I am not directing these comments particularly at LDGantly (though he\she might do well to take on board some of what follows); I really do have sympathy for those seeking a training contract.
BUT, I would like to make a few points to disgruntled graduates:
1. If you are looking for a position, you really need to do a little better than a generic cover letter addressed to Dear Sir\Madam, or even worse, To Whom It May Concern. Personalise your letters.
2. I know that spelling and grammar are probably not as important to society at large as they used to be. I know that 'text-speak' and the informality of email have completely changed the landscape in which we use the written word. But lawyers deal in words. It is simply not acceptable for a would-be lawyer to use bad grammar, bad spelling, bad punctuation or slang. You might take the attitude that you can be 'normal' and informal in your everyday usage, but that you will easily shed this skin and write in very proper terms from 9-5 each day, when you have to do so for a living. It doesn't work like that. If you intend to make a living working with words and language, then your desire to get it right every time should permeate most of what you do. The practice of Law is not merely a job: it is a profession and to some extent a vocation. If you do not believe this to be true, then you need to question yourself as to whether the Law is actually the right career for you. Make sure your spelling, grammar and general usage of language are exemplary.
3. If you examine the numbers, it will be clear that small and medium sized firms around the country account for the vast bulk of apprenticeships. There seems to be a huge emphasis placed on securing interviews with the large (and some medium sized) Dublin firms. This emphasis seems to me to be somewhat misplaced. Apply to rural firms.
4. I did not have much trouble securing an apprenticeship, for the very good reason that this was in the days when the training contract might be summarised as "you don't have to work and we don't have to pay you". However, I did start as a newly qualified lawyer in 1992, when the country was still in recession and jobs were very thin on the ground. My CV ran to 2 pages only. I put it through 60+ revisions before I was happy with it. I don't see this level of obsessive attention to detail in any of the CVs which I receive from would-be apprentices. Spend more time polishing your CV and give attention to detail.
5. You can't fake confidence; So don't let yourself be so dismayed by the difficulty in securing an apprenticeship. You have already been through a tough Leaving Cert to secure entry to college. You have achieved a good degree. You have passed the difficult FE1 exams. Some of you have been busy helping the starving mountain children of Nepal and so on. You are all very well qualified. It is not your fault that the economy is in tatters. Chin up. Sorry if that sounds glib - but I believe it to be good advice.