Law converter looks for advice
In our latest Career Conundrums submission, a non-law finalist is seeking guidance on whether taking a gap year before starting the PGDL could harm their chances of securing a training contract.
“Hello! I’m a non-law finalist planning to take a year out before starting the PGDL. I’m worried this may disadvantage me in the training contract applications that I make during that year. Could you let me know whether a gap year before the PGDL is generally viewed negatively by firms, and what I should do during that year to make my applications stronger? (For context, I’m hoping to use the year productively through work experience/paid work/volunteering, but I want to make sure this isn’t something that would make it a lot harder for me to get a TC.)”
If you have a career conundrum, email us at tips@legalcheek.com.
If you use the gap year for what you’re saying you will, it will help not hinder.
When you are approaching the end, you will absolutely not be thinking “I wish I hadn’t taken that gap year”. Get a grip and go. Work will always be here.
Not at all! A lot of people need to take gap years to fund their post graduate courses anyway so firms won’t hold this against you. If anything, gaining some more skills (e.g. spending time learning languages, courses on AI) and getting work experience will put you in a better position for applications that if you went straight to PGDL.
No, it won’t hinder you at all. Indeed at my firm (MC) it typically counts in a candidate’s favour – even if you were working in a shop / pub / supermarket for a year to save cash, it teaches you valuable skills like a routine of getting up to go to work on time every day (yes, seriously!), dealing with customers, dealing with colleagues. You’d be surprised how much juice you can squeeze out of those types of things at interview if you just think about it. I would much rather have a trainee that has worked for a year in Tesco than someone who has never had a job.