Apprenticeships
We offer alternative routes into RPC, too. No matter what stage you are in your life, our UK apprenticeship opportunities will help build the foundations of a successful career, with the training and support you’ll need to excel.
Is an RPC apprenticeship for me?
If you have a strong drive to use your personality and skills to make a difference, you may be the right fit for RPC.
How long is an apprenticeship programme?
We offer a range of business and legal apprenticeships each with a different time-frame.
Business administration apprenticeship (Level 3)
We offer business administration apprenticeship opportunities across a range of our business services teams including Brand, Marketing & Sales, Finance, HR, IT and secretarial in both our Bristol and London offices. The apprenticeship takes 15-18 months to complete.
Successful completion of this apprenticeship can lead to permanent roles within our business services teams. We partner with WhiteHat to recruit our business administration apprentices. Please visit their website to find out about current apprenticeship opportunities available at RPC.
Legal apprenticeships (Level 3-7)
The traditional way of becoming a lawyer is not the only route. With RPC's paralegal apprenticeships, eligible candidates have the opportunity to develop their knowledge of law while learning new practical skills essential to their future career.
Our two-year programme (level 3) based in our Bristol office offers a wide mix of on-the-job and off-the-job training that will take you towards a formal qualification and give you the opportunity, on successful completion, to apply for our solicitor apprenticeships (level 7). We partner with Damar Training and The University of Law to deliver our legal apprenticeships.
If a career as a solicitor proves not to be the right fit for you, our paralegal apprenticeships can also lead to other opportunities at RPC including qualified paralegal and business services roles.
Applications for our paralegal apprenticeships open on the 1 September 2020 via our website. The deadline for applications is the 13 January 2021.
Interested in learning more about our legal apprenticeship programme?
We are holding a virtual information evening from 18:00-19:30 on Thursday 12 November for students currently in years 12 and 13. Their parents, guardians and carers, as well as careers advisers and teaching staff are also welcome. Please register to attend by emailing strikinglyreal@rpc.co.uk.
Find out about life at RPC from Georgia …
The application process for our apprenticeships
If your initial application is successful, you'll be invited to attend an assessment day. You'll be expected to demonstrate your motivations, skills and attributes notably through an interview and business focused exercises. You'll also be given the grand tour and be introduced to some of our people to see how you might fit in to our RPC culture. Our assessment days can be run virtually.
If you have a strong drive to use your personality and skills to make a difference, you may be the right fit for RPC. It’s not essential to have studied law before, but you’ll need to be able to show that you’re a hardworking and motivated team-player with communication skills and meticulous attention to detail to match.
Still got questions?
If we haven't covered it below then please get in contact with the recruitment team on 020 3060 6000 or by emailing us at strikinglyreal@rpc.co.uk.
FAQ
What does the paralegal apprenticeship programme involve?
Through your apprenticeship, you will gain the technical knowledge, practical experience and wider skills you need for your immediate job and future career. You will gain this through a wide mix of learning in the workplace, formal off-the-job training and the opportunity to practise new skills in a real work environment.
To satisfy the requirements of the apprenticeship standard, you will need to spend 20% of your time on off-the-job learning which equates to one day each week to study. Working with our chosen provider Damar Training and The University of Law (ULaw) we will incorporate any bespoke aspects of learning that we feel appropriate for training and future success at RPC.
What work will I do in the paralegal apprenticeship programme?
You will work on legal administrative tasks in supervised paralegal teams as well as gain experience in business support teams.
Tasks will be varied and include:
- File opening, closing and all associated processes
- Attending meetings and note taking
- Conflict checking
- Updating case management systems, managing data and associated records
- Producing claims prints and extracting relevant data reports
- Carrying out research
How long is the paralegal apprenticeship programme?
What qualification will I receive at the end of the paralegal apprenticeship programme?
How many paralegal apprenticeships do you offer?
What are the key steps and dates of the paralegal apprenticeship programme?
Application timeline:
- 1 September 2020 – applications open
- 13 January 2021 – applications close
- February 2021 – assessment day by invitation only (Yr 13s or beyond)
- February 2021 – offers made conditional upon A Level results
- August 2021 – offers made unconditional based on A level results*
- November 2021 – paralegal apprentices start
- November 2023 – paralegal apprentices finish
* Please note that we will consider the impact of COVID-19 when reviewing all exams and assessments completed in 2020 and 2021. Please provide us with any relevant details in the mitigating circumstances box on the application form.
Who is eligible to apply for an apprenticeship?
What are the basic requirements?
- Being in year 13 or beyond
- GCSE Maths & English: grades A-C or 9-4*
- A Levels ABB (predicted or obtained) or BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma at Distinction, Distinction or Merit, ideally in relevant subjects or a non-law undergraduate degree.
- It’s not essential to have studied law before but an appetite to learn and progress is important
* Please note that we will consider the impact of COVID-19 when reviewing all exams and assessments completed in 2020 and 2021. Please provide us with any relevant details in the mitigating circumstances box on the application form or via WhiteHat for our business services apprenticeships.
More broadly we are looking for individuals with the following qualities:
- Hardworking, enthusiastic and motivated
- Ready and willing to learn
- Confident, with strong written and verbal communication skills
- Committed and willing to turn a hand to whatever tasks are needed to meet the team's aims
- Keen attention to detail
- Organised and efficient
- Interested in process and technology
- Knowledge and use of Microsoft office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook)
How do I apply?
Apply online for our 2021 paralegal apprenticeship programme.
We partner with WhiteHat to recruit our business administration apprentices. Please visit their website to find out about current apprenticeship opportunities available at RPC.
What happens at the assessment day?
You will be expected to demonstrate your motivations, skills and attributes notably through:
- an interview
- a group exercise
- a written/role play task
You will also be taken on a tour of the firm and have the opportunity to meet some of our team members in an informal setting.
This is a two-way process: the idea is to give you an opportunity to see us and vice versa in order to ascertain whether this is the right position and firm for you.
Our assessment days can be run virtually.
Where will I be located?
What is the benefits package whilst completing the apprenticeship?
Along with an annual salary of £18,000 (London) or £16,000 (Bristol) increasing by £1000 in your second year at RPC, you’ll be offered a competitive and creative full package of benefits.
We’re all unique. And that’s why RPC’s benefits package is too. We respect we’re all real people with passions, families and lives away from our desks. So we offer you the chance to tailor your benefits, offering choice and flexibility to everyone who works here.
Our benefits package covers almost everything, from wellness festivals and social events to extra annual leave and family and wealth-related rewards.
What support will I receive during the apprenticeship?
Each of our apprentices will be allocated a supervisor who will be their main point of contact for all work-related matters.
To assist with pastoral elements, you will also be assigned a buddy who will help you settle into your role and the firm.