Recruitment Process

The Skills You'll Need

Eligibility

Trainee Places On Offer 2010

Application Stage

Assessment Centre

Offers

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

2010 Timetable

FAQs

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FAQs

Am I eligible?

My A Levels are poor. Does this matter?

I have a 2:2 degree and a Masters Degree. Can I apply?

Do you recruit non-law graduates?

How many departments can I apply to?

Is there a preference for solicitors or barristers?

Will it help my application if I have studied law or have some work experience in the legal profession?

How much will I be paid during my training / pupillage?

Is the assessment process very competitive?

Where will my training take place?

What is the structure of a GLS training contract?

Will the GLS pay my BVC, LPC fees or GDL course fees?

Am I guaranteed a permanent position at the end of my training / pupillage?

How do I apply?

How can I find out about the progress of my application?

When will I know whether I have been successful?

Is the GLS an equal opportunities employer?

What do I do if I have a concern about the recruitment process?



Am I eligible?

To be eligible to apply for a legal trainee post, you must meet three essential criteria; nationality, immigration status and academic.

You must meet the Civil Service nationality requirements.

You must meet the stated immigration requirements.

You must have a minimum 2.1 degree (or be predicted to obtain a minimum 2.1 degree) or equivalent in any subject. Please note we are willing to consider applications from candidates who have a lower class of degree as a result of mitigating circumstances (ie. serious illness).

Candidates studying law cannot apply any earlier than the penultimate year of their degree. Candidates studying a non law degree cannot apply any earlier than their final year. Please note that Scots law students should apply in their final year of study.

For further information about all of the above criteria please see ‘Eligibility’.


My A Levels are poor. Does this matter?

No. Candidates are not asked to provide details about their A Levels on the application form.


I have a 2:2 degree and a Masters Degree. Can I apply?

No. You must have obtained a minimum 2:1 (undergraduate) degree to be eligible to apply.


Do you recruit non-law graduates?

Yes, as long as you have a 2:1 in your undergraduate degree discipline (which need not be in law), you are eligible to apply. You must have successfully completed the GDL and LPC/BVC before commencing your training.


How many departments can I apply to?

Candidates apply to the GLS as a whole and not to any one specific Department. During the later stages of the recruitment process we will offer candidates the opportunity to specify three Departments they would be most interested in joining if successful in the competition. However, there can be no guarantee that candidates will be allocated to their preferred Departments.


Is there a preference for solicitors or barristers?

There is no preference. The Legal Trainee Scheme is open to both those wishing to study as a trainee solicitor or pupil barrister. In recent years, departments have provided more places for trainee solicitors. Full details on the places available will be advertised on the GLS website when the competition launches.


Will it help my application if I have studied law or have some work experience in the legal profession?

All experience can, of course, be useful but we welcome applications from those with a non-law background as well as from those who have studied law. Our recruitment process has been carefully designed to assess the skills and competencies which are required of our legal trainees rather than legal knowledge or experience.

See ‘The Skills You’ll Need’


How much will I be paid during my training / pupillage?

Currently, the first year legal trainee salary range is £23,280 to £25,600. The second year salary range is £24,850 to £27,335.
The relevant department will confirm the salary details at the point of making an offer to successful candidates.

See ‘Salary & Benefits’


Is the assessment process very competitive?

Hugely. We receive significantly more applications than there are places. The assessment process is, therefore, designed to be rigorous but fair.


Where will my training take place?

All legal trainee posts will be based in London. The majority of GLS trainees work in departmental legal teams in offices in Westminster, Whitehall and Holborn.


What is the structure of a GLS training contract?

Generally, trainee solicitors work in four different ‘seats’ over a two-year period in the department to which they are assigned, thereby gaining a broad view of government legal work. Trainees may have the opportunity to spend a seat working in another government department.

Pupil barristers spend the first six months or middle four months of their year’s pupillage in chambers.


Will the GLS pay my BVC, LPC fees or GDL course fees?

The GLS will pay your Legal Practice Course (LPC) or Bar Vocational Course (BVC) fees in full provided you have not yet started the course.

If you have started your course, most departments will make a proportional payment based on the number of months remaining.

If you have successfully taken and passed your LPC/BVC, we will be unable to reimburse you.

Payment of GDL fees is a matter for individual departments and will depend on whether the department making you an offer has the necessary resources.

See ‘Salary and Benefits’


Am I guaranteed a permanent position at the end of my training / pupillage?

We recruit people who we think have the potential to have a successful career within the GLS. It is our hope that we will be able to offer permanent positions to our trainees upon successful completion of their training / pupillage but this cannot be guaranteed.

See ‘Qualification’ for further details.


How do I apply?

The 2011 Legal Trainee competition will open in July 2011 and an online application form will be available from this website from that date until the end of July 2011.


How can I find out about the progress of my application?

At each stage of the recruitment process our GLS Recruitment Team will contact you to confirm the status of your application.

Full details of the Competition timetable will be made available and, if you have any questions about the progress of your application, please contact the Recruitment Team on 0845 3000 793 or by email glstrainees@tmpw.co.uk.


When will I know whether I have been successful?

All candidates should expect to hear by end of September 2011.


Is the GLS an equal opportunities employer?

Yes. All GLS organisations are part of the UK Civil Service. They comply with legislation and the Codes of Practice issued under such legislation. We believe that all eligible people must have equality of opportunity for employment and advancement on the basis of their suitability for the work.


What do I do if I have a concern about the recruitment process?

The GLS Legal Trainee recruitment scheme is underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners' Code which can be found at www.civilservicecommissioners.org.

We aim to provide the best possible service to applicants for the GLS Legal Trainee Scheme. If you are not satisfied with any aspect of the service you receive at any point during the recruitment process, please inform the GLS Recruitment Team who will deal with your concerns as quickly as possible (glstrainees@tmpw.co.uk).

If you do not feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Commissioners Recruitment Principles (of appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition) and you wish to make a complaint, you can contact Jenny Underhill (GLS Secretariat) at One Kemble Street, London WC2B 4TS (Junderhill@gls.gsi.gov.uk); or the Civil Service Commissioners direct. Please submit your complaint in writing.