Alumni In The Limelight: Issy

At Vandyke, we are incredibly proud of the outstanding achievements of our students. Students who leave Vandyke go on to secure places on a range of university courses including Russell Group and Oxbridge institutions. In addition, students have secured higher level degree apprenticeships with top employers such as Santander, Ernst and Young, UBS, VW, Vauxhall, BE Aerospace and many more.

Once a month, we will hear from a former student, who will share their career pathway since leaving Vandyke. Here, we meet Issy…

“I started the Solicitor Apprenticeship in September 2018 and qualified as a Solicitor in November 2024. I am a huge advocate of the apprenticeship route, and I strongly believe any students who are interested in a legal career should consider non-traditional routes.

The apprenticeship allows you to gain a significant amount of practical experience compared to peers who enter the profession through traditional routes, spending around 6 years in a professional environment compared to the traditional 2 years. Building trust and professional relationships across the firm can lead to more advanced opportunities prior to qualification, such as meeting clients independently and gaining experience on complicated cases.

One of the downsides frequently mentioned is missing out on the ‘university experience’. However, there are plenty of social opportunities during the apprenticeship, with peers at your firm and other professionals you meet networking. You can also still experience aspects of the university lifestyle through the student events at your university – you get the best of both worlds.

The biggest challenge I faced during the apprenticeship was the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations, though I was grateful the apprenticeship had provided me with such a breadth of practical experiences and adaptable personal skills, which no doubt significantly improved my performance in the exams.

The highlight of my apprenticeship was qualifying, knowing my hard work throughout the previous years had paid off and feeling well-prepared to start my professional career.

My key advice in setting yourself apart during applications is to gain as much experience in professional workplaces as possible, even if it is not possible to obtain legal experience. Keep your options open and consider all the routes available – it is not just the traditional route or the solicitor apprenticeship route. I have had many colleagues create successful careers through paralegal apprenticeships, CILEX and other types of legal apprenticeships. There is no one way into law, and remaining flexible will open doors for you.”