Legal internships in UK

An internship in UK - your first step towards a cool career

More than a clever way of gaining relevant practical knowledge of the function of a business, legal internships are also frequently identified as the best way to land a full-time job. They form an excellent opportunity to test out your theoretical skill sets, get insights to employer or career paths and extend your professional network. The specific attributes of internships, such as their duration, type, and whether or not they are paid, tend to vary. More than providing valuable and relevant experience, an internship extends your professional network, which may be one of the most valuable currencies in a modern working environment.

Tip: Get started on the application process for your internship by using the Graduateland CV Builder to update your CV. Both your CV and your cover letter should be tailored to the job description.

The essentials of a career in legal

When you are looking for internships in UK in the legal sector, there are a variety of options available. You could find a job in a law firm specialised in corporate legislation or become part of an in-house law department of a large corporation. The skills needed to work in a legal environment are the ability to multitask, commercial awareness, good drafting skills, strong technical knowledge, a keen eye for detail and good people skills, on top of a legal education background. In UK the opportunities for a student or recent law graduate are plenty, it is just a matter of finding the right fit for your career ambitions.

Tip: Make sure to do some research on what kind of tasks might await you in the field of legal! That knowledge will make it much easier for you to answer and ask questions in a job interview.

Working and living in UK

Although the UK job market was hit hard by the financial crisis, it has recovered significantly in the past few years and individuals with strong language skills are in high demand and employers in the field of legal are hungry for people who have mastered English as well as their own native language to a high level. The UK is a relatively good environment for startups, but new businesses in the legal sector have to compete with large and well-established multinationals so you could find yourself working for a brand new company with a laid back working environment or an international giant with a very formal working culture.

You can expect working conditions in the UK to be highly regulated and generally very good, however, competition for internships is fierce. You’ll need to go the extra mile and put in some overtime if you want to succeed. This might include joining your colleagues in an important part of British working culture - a few drinks in the local pub on Friday evenings!

The universities in UK offer their students a range of programmes that can help you start and advance your career in different ways. 1 of them, the University of Hull, is an active partner in the Graduateland Network.

Tip: Be aware that the requirements for job applications in UK may be different from what you are used to. So spend some time finding out how a standard British CV looks and how to formulate a cover letter for UK companies.

Also, you should prepare for a few other quirks that the UK job market holds in store for graduates.