How to secure a part-time-study training contract

Why should you read this article?

There are several routes to qualification, although each depends on successful completion of the LPC and a successful application for a training contract with a training establishment. The full-time training contract (FT TC) is taken after your LPC and involves two years of full-time work with a training establishment such as a law firm. While the FT TC is the most common form of training contract, other routes are also available. These are the part-time-study training contract (PTS TC), part-time training contract (PT TC) and the modular training contract (MTC).

In a PTS TC, a student combines part-time study with full-time work, half of which can be counted towards the two years required to complete a training contract. Nationally, there were 555 PTS TCs in August 2005 (Solicitors’ Regulation Authority figures1), or nearly 10% of all registered training contracts.

The PT TC is intended for those who have already completed their LPC and wish to start a training contract, but only on a part-time basis. It involves working a minimum of two and a half days per week for up to four years. The PT TC is quite rare; there were only 62 in August 2005 (1% of all training contracts).

Finally, the MTC can be combined with any of the above. It is sometimes offered by two or more firms/organisations that cannot on their own provide the right balance of work required for a training contract. Trainees swap between the different organisations to undertake work that would not normally be available at their sponsoring organisation. Given that the PTS TC is probably the most suitable option for those already on or thinking about joining the GDL/LPC, the rest of the article looks at this route.

What is a part-time-study training contract?

The PTS TC normally lasts between three and four years, with the trainee working full-time at the same time as studying part-time. Full-time work is defined as at least four days a week. The day out of the office must be used for course attendance; studying at home is not included. You can combine this training contract with the last two years of a part-time qualifying law degree, the part-time/distance learning GDL and/or the part-time/weekend LPC. From our experience of College students, most of those with PTS TCs started their contracts at the same time as their LPC, although some started their contract at the start of their GDL. The key feature of this option is that any time spent in a PTS TC is counted as half-time, ie the two years of work during the part-time day, part-time evening or weekend LPC only count as one year of the total training period.

The key advantage of the PTS TC is the opportunity to apply what you are learning as you go along. As one student says, “being ‘on the job’ has really helped my development and ties in with the content of the LPC”. Other benefits include:

  • A quicker route to qualification for those already working and studying part-time compared with completing a TC after the LPC
  • The ability to ‘earn while you learn’
  • Access to legal research tools, IT facilities and qualified colleagues at work, while you are studying.

On the downside, the key disadvantage is the pressure of juggling full-time work with part-time study. Other issues to consider are more time spent training in the workplace, limited knowledge at the start of your contract (compared with someone who has already completed their LPC) and less frequent seat changes.

How are these training contracts arranged?

From research conducted at the College, the majority of students with a PTS TC arranged their contract after they had joined their firm. Typical roles held by students include paralegal, legal assistant and legal clerk. A few students made the transition from a PA or Legal Secretarial role, while some students managed to change their role more radically, eg a local authority employee switched from the Community Safety section of a District Council to the Legal Department.

Experiences vary as to how the issue is raised with employers but the majority of students we know about have suggested the option of a PTS TC themselves, with only 20% responding to an employer’s suggestion. Students also vary as to how long they had been working for their employer before they approached them about a PTS TC. One student had only worked for three months before ‘applying’, while another effectively waited several years before a ‘vacancy arose’.


Terms & conditions

Firms/employers will vary as to how much help they provide to trainees in PTS TCs. There may be study leave, extra days off before and/or after study weekends, leave for revision and, of course, for the exams themselves. Some firms may provide additional support in terms of managing workloads around exam periods, giving informal help and advice with study and perhaps, more importantly, providing encouragement to keep trainees motivated. The only stipulation in the Law Society’s guidance is that trainees are paid at least the Law Society minimum salary for trainees throughout the time of their contract. Our research has shown that study leave is widely available to students with PTS TCs and some also receive financial support (in addition to their salary) for fees.

Next steps

If you think this may be a viable route for you, start the process as soon as possible, because:

  • any time spent working within a PTS TC while studying for the GDL/LPC is only counted as half-time (see Training trainee solicitors – the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority requirements)
  • if you have significant legal experience gained outside of a training contract, your training establishment (usually a firm), is only allowed to grant up to a six months’ reduction in the length of your contract. Like the treatment of time spent working within a PTS TC, any time spent working prior to a TC is only counted as half-time.

1These figures only relate to students studying the LPC and not to students studying the part-time GDL/CPE or a part-time qualifying law degree. As a PTS TC can be combined with any of these courses, the total number of PTS TCs could be even higher.