What's an apprenticeship like?

When I first started thinking about what I wanted to do for a career I knew I wanted to work in law but never knew I’d be able to qualify as a Solicitor without going from school to university.  It’s going to take longer but it will be a bigger achievement for me, and through my apprenticeship I’m being paid to get my degree!

Everyone thought I’d go University. It would have been natural to go and do a law degree, but I chose not to do it because of the expense and I wanted to live at home. I decided to be an administrative assistant in a law firm, and was quickly promoted to a legal assistant.  I missed the learning side of work so I wanted to do an apprenticeship, and was successfully recruited as a legal apprentice at Kennedys. It’s a degree apprenticeship so I’m already three years ahead of my friends that went to Uni – I have a job! At Kennedys, they don’t treat me as a tea maker.