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August 22,2008
LPC to Training Contract - Making it Pay
Law
student debt can reach £40,000 by the time you start a Training
Contract (TC). The fees for the postgraduate, pre-training "bridge"
Legal Practice Course (LPC), which
should ensure that you are ready to take on the challenges of working
as a trainee solicitor, can cost around £14,000 alone. There
are several ways to fund the LPC, most of which will land you in
further debt. But for most people the biggest challenge is not just
the money. It's making your LPC a real bridge to a training
contract and your career as a qualified lawyer.
Although
a
training contract includes the cost of your studies for the
Professional Skills Course, funding from firms to do the LPC is the
exception rather than the norm. A list of firms offering sponsorship
can be found in The
Training Contract
and Pupilage Handbook 2008 published by
The Law Society. The double-edged sword of sponsorship is that
funding for your LPC usually guarantees a
training contract with the
firm and you are then bound to the firm for a certain period of time
- for most, this is a good thing; for others, not always. And, of
course, competition is ferocious.
There
are also several bursaries and scholarships on offer from The Law
Society. Again, competition is tough, and there isn't the guarantee
of a
training contract afterwards.
It's
important to note that the LPC does not come under
government/education authority funding or student loans. What you can
get is a Professional Studies Loan from a
commercial high street bank or, if you haven't anywhere else to
turn to, a Career Development Loan (see the Department for Children,
Schools and Families website). As a potential high-earner, commercial
banks won't be too worried about lending to you. However, remember
they are much stricter than a normal student loan, as you do have to
start paying ...
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August 15,2008
5 MUST DOs at every Training Contract Interview Display confidence and be well prepared
Confidence and preparedness is one of the most desirable traits and
characters that interviewers look for in
training contract candidates. No amount of disguise can cover a lack of confidence
and preparation, so don't test the skill and patience of the interviewers by
trying to hide anything inside, because it will invariably show up on the
outside.
You also need to be able to present your preparation and confidence to
the interviewers with your body language. This means good eye contact with the interviewers, and answering
questions with a calm and assuring tone. By being concise and accurate with your responses, you can also project
your knowledge of the firm and your own abilities to the interviewers
positively.
With preparation comes confidence, and with confidence comes the ability
to handle anything that they throw at you during the interview.
Show genuine passion and enthusiasm
Just as you can't disguise a lack of confidence, interviewers are also
looking for people who are genuinely passionate and enthusiastic when it comes
to interviews. Interviewers can sense
very quickly whether a candidate is interested and keen about the work, and it
becomes more obvious when further questions are asked about their interest in
law and their views about the firm.
To help you project the image of being passionate and enthusiastic, keep
your eyes on the interviewer at all times, and use open and positive gestures
and body positions to help with delivering your responses in a upbeat
tone.
The more you can establish a common interest with the firm and a career
in law, the more likely they are to see your interest in working with them.
Keep up with appearances
Needless to say, first impressions count for a lot during an ...
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