On the road again in 2019 - our local events for new trainees

Yasemin Guven, Careers Development Officer, explains why we run roadshows for new first year trainees and why you should sign up (or encourage your trainees to sign up!) and come along.

We’re now into the fourth year of running roadshows specifically for new, first year trainees and are about to set off round the country again for the busy autumn intake. We host free events in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow at the beginning of October, so if you can, attend the event that’s most local to you.

Starting a traineeship usually involves a combination of getting to grips with a lot of regulation, new ways of working, a different office and unknown colleagues. In essence; a lot to deal with at once! Here’s what we’ll cover during the events to help you feel a bit more prepared.

What on earth is a PQPR?

There’s a lot of jargon associated with the traineeship: PEAT2 record, PQPR, supervising solicitor, TCPD… do you know what it all means? We’ll be on hand to explain the mandatory elements of your training, as well as understanding what’s good practice or just sound advice! As a trainee, the emphasis is on you to assure you’re compliant with our requirements rather than your supervising solicitor, so make sure you’re confident with what you need to do.

I don’t know anything!

‘When I’ve been asked to do big tasks for two different partners, how do I get everything done and prioritise correctly?’ ‘When does NQ recruitment usually happen?’ ‘How can I prove I can do more interesting work?’ These are just a few types of questions new trainees want to know the answers to but don’t know how to ask or feel like they don’t yet have the platform to ask. There are no stupid questions at the trainee roadshow and if you’re asking something, the likelihood is that half of the audience wants to know the answer too. We invite two external speakers to each roadshow to help us answer (hopefully!) anything. Firstly, we invite someone along who’s just finished their traineeship and can offer advice on how they navigated the process and experienced it from the inside. Secondly, we invite an experienced solicitor who has lots of experience supporting trainees, who can offer advice as your impartial stand-in supervisor for the evening.  

I don’t know many other trainees

In accepting a traineeship, we know you may also be moving to a brand-new location and embarking on a new life. At the very least, it’s a real step-change from university. Meeting other trainees in your area will really help you settle in and build up a support network. Our events are designed to be really laid back and there's plenty of opportunities to have a chat with us and other attendees. It’s good to have people to bounce worries, stories and ideas off and usually, you’ll find everyone’s in the same boat and has similar experiences!

Sign up for your local roadshow! The events are totally free and run at the end of the working day.

• Aberdeen - Tuesday 1st October 17.45 - 19.30 (unfortunately this event has been cancelled)
• Dundee - Tuesday 8th October 18.00 - 19.45
• Glasgow - Monday 14th October 17.45 - 19.45
• Edinburgh - Thursday 17th October 18.00 - 20.00