Legal apprenticeship: any tips on trying to find a trainee solicitor job

ha !! I am just so bitter!! If I look at my CV - it's got "top of the class" recommendations and results, all fe1s (which is neither hear nor there in the standard race) but all sorts of other lovelies - and it means nothing in the grand scheme of things. My CV stands out - I do not! ha!

Any word on apprenticeships in Munster?? I heard Cork & Limerick are pretty sown up and full up. ahh what a climate to be looking for an app'ship!!!!
 
Was in college earlier and was talking to others who hadn't heard anything either, they all have fairly high standard CVs but then the general standard is extremely high as far as I could see.

At this stage I've kinda lost hope but you never know! I'm definitely going to seek feedback anyways so I can learn from it, especially if I end up in the same position next year.
 
sorry to be the bearer of bad news but pretty much everyone who got a 2nd round interview got their letters last Friday.
 
Hey, I'm new to the big5 application adventure but I have an individual interview with AC coming up and was wondering if anyone would have any advice for this? What questions do they typically ask? And has anyone here been given feedback on interview performance from previous years?
 
Hey Breeze - did the individual interview last year (didn't get that far this year) but it's very easy going and light-hearted however that's to put you at ease... don't be! Nah, it's not that bad but it's easier to slip up then. Prepare answers for why you did what you did i.e. did you go to private school, who's idea was that? Why did you chose your degree, were you happy with your results, what did you do in your spare time...(that one caught me..kept thinking..I drank!!) Hope this helps!
 
How about a PFO party??
K im gonna wait till the 2nd week of December to hear back from the other firms n then book a flight to Oz for the 3rd week of january-I figure all interviews will be dun and dusted by then. Hopefully I'll get a loan tho...I know it seems like a bailing out but just cant keep hanging out here waiting for rejection. all of us on this thread have done exactly as we should n thats still not gud enuf.I mean I didnt particlarly enjoy writing a thesis but I did it anyway cos thought twud look good on my cv-Ah well might as well have spent the year dossing for all the good it did me :(:(

Im like you Irishlawgirl, travelling has always been in my plan provided I had my apprenticeship sorted but it just seems that now is the best time to go!
 
I finally got my PFO from Cox's. What do these people want? A kidney perhaps? I did my law degree, even went away for an exchange year to have that extra qualification, did an LLm - lots of legal experience, lots of extra curricular activities, - i'm even on a national squad (although an apprenticehip did not motivate me to go for the trials). i'm so disillusioned by it all.

Kiki - like the idea of a PFO party :) I am the same about going travelling - my plan is to get sorted this yeay(pah!) and then go to Oz for the time in between. but i'm not giving up my job without knowing i'm coming back to a traineeship so i think that there will be no Oz next year, unless i grow a spare kidney :D

Apologies for the rant.
 
I'm guessing though kiki you were born in '86? I will be 27 next year so I think I won't be taking a year off traveling but will continue working so that I may buy a house and all that jazz! Soo ap'ship not this year - it's a possibility.. changing careers at this stage just seems mad! It's not like the other jobs out there are demanding new recruits - no one is really looking for staff or newbies to their profession..
 
~Spare Kidney ! I love it!

But i'm like Spy - I wouldn't leave this job to travel... and not to secure an a'ship. I have heard some horror stories lately where people, having secured an a'ship, went travelling only to receive a letter recently saying that they've revoked their contract.. that would be painful!
 
What about the people who are just ordinary though, with a 2.1 degree and no relevant experience (because noone would take them on no matter how much I tried!) What are we supposed to do with ourselves now?? I've tried a load of small firms but nothing there either, and competing with 1000's of people for limited traineeships is not going too well, so what now?? What was the point in all this!!! ... Damn these Receding Times!!!
 
Yup was born in 1986 but Im kinda older than my years and realistically would love to get the ball rolling-get a job, a house etc.And if I do go travelling it will be for 2 months max, defo not a year cos I couldnt justify bailing out and not taking my future into account.
Just feel very down at the moment-all the feckin rejection and to be honest I feel that if I got an interview now I wouldnt do myself justice cos I'd automatically assume that I wouldnt get the job!Vicious Circle!
Stoooooooopid Recession!
Has anyone heard of any former law classmates going down a different road than solicitor/barrister?would love to no what the alternatives are!
Spy, Im with you on the kidney selling!!
 
Mag, I know loads of people who have 2.1 degrees and no experience who have contracts with arthur Cox. Mops etc!So hard to tell what they're looking for, ud imagine that the person with a first class degree and bucketloads of experience would get the job but that not necessarily always the case!God I think my family are beginning to hate me now cos i keep ranting about law firms and apprenticeships!beginning to bore myself a little too!!
 
i know a friend of mine decided to go down the tax consultancy route. alternatively kidney selling seemed to have a positive response :D although it might be a little too risky.

Mags i have a 2.1 degree and still have got called for interviews. i wouldn't hold your degree out to blame for not getting an apprenticeship. a 2,1 is a very good degree. not that i know what they are looking for. i've tried and done everything by the book as have all of the people on here and still no go.

i am going to contact AC for feedback on my interview. this feel like the legal version of the x-factor!!!
 
Il sell a lung if it means getting apprenticeship never mind a kidney!!

Emailed AC there to see if i could get feedback will let ye know if they send anything back.

ya i think my family will disown me soon if I dont stop my ranting and psyco-analysis of why i didnt get a bloody call back!!!!

Read here recently something about "dont apply to maples and calder".......why is that, thought they looked good at presentation and i was liaising with the partners on behalf of the law society and they seemed really nice???
 
Maybe i'm a cynic but never know how good the feedback you get will be . Just a thought.

I'd say we've a week off from looking at the post then the letters from MOP, William Fry & A&L should be out - nicely timed for the xmas!
 
Got my PFO from A Cox. But I'm over it, best of luck to all of you who got the second interview.

Have any of you gotten acknowledgments of your application from Maples and Calder, BCM, LK Shields, or ODonnell Sweeney Evershed. I haven't gotten anything, just want to make sure they haven't sent anything out yet.

Also, Beauchamps - they say nothing about applying on their website. Does anyone know the story behind that?
 
Hi, I'm just curious as to whether anyone had an interview with BCM during the summer in relation to a job in Jan 2009? i had one and they keep putting off getting back to me and i've just heard that ppl who got contracts for 2009 have now had them put back to 2010! :( i've been reading this for a while and its made me more depressed i didn't even manage to get an interview for arthur cox even tho i have 1:1 and all my fe1's passed absolutely gutted:( but, glad to see other ppl in same shoes as me!
 
i still want to know what Cox have to say. i don't think i'd bother applying there again. it's too traumatic.

Theo haven't got any acknowledgments from those firms. O'Donnell Sweeney's closing date isn't until friday week so they will definitely not be writing until mid decemeber at the earliest.

does anyone know when the FE-1 results are due out? i'm hoping they might distract me from this misery.
 
Taking positive action: apart from all the biggies... AC and McCann Fitz now out of the water..

What's the with the rest of Ireland?? When will people apply? I think applying now is too early at the best of times - and right now in this climate I think you'd look mad thinking you've even touched their to-do list!

What's that leaving us with then? Apply in January / February?? What's the general consensus on that?
 
But where are you going start applying to? the smaller firms there all about pull and contacts and who you know.....so far this yr i have received 97 rejection letters depressive or what
 
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