There are three vacation placement schemes each year at Ashurst.
At Easter, Ashurst have one intake of primarily final year non-law undergraduates and all graduates. This lasts for two weeks.
The summer scheme has two intakes of primarily second year law undergraduates. Both last for three weeks.
You are welcome to apply for whichever scheme is most convenient for you. If you are offered a place, you will spend each week in a different department, shadowing a solicitor and becoming fully involved with his or her daily work. The aim is for you to get as broad and comprehensive a view as possible, over a short period of time, of life as a City solicitor at Ashurst.
During the placement, employees of Ashurst will give a number of talks relating to the firm and its various areas of practice. The firm also arrange a variety of trips and, in the summer, will provide you with the chance to visit one of their European offices.
Ashurst organise several social events where you can informally meet Ashurst solicitors of different levels of seniority and from different departments. At these events, you can ask any questions you may have about life as a trainee - and beyond. There are other social events too, such as softball matches or touch rugby, as well as nights out with our trainees.
Tip: Although "social" events at City firms are opportunities to let your hair down, you should bear in mind that everything you do whilst on your placement will be judged and discussed. Although a drinks party with free bar and buffet may seem like an excellent excuse to get plastered, in reality this would be a very bad idea. Acting irresponsily when potential future colleagues, and employment decision makers are around could at worst cost you a Training Contract and at best label you as "that Trainee who heckled the HR team at the placement drinks party". Either way, bad idea.
By the end of the placement, you will have had the chance to get to know many of the people who work at Ashurst. You will have experienced first hand the wide cross-section of the work Ashurst undertakes and most importantly, you will have gained a real feel for the working culture at the firm.
Ashurst will introduce you to current trainees when you are on your placement. Many of these people were of course, once on a placement at Ashurst themselves. With that in mind, the schemes are largely administered by a committee of trainees.
You will work normal office hours during your placement and, of course, you will be expected to participate in the daily life of the office. Ashurst do not pay a salary, but do provide a generous subsistence allowance (currently £275 per week) towards the cost of living in, or commuting to, London.
Ashurst don't hold organised public open days. The firm do however allow prospective applicants to visit for an individual guided tour of the office, conducted by a current trainee. This gives you a good opportunity to have a one-to-one talk with a trainee, meet a selection of the firm's employees and get a feel for the office environment.
Tours last around an hour and can be arranged with a couple of days notice around your availability. If you would like to arrange a guided tour, call the Graduate Recruitment and Development team a few days before you plan to visit and the relevant staff will make the necessary arrangements.