeal.
Attend careers fairs and use your university careers service to look for specific opportunities. There are plenty of fulfilling jobs out there which do not require you to give up your evenings and weekends, and your degree background will absolutely not hinder you in getting one.
Layla
Reply 12
Original post
by sharuhss09if you don't mind me asking , why did you go in house from a magic circle law firm?
For the same reasons as most people who leave big law to be honest. I was miserable and frustrated that I didn't have enough time or energy for friends and family or my (many) hobbies. I also became very anxious since I was never able to fully disconnect from work (in big law, you are expected to check your work phone constantly during evenings/ weekends/ holidays and jump on matters at short notice if needed. Plans can be completely ruined with a single email). It always felt like the other shoe could drop at any moment, even when nothing actually happened.
For me, big paychecks are nice but life is more than slaving away at a job.
Reply 13
Original post
by mishieru07For the same reasons as most people who leave big law to be honest. I was miserable and frustrated that I didn't have enough time or energy for friends and family or my (many) hobbies. I also became very anxious since I was never able to fully disconnect from work (in big law, you are expected to check your work phone constantly during evenings/ weekends/ holidays and jump on matters at short notice if needed. Plans can be completely ruined with a single email). It always felt like the other shoe could drop at any moment, even when nothing actually happened.
For me, big paychecks are nice but life is more than slaving away at a job.
For me, big paychecks are nice but life is more than slaving away at a job.
Oh makes sense. I'm a second year law student at Southampton and everyone around me is applying to vacation schemes and training contracts for commercial firms. But I'm not applying to any commercial/corporate firms because I genuinely don't have a passion for it unlike family, criminal law
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Is applying for vac schemes a necessity?
- law or English lit
- Where to go now
- Do face piercings stop you getting vac schemes/training contracts? (law)
- Paralegal salaries are criminally bad
- Work experience for Vacation Schemes at law firm
- Will not having undergrad work experience hold me back?
- SOAS v City London
- Did I make the right decision studying law?
- Applying for Vacation Schemes with a low 2:2 in 1st year. Which firms will consider ?
- Best route to becoming a solicitor?
- Dropping out of uni for law
- Second Baccalaureate
- How essential is undergrad work experience?
- How difficult is it to secure a city training contract in a prestigious law firm?
- NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme 2024 start
- Barrister apprenticeships
- law training contract for non-law student
- Do I have enough law experience to make direct TC applications worthwhile?
- RSM Audit 2026
Latest
Trending
Last reply 2 weeks ago
Oxford University - BA Law degree - OPTIONAL PAPERS!!!Last reply 3 months ago
Is applying for Oxford with mental health issues a bad idea?Last reply 3 months ago
Oxford University - Undergraduate Law degree - UCAS Personal Statement?Last reply 3 months ago
I regret my current university choice, is it too late to drop out?
How The Student Room is moderated
To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.
