The best way to learn more about what we do and what it is like to work here, is to come and try it for yourself. Our vacation scheme will give you an insider's view of a career in law, providing valuable insight into what working here is really like. Time on the vacation scheme will help you develop new skills, meet new people and decide whether Clifford Chance is the right place for you.

Hints and tips | Dates and deadlines | What the students say

We run two four-week schemes during the summer holidays and a nine day spring vacation scheme. Our vacation schemes are aimed at penultimate-year students from any discipline. If you join the vacation scheme and have the relevant language skills, you might have the chance to spend two weeks in one of our European offices. Whether you're in London or elsewhere, you'll benefit from quality work experience and work-related learning. You will be involved in live projects, with the support of a closely integrated team of qualified lawyers and trainees. You will also participate in a variety of training exercises, free law sessions, social and networking events.

As well as a salary of £300 per week, you'll have full use of our outstanding facilities, including the staff restaurant, swimming pool and state-of-the-art fitness centre.

But of course, the real benefit is the chance to work alongside and learn from some of the most knowledgeable professionals in the business. You can explore your career aspirations while developing your skills and commercial awareness.

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How to make the most of your vacation scheme - hints and tips

• Get involved - take advantage of the many opportunities you will encounter to network and meet people from around the firm. Talk to our trainees, lawyers and partners, as well as your fellow vacation scheme students and partners about different parts of the firm so that you can build a picture that extends beyond your first-hand experience.
• Seek out tasks and opportunities - you will have a supervisor who will ensure that you are exposed to interesting tasks and projects but if you find yourself between jobs do ask around, and see if there's anything you can do to help other people in your department.
• Listen and ask questions - this is your opportunity to learn about what a major law firm does and what the career entails. There will be a lot of information to absorb. Do ask if you wish to learn more or clarify something. You will find the people around you understanding and helpful and even if they can't help directly they'll be able to point you to someone who can.
• Keep a log of your experiences on the vacation scheme - this will come in handy when you are preparing for your training contract assessment.
• Always ask for feedback on your work - a part of gaining experience is learning from your mistakes.
• Have fun - our vacation schemes aren't just about work, it's also about experiencing the culture of the firm and getting to know our people. There will be an extensive programme of social events and networking opportunities where you can get to know people more informally. Also, we have great facilities here - make the most of them!

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Dates and deadlines

	Start date	Applications		Assessment dates
		open	close
Spring vacation scheme	26 Mar – 4 Apr      2012	12 Dec 2011	8 Jan 2012	Late Jan – early Feb 2012
Summer vacation scheme	18 June 2012	12 Dec 2011	8 Jan 2012	Late Jan - early Feb 2012*

*Including dates in Cambridge and Oxford
These are the main assessment dates but other dates may become available.

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What the students say

To find out what our students thought of our vacation scheme, here are some comments from some of our most recent students:

"Having spent my first two weeks in the Corporate department in London, I spent the second two weeks of my vac scheme in the Capital Markets department in Hong Kong, where I was a given a variety of different work ranging from drafting Deeds of Covenant and Guarantee, to taking notes during due diligence conference calls. The top quality work coupled with being in an international office gave me a real insight into the diversity and global nature of CC. Great socials, great food and more importantly, all the people at CC made the vac scheme a very enjoyable experience!"

Vacation Scheme Student - Law Student, University of Southampton

"My first two weeks were spent in the Financial Institutions group within Corporate. After having helped to prepare some paperwork for a Part VII Transfer, I was lucky enough to accompany five lawyers from my department to the Directions hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice. As well as meeting the QC, around ten representatives from the insurance company that Clifford Chance was representing attended - client contact indeed! My second two weeks were spent in 'TPE' (tax, pensions, employment and employee benefits). TPE is a much smaller group, offering some really interesting work. I produced several memos and a research note which was added to KnowHow (Clifford Chance's internal knowledge database). Overall, it was a fantastic four weeks with interesting work, supplemented by plenty of interesting talks and social events."

Vacation scheme student, Law Student - University of Cambridge

"From day one here at Clifford Chance, I was struck by the firm's friendliness. From coffees and lunches to chatting over a glass of wine (or three!) after work, everyone I've met, from trainees to partners, have been incredibly welcoming. However, what has really set CC apart for me has been the sense of being treated like an equal. Working in the Corporate department, I was given a great deal of responsibility to draft and complete documents that were eventually sent to clients. Though daunting at first, the opportunity to get a real taste of what work the firm really does has been invaluable. The commitment to employee development is something that is really special here, and I believe that the CC Training Contract must be one of the best in the City."

Vacation Scheme Student, Law Student - University College London

"My vacation scheme at Clifford Chance was everything I could have hoped for! There were introductory presentations on the key departments, FreeLaw sessions with trainees, conference calls with Clifford Chance's clients, copious amounts of freshly baked cookies and some incredible people to match all of that!"

Vacation Scheme Student, Politics Student - Bristol University

"During my month here I have been impressed by the sense of community that permeates all levels of the firm, from support staff to partners. As well as this, people seem genuinely engaged and motivated by their work. This is very refreshing and a real pleasure to witness."

Vacation Scheme Student, Law with French Law at St John's College, University of Oxford

"Whilst at CC, I spent my first two weeks in the tax department. Tax involves such a variety of work that no two days are the same. One of the best parts of tax is the chance to be involved with lots of transactions involving different sectors and departments. Some days I would have a task that involved a degree of real responsibility. For example, I researched a point of law and presented my findings in a memo which my supervisor used to advise a client. I was also given lots of opportunities to observe the work of associates and partners by sitting in on client calls and inter-departmental meetings. A lot of the work I did had a degree of legal research required and tax is one department where statute books are used every day. There is an emphasis on thinking creatively about complex tax issues which can be very intellectually demanding. Everyone was very friendly and would ensure the work I was doing was interesting and challenging, without being too confusing for me.

There were plenty of opportunities to learn about the firm through organised departmental talks or informal coffees. Everyone, from trainees to partners, was willing to take time to answer my questions (and buy me cake!) and all seemed genuinely enthusiastic about their work. I also had a chance to shadow a trainee engaged in pro-bono work and drafted the advice to her client.

My last two weeks were spent in corporate, where I had a chance to be involved with more transactional work. The people in corporate continued the CC trend of being helpful and supportive and ensured I always had something interesting to do every week. I was allowed to help with huge deals that were being reported in the financial press and given the chance to produce independent research that would be presented to clients and partners. Everyone in corporate pulls together to ensure no one is left without the help they need, giving the department a real sense of team spirit."

Vacation Scheme Student - Law with LSE (German), Oxford

"My first two weeks were spent in general Corporate. I saw the start of a deal to a signing and completion of a deal. Accompanying my supervisor to meeting and conference calls provided me with an insight to the client contact and excitement involved. I was also set tasks such as proof-reading and research which all contributed to the deal. My last two weeks were spent in Finance X. I was involved in checking the definitions under a loan agreement to organising documents for signing. I enjoyed the overall experience and felt that I was both challenged and encouraged to perform well."

Vacation Scheme Student - Law Student, St Peter's College, Oxford University

"Thoroughly enjoyed the variety of work I was exposed to and was lucky enough to go to court and attend a client meeting out of the office. What really made the scheme however was the people. From day one everyone was friendly and helpful, always trying to set interesting work and very happy to explain everything over a coffee."

Vacation Scheme Student - Law Student, Durham