What Is a Vacation Scheme? A Complete Guide for Law Students

Most solicitors at commercial and City firms got their training contract by first doing a vacation scheme. If you are a penultimate-year law or non-law student, this is very likely your single most important application of the year. Get the scheme, and the training contract becomes a two-week extended interview you have already half-passed.

What a vacation scheme actually is

A vacation scheme is a short, paid placement inside a law firm, typically one to four weeks over Easter, summer, or winter. You sit with a department, get given real, supervised work, and attend training sessions, socials, and partner talks. Firms use the scheme to trial you before offering a training contract.

Most City and large regional firms run two or three schemes a year, each taking anywhere from ten to sixty students. Places are more competitive than most universities' final exams, so firms invest heavily in the selection process before you even set foot in the building.

Structure varies by firm. Some rotate you through two departments during a single scheme so you see contrasting practice areas; others keep you in one seat the whole time. Ask about the format at open days or on the firm's site, since it affects how you talk about "why this seat" in your application.

Why vacation schemes matter for training contracts

At most commercial firms, the vacation scheme is now the main door into a training contract, not a side option. Firms convert a large share of their trainee cohort straight from vac scheme offers, often with only a handful of direct-entry places advertised separately. For the full picture of the route beyond the scheme, read our guide on how to get a training contract.

That means your vacation scheme application deserves the same research, drafting time, and interview practice as a training contract application. Treat it as the main event, not a stepping stone you can wing.

A small number of firms still run a meaningfully sized direct training contract intake alongside the scheme, so do not assume every firm on your list converts trainees the same way. Check each firm's own graduate recruitment pages for how they actually split their intake between routes.

When to apply

Deadlines vary by firm and by scheme type. Summer schemes commonly open for applications in the autumn of the previous year, with rolling deadlines that can close weeks before the stated date once quotas fill. Winter and Easter schemes usually open a little later.

Because cycles shift year to year and firms sometimes bring deadlines forward, check the live careers page for this cycle before you plan your application calendar. Build your list of target dates from each firm's own site, not from a generic date you saw elsewhere.

Rolling deadlines punish late applicants even when the calendar date has not passed. Aim to submit your first two or three applications within the opening fortnight rather than waiting until closer to the published deadline, since strong candidates who apply early often fill places before weaker late ones are even reviewed.

How to build a realistic target list

Apply to a spread of firm types rather than only the five names everyone else applies to. A sensible list mixes magic circle or top City firms, strong mid-size or regional firms, and one or two firms whose practice areas genuinely interest you.

Research each firm's recent deals, sectors, and culture before you apply, not after you get an interview. Weak "why this firm" answers are one of the most common reasons strong candidates get rejected at the written stage.

Use open days, law fairs, and firm insight events to narrow your list before deadlines hit. These events also give you specific detail, such as a partner's comment about the firm's strategy, that you can later use in a written application to prove you actually paid attention.

Getting the written application right

Most vacation scheme applications ask for a CV plus written answers or a cover letter covering motivation, commercial awareness, and sometimes a strengths-based question. Answer the actual question asked. Vague, recycled paragraphs about a passion for commercial law get filtered out fast by recruiters reading hundreds of applications.

Back every claim with a specific example: a module, a mooting result, work experience, or a deal you followed and can discuss with some depth. If you want a head start on the interview stage that follows, our guide on law firm interview preparation covers structure and commercial awareness in more depth.

Many firms also use online psychometric tests, such as situational judgement or numerical reasoning tests, before a video interview and then an assessment centre. Practise the test format in advance so the format itself does not cost you marks that have nothing to do with your legal potential.

What success on the scheme actually looks like

Once you are on the scheme, success is not about being the loudest person in the room. Supervisors are watching for reliable work, sensible questions, and whether you would be pleasant to sit next to for two years as a trainee.

Turn up on time, proofread everything you hand in, and ask for feedback rather than waiting for it. Most schemes end with a short interview or assessment where your day-to-day conduct matters as much as any single answer.

Build genuine relationships with other trainees, associates, and support staff, not just the partners you are hoping will remember your name. Firms often ask multiple people for informal feedback before making an offer, so consistency across the whole team matters more than a single strong moment.

How schemes differ across firm sizes

Magic circle and top City firms typically run two-week schemes with a rotation across two departments, alongside partner-led case studies and a formal assessment centre near the end. Expect a packed schedule, since these firms often see well over a thousand applications for fewer than a hundred places.

Mid-size and regional firms often run shorter schemes, sometimes just one week, with less formal assessment but more direct exposure to real client work. Trainees at these firms frequently mention getting hands-on drafting experience earlier than City peers, since teams are smaller and supervision is closer.

Boutique firms, particularly in areas like intellectual property or shipping, may not run a formal scheme at all and instead offer informal work experience leading to a direct training contract conversation. If a boutique firm interests you, email the graduate recruitment contact directly and ask what routes exist, since their websites often say less than larger firms' pages.

A realistic application timeline, week by week

Imagine you are a penultimate-year student targeting summer vacation schemes that open for applications in the autumn. Over the preceding months, research eight to ten firms and draft a reusable bank of examples covering teamwork, resilience, and commercial interest that you can adapt per question.

Once applications open, submit your first two or three within the opening two weeks, since rolling deadlines reward early submissions. Spend the following weeks preparing for psychometric tests and first-round video interviews while your remaining applications go out.

Most assessment centres for early applicants run within a couple of months of the deadline opening, with offers arriving before some firms' holiday breaks and into the new year for others. Treat any rejection as a prompt to refine your written answers before the next firm's deadline, not as a verdict on your overall chances.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most frequent mistake is applying to too few firms because a student assumes their grades or background rule out the more competitive names. Firms consistently report choosing candidates who show clear judgement and self-awareness over those with marginally higher grades.

The second common mistake is treating the scheme itself as already won once you have the place. Some candidates relax noticeably in week two, missing that ongoing consistency is exactly what firms are quietly assessing throughout.

A third mistake is not asking for informal feedback if you are unsuccessful. A short, polite email asking what would strengthen a future application often gets a genuine response, and that feedback is more useful than anything you could guess on your own.

Non-law students and the conversion route

Non-law students apply for vacation schemes the same way law students do, then complete a conversion course after graduation if they receive a training contract offer. Firms generally do not treat the two groups differently at the application stage.

If anything, a strong non-law degree can help you stand out, since it gives you a genuine "why law" story that goes beyond having studied it by default. Use your subject to explain what drew you to commercial practice specifically, rather than treating it as a gap to explain away.

Open days and insight schemes vs vacation schemes

Open days and insight schemes are shorter, often a single day, and generally do not lead directly to a training contract offer. Firms use them mainly to help students learn about the firm and to widen their applicant pool for later vacation scheme cycles.

Attending one is genuinely useful, particularly for building your target list and picking up detail for written applications. Just do not treat an insight day as equivalent to a vacation scheme when you are planning how much weight to give it on a CV.

What to do after reading this

Pick three firms from your target list this week and note their scheme deadlines somewhere visible. Then draft one written answer and get feedback before you submit anything.

Browse related Lawbound guides on the blog, including our guides on training contracts and mini-pupillage if you are also weighing the barrister route.