A Day in the Life of a Vacation Scheme Student - Belfast

Around 8:30 am I arrive at the office and meet the other early bird vacation schemers in the firms’ café, known as ‘the dock’ for my morning coffee (If you land yourself a vacation scheme at Pinsents Belfast office, save yourself the confusion by learning from my mistakes – this is not a literal dock!).

Around 9am I’ll head to my desk in the Banking & Finance Department. Everyone, partners and vacation schemers alike, sit in an open plan layout – this really reflects and encourages the approachability and lack of hierarchy which is evident throughout the firm!

At 9:15am, I attend a practice group presentation on different sectors within the firm. Every morning is a different department and these are super useful in giving you a sense of the kind of work across the various sectors as well as giving you the opportunity to meet people outside of your team!

After the presentation I take myself back to my desk, armed with a fresh coffee, to get stuck into the work I’ll be getting involved in that day. My team were great with getting me involved in client matters and I got to experience a lot of the transactional work that happens day to day in the Banking & Finance department; from drafting documents to sitting in on client conference calls. Everyone in my team could not have been more welcoming and friendly – I was made to feel like part of the team almost instantly and I took no time at all to feel settled!

There were a couple of social events during my two weeks as a vac schemer. In our first week we had a night of bowling and pizza hut (which is incredibly underrated by the way! Dominos – move over) and on our last day we went out for lunch with our trainee buddies. Social events are great fun and give you the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the firm in a more informal setting.

Approachable, Bold, Connected – no three words could ring truer when describing Pinsent Masons. From the get-go, you are made to feel so comfortable and at ease as a valued member of the firm. Everyone is very keen to get to know more about you and to get you as involved as possible in client matters. This culture, that is so integral to the firm in everything they do, truly allows you to be yourself and really gives you the best opportunity to show your full potential over the two weeks.

My main advice for anyone lucky enough to secure a vacation scheme at Pinsents would be to be yourself, get stuck in and chat to as many people as possible. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – no question is ever too silly. The whirlwind two weeks absolutely flies by and I am sad to be leaving so soon!

Regan completed a Vacation Scheme at out Belfast office in August 2017.