Advise wanted on amount of unpaid work experience required.

[KathrynM]

Help! I completed the LPC in 2007. I'm applying for paralegal work and TC's with high street firms but not getting any interviews. I think the problem is that I don't have enough unpaid work experience. Doing unpaid work is expensive for me because I am a lone parent to a three year old child - so I have to pay around £200 a week in child care while I work. So what I need to know is how much unpaid work experience can I expect to have to do before I start getting paid work?

At this point I would be happy to never get a TC at all - if it meant that I could at least get a paralegal job. Any advise would be gratefully received.

[shirin]

Good luck

[Tatzingo]

If I understand correctly, your question is "How much unpaid legal experience do I need in order to get a paid paralegal position"?

I don't think employers differentiate much between PAID and UNPAID legal experience, it is after all LEGAL experience.
Depending on who you apply to, you might not need any at all - It would help but isn't essential.

Judging from your circumstances, you might find it easier to get work as a Legal Secretary? Most of these positions are paid, if you have any secretarial/administrator experience and have a fast typing speed, these will all work in your favour. Once you've been there for a month or so, that would count as legal experience under your belt, and you could use that as a launch pad from which to apply for legal assistant/paralegal roles and TCs?

Just my two cents...

(pennies)

Tatz

[sumoking]

about 6 months

maybe less for high quality work

[KathrynM]

Thank you all for your replies.

I have been looking for secretarial positions as well but my typing speed isn't that great (35 wpm). All the vacancies I have found want previous secretarial experience in a particular field plus a fast typing speed.

I think I'll have to take the plunge financially and go for unpaid work experience. Hopefully I won't need to do too much of this - otherwise it looks like I'll be moving back to my parents house.

Thanks again.

[Del]

Kathryn

Have you applied to high street firms to be an outdoor clerk? The money is pretty pants but it's experience nontheless and it can also lead to other opportunities. I got my current paralegal position through acting as a clerk because the firm already knew me and I got on well with the solicitors so it saved me the hassle of trying to find a paralegal position elsewhere.

Just a thought!

[VICKY2323]

as much as you can get! The more you have the better

[carpediem]

Have you tried getting some experience 1 day/ afternoon a week? That way you could still work pretty much full time but still get the experience.

I'm sure you'd find a solicitor who would allow you to shadow them for a day or so a week, could then get a foot in the door. And poss even use a weeks holiday from your full time job to get extra experience?

While its not ideal it might be a solution, and you'd be surprised how much even 1 days experience can boost a C.V and help you answer those Application questions.

[KathrynM]

Re:

Originally Posted by Del

Kathryn

Have you applied to high street firms to be an outdoor clerk? The money is pretty pants but it's experience nontheless and it can also lead to other opportunities. I got my current paralegal position through acting as a clerk because the firm already knew me and I got on well with the solicitors so it saved me the hassle of trying to find a paralegal position elsewhere.

Just a thought!

Thanks for that Del.

I did a bit of outdoor clerking last year. I got the impression the work is available on a pretty ad hoc basis. Was this your experience? I'm thinking that I'd have to pay for child care each day without knowing if I'd be working or not. I can't be any worse off financially doing this than I would be doing unpaid work though so I'll probably give it another whirl!

[KathrynM]

Re:
[
quote="VICKY2323"]as much as you can get! The more you have the better[/quote]

Thanks.