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Dear LI readers,

As you might have known that the UK has changed its laws for the qualification of foreign solicitors. Now, a law graduate from India who is offered a training contract by HSF/Links/A&O will have to study for about 20 months followed by 2 years of Training to become an Associates. All in all, it would take about 4 years to become an associate.

While I was applying, I was unaware of this. However, Now I realise that the tuition fee of 20 months of study will be sponsored by the firm and the firm will provide a living stipend of 10k pounds each year for support. I realized that 10k is too little to live in London. Even for the bare minimum necessities, one needs atleast 35k pounds per year. If the firm provides only 10k, that means 25k pounds will have to be borrowed from parents. That would means 50k for 2 years.

Do you think it is worth it to join the Training contract? I guess, around 50 Lakhs INR will be spent before the Traning contract commences. I anyways, will have to take a loan for such kind of money.
I have a query,20 months of study is it while being a trainee in the firm and then take the exams or you will have to study then start the training contract?
I don't think this information is accurate. Do you have any place you read this from?
Also can someone please tell me is it possible to get a TC,from a tier 2 nlu?
Not that I subscribe to the tier 2 NLU concept, but a couple of students from younger NLUs did crack it recently from what I'm aware of.
Don't worry about it at all. Once you become an associate, its smooth sailing from there on. London living expenses will easily be covered
But what about first 2 months? What if you dont have 30/40 Lakhs INR to spend for first 2 years?
Is this true though?

Comments on previous threads about becoming an associate abroad have me believe otherwise
I think you can get the qualifying work experience being on the TC and prepare attempt the SQE1 and SQE 2 simanteously?
No MC firm allows that, complee 20 months of study first then training contract commences
Don’t be ridiculous. No student needs Β£35k to live in London. Depending on where you live, the stipend will go a long way to covering your living expenses.
20k for 2 years? That's way too less in London. 20k is fine for 1 year but not for 2
It all depends on the standard of living that you choose to adopt. Plenty of people live in London on far less.
I lived in London for my LLM, you can do just fine for Β£1200-1500 a month depending on where you live. Get a cheap East London apartment which would be just 10 mins away from your workplace in the City of London or Canary Wharf by Tube. The rent should not be more than Β£700 per month in any case.
The TC was never actually worth it, except in very narrow circumstances. You are 3 years behind your Indian peers. The money never compares (PPP basis). Even the growth trajectory is extremely limited, unless you pivot back to India at the right time (mid-SA/early PA). By and large, you are more of a small fish in a big pond at Magic Circle firms. Indian law grads were being hired for different reasons - being better than Tier 2/3 UK grads, diversity goals, and finally 1 in a cohort of 30-40 might be well connected or good at bringing in mandates from India.

Mind you, all this was true around 2015-16 when I joined. With the new rules, the disincentives are skewed even further. Looking back, I would have advised - take the TC, join in the latter cohort (in the meantime get a top LLM - Oxbridge/HYS), do it for 2-3 years (be dual qualified) and come back to SAM/CAM/AZB etc at SA level. Now with the new rules, even that might not be advisable.
Yeah you can certainly complete the SQE during the TC, the trainee pay is way above what you wanted
That is not allowed. Links clearly told its trainess that they need to complete PGDL and SQE forst then only they can begin their Training contract
From when is this applicable? And can we assume this policy applies to all UK firms?
Could you please share the source of this information? Thanks.
Honest advice: Leave India. Whether it's US, UK, Australia, NZ, EU, Canada, Singapore, UAE ... just leave. This country has no future. People elect uneducated and corrupt leaders on the basis of caste, all policies are based on welfare and populism rather than economic rationale, the environment is polluted, your hard-earned taxes are taken by the govt and you get nothing in return. If you cannot get a TC try another route and another country. Give up law if necessary.

My two cents.
Some of what you said apply to those countries too that you are suggesting as destinations.
Bold of you to assume that it is very different in other countries.
-a resident of the EU frugal four
Why not just live and study in India or a smaller UK town? Why would you live in London just to study?

10,000 pounds is 10 lakhs a year, which is plenty to live on in most places (and most people don’t get paid that much (or at all!) to study for a qualification…
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