Work experience - you need it!

Whether you are in the second year of your law degree, or the final year of your non-law degree you need to get some work experience.

Vacation placements

Firms offer vacation placements during the Easter, summer and Christmas vacations. To find out which firms have placements, go www.work-experience.org. Placements are not always paid, so you may want to consider working in areas where you can stay with friends or family. They can last from one week onwards, but don't expect to be doing real work early on - use placements to watch and learn, and to try out a firm and particular areas of work.

When to start looking

Many firms start looking in the autumn and may have pre-Christmas closing dates for Easter and summer vacation work. You can search vacation placements on this site.

• Consider applying for placements in City and regional firms
• Try to compare large and small firms
• Look for firms who practise in the specific areas you are interested in
• Get your careers adviser to look at your application

Solicitors' open days

A number of firms now run open days. Your careers service will have details, or you can contact the firm direct. You can go armed with all the questions you want to ask and the firm gets to see your face - good for networking.

Mini-pupillages

Chambers offer mini-pupillages in the spring, summer, autumn and winter. You can search mini-pupillages on this site.

As with vacation placements not all mini-pupillages are paid, and you may have to travel to get experience. A mini-pupillage can last for one week onwards, and should be treated as an exercise in observational learning to try out a chambers and particular areas of work.

• Compare large and small chambers
• Look for chambers who practise in the specific areas you are interested in
• Apply early, be aware of closing dates
• Get your careers adviser to look at your application

Other work experience does count

If you can't get a vacation placement or mini-pupillage then don't despair. There are plenty of other work experience opportunities that will impress firms and chambers.

www.work-experience.org has an up-to-date list of work experience opportunities. Things like teamwork, management and communication skills, responsibility and interpersonal skills gained on work experience will all count towards getting a training contract or pupillage.

www.lawsociety.org.uk

www.barcouncil.org.uk