Vacation schemes

Vacation schemes and training contract

The earliest we can accept an application for non-law students is in their final year, and law students in their penultimate and final year. Applicants from all universities are welcome. For graduates, we welcome applicants from all degree subjects and career changers, regardless of how long it’s been since you graduated. We typically bring our trainees on board through our vacation schemes to spend a week with us so we can get to know you better. However, if you’re unable to participate in a vacation scheme, you’re also welcome to apply directly for the training contract. We kindly ask that you choose between these options, as we can only accept one application.

Open days and trainee application Q&A with early careers

We encourage you to apply for an open day before submitting a vacation scheme application to come to the office and hear more about the work we do. All our open days offer the same content and opportunities, so please apply to just one per cycle. The eligibility requirements are the same as those for our vacation schemes and training contract.

First year insight day

This special opportunity is designed for students who are still studying and not yet eligible to apply for vacation schemes and training contracts. For those studying law, you must be in your first year of a 3-year degree, or first/second year of a 4-year degree. For applicants studying a non-law degree, you must not be in the final year. If you do not meet the above criteria, you should instead apply for the open days.

We look for candidates with strong intellectual ability, sound judgement and a genuine interest in a career at Forsters.

We value individuals who are collaborative, personable and motivated, and who demonstrate an understanding of what distinguishes our firm and the work we do.

Every application is reviewed by a member of our Graduate Recruitment Panel. We do not use automated filtering systems as part of our application process.

During the application process, we’re excited to learn more about you, your personality, your passions, and what has inspired you to pursue a career in law. Rest assured; every application is personally reviewed by a member of our graduate recruitment panel, and we don’t use any automatic filtering systems.

Absolutely! We attend a variety of careers events and fairs each year. We don’t target specific universities, as we want to be inclusive to all applicants. While our schedule may vary, we typically attend fairs with the University of Law, BPP, and Legal Cheek.

Yes, we can support with travel expenses for those attending open days and assessment days. We are happy to reimburse for within mainland UK (train/bus/driving). If likely to exceed £150 please let us know in advance.

At Forsters, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our Early Careers strategy. Our team collaborates closely with the firm’s D&I committee and support networks to continually enhance our processes. Here are a few ways we’re making a difference:

Blind First-Round Interviews: On assessment days, our interviewers don’t see your application form before meeting you, ensuring a fair and unbiased process.

Contextual Recruitment Tool: We use REALRating’s contextual tool within our online application to consider your achievements in the context of your personal background.

MyPlus Consulting Gold Membership: As a gold member of MyPlus Consulting, we focus on inclusive recruitment for candidates with disabilities. More information can be found here.

Halo Code Membership: We’re members of the Halo Code, supporting a future free from hair discrimination. We encourage you to attend our events and assessments feeling comfortable and confident in your natural hair. Learn more here.

Disability Confident Certification: We’re certified under the Disability Confident scheme, and we’re committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process. Learn more here. In line with Disability Confident requirements, our minimum criteria for an invitation for interview (assessment day stage) would be steps 1-4 below:

1. Submit your online application
2. The Early Careers team review your application for eligibility and quality of response
3. If invited to progress, record and submit a video interview
4. Our Graduate Recruitment Panel review the video interview

We’re excited to meet talented candidates from all backgrounds and look forward to welcoming you to Forsters!