Outline of Careers Advisory Services for OU Law students
The following section gives you some information on how to pursue careers-related questions which you might have.
Advice and support from the Open University Careers Advisory Service (OUCAS)
Advice and support from The College of Law's Career Service
Other sources of relevant advice
What advice and support can I get as an OU student from the Open University Careers Advisory Service (OUCAS)?
See OU Careers Advisory Service, Statement of Service for detail of this.
The OU Careers Advisory Service provides information, advice and guidance by telephone, e-mail, in person and through its website at www.open.ac.uk/careers.
The OU Careers Advisory Service can provide information, advice and guidance about:
planning appropriate study to match your career aspirations
planning, developing or changing your career
concerns about career progression and age
applying for further study and training contracts
entry requirements to professions in all parts of the UK
The OU Careers Advisory Service should be the first source of advice and guidance to OU students, particularly if you are not considering law as a career or are unsure about your career direction. The OU Careers Advisory Service will refer you to other sources of help if necessary and appropriate.
OU students should contact the Careers Advisory Service by telephoning their regional centre or through the website at www.open.ac.uk/careers and.click on ‘contact’.
As an OU Law student, you may be invited to a Law Careers Day by the Open University Law School. The Careers Day is held about once a year in the summer either at an Open University venue or a College of Law venue. It has a host of speakers covering law and law-related careers, advice about CVs, information about the legal practice course for intending solicitors and the bar professional training course for intending barristers, and many other topics.
The Open University Law School and the Careers Advisory Service have put together an electronic resource, ‘How to get ahead in a legal career’, which contains practical advice and information on how to develop a career in the legal profession. You will find it on your OU module website or at www.open.ac.uk/careers/law.php
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What advice and support can I get as an OU student from The College of Law Careers Service?
(a) Before accepting a place on the College’s Legal Practice Course (LPC) or Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)
- access to the Students’ Employability Programme (StEPs) via the Future Lawyers Network website which contains a wealth of information, resources and advice about careers in the law or law-related fields
- access to talks by College careers staff at College Open Days (details of these days will appear on the main College website)
Please note that College careers staff cannot deal with queries from students before a student has accepted a place on the College’s GDL, LPC or BPTC.
(b) After accepting a place on the College’s Graduate Dipmpla in Law (GDL), Legal Practice Course (LPC) or Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)
All the above, plus:
access to the College’s JobSearch vacancy database
full access to our online careers resources
access to summer Careers Workshops (in the summer prior to starting your studies)
one-to-one careers advice over the phone, by e-mail or face to face at the centre where you intend to study
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Other sources of relevant advice
If you have a question which you feel relates to careers, do think carefully about what it involves; does it directly concern law careers, or is it in fact more to do with careers–related matters such as obtaining your degree? If your questions or concerns are about a module, contact your OU tutor or your OU regional centre. If you want advice on module choices, please contact the OU’s Student Registration and Enquiry Service on 0870 333 4340 or visit the OU website.
(a) If your question concerns credit transfer
If you want to know about the recognition of your previous study as part of your Law Degree, you MUST pursue this with the Open University, initially through the Student Registration and Enquiry Service (0870 333 4340). The College of Law cannot advise on credit transfer.
(b) If your question concerns the rules of the professional bodies
If what you want to know concerns your ability to satisfy the rules of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (if you want to become a solicitor) or the Bar Standards Board (if you want to become a barrister), perhaps because you have been convicted of a criminal offence, you MUST pursue this with the relevant professional body: again, neither the Open University nor The College of Law can assist you with this type of query.
Further contact details can be found in your Study Guide.
(c) If your question concerns getting a place on The College of Law’s Legal Practice Course or Bar Professional Training Course
In this situation, please get in touch with The College of Law’s Admissions Department (further details can be found in your Study Guide). Please note that the College’s Admissions Department can only advise on getting a place at the College, and not at any other institution.
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