Graduating from a ‘non-fancy’ university is my biggest disadvantage
In the latest instalment in our Career Conundrums series, one aspiring solicitor thinks her overseas education is holding her back.
I am currently finishing the Graduate Diploma in Law at City, University of London. However, I studied International Business at a Colombian university, and I believe this is my biggest disadvantage.
Even though I obtained a first and straight As and Bs in my equivalent course to A-levels, it seems that firms are not interested in my background. I have applied for several vacation schemes and I don’t even get called to any interviews. I have asked for help in the careers department and from several friends who have secured placements. Both have reviewed my applications, but still no luck.
Before moving to London, I worked for three multinationals in the logistics departments for the oil & gas, technology, and telecommunications sectors back home. Then I moved to Norway where I learned Norwegian and volunteered with refugees. In London, I have done some pro bono work in City’s law clinic and volunteered for a well-known City firm.
I am starting to worry about my situation. While many of my fellow classmates are attending assessments, I cannot even get past the first filter. Alternatively, I have thought about funding the Legal Practice Course (LPC) myself and joining a firm as a paralegal to get some legal experience, but I am not sure if this is worth the financial risk.
Are there many people who have been educated in non-fancy universities outside the United Kingdom that have succeeded in this industry? Should I give up the idea of becoming a solicitor?
If you have a career conundrum, email us with it to careers@legalcheek.com.
For all the latest commercial awareness info, and advance notification of Legal Cheek’s careers events, sign up to the Legal Cheek Hub here.
The post Is my education in Colombia the reason I can’t get a training contract? appeared first on Legal Cheek.