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 Multiverse to recruit our business administration apprentices.
Claims handling apprenticeship (Level 3)
The insurance sector has a history reaching back to the 1650s and is one of the oldest and most interesting professions in the UK.
We offer an 18 month Claims Handling apprenticeship in partnership with BPP, based in our Bristol office, which provides our apprentices with the opportunity to expand their insurance knowledge while acquiring practical business skills. Upon successful completion of the Level 3 Insurance Practitioner apprenticeship at BPP, you receive the Certificate in Insurance (Cert CII) credential from the Chartered Insurance Institute and will be encouraged to apply for a permanent Claims Handler role in the team.
Applications are currently open for our September 2024 intake and will close on Monday 22 January. You can apply here. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an assessment day in our Bristol office in February 2024.
Legal apprenticeships (level 4 – 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 4) 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 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.
Our next cohort of paralegal apprentices will start in September 2025.
Virtual experience programme
You can find out more about a career in a law firm, whether that's as a lawyer or in a support team, by completing our virtual experience programme aimed at students who are in years 10-13 or who have just finished secondary education. In this free and self-paced programme you will:
- Learn about the different teams at RPC
- Discover a collaborative, forward-thinking environment where personality is valued as much as professionalism
- Complete two legal modules to gain client experience and develop your research and legal skills
- Complete four skills modules
- Accelerate your career by gaining CV-building skills.
No experience is required to register. Whether you are currently in school, exploring your career interests, or want to build a strong skill set, this programme is made for you.
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 experience the RPC culture.
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.
Our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long-term condition (for example dyslexia, anxiety, autism, a mobility condition or hearing loss) and need us to make any reasonable adjustments, changes or do anything differently during the recruitment process, please let your recruitment contact know. Guidance on how to access our offices is provided here.
At RPC, we ask colleagues to "dress for their day" using their professional judgement to dress appropriately. We embrace hair worn in all styles as well as religious and cultural dress. If you have any questions about dress and/or hair styles at any stage of the recruitment process please do ask your recruitment contact.
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 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?
We offer three apprenticeships every two years. Our next cohort will start in September 2025. Applications for this programme will open in September 2024.
Who is eligible to apply for our paralegal apprenticeship?
What are the basic requirements?
- Being in year 13 or beyond
- The University of Law requires candidates to have 5 GCSEs including Maths & English at grade 4 or above. You will also need A Levels at grade CCC (predicted or obtained) or equivalent qualifications.
* Please note that we will consider the impact of COVID-19 when reviewing all exams and assessments completed in 2020-2022. Please provide us with any relevant details in the mitigating circumstances box on the application form or via Multiverse for our business administration 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?
Information about how to apply for our September 2025 apprenticeship programme will be provided in September 2024.
We partner with Multiverse 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.
Where will I be located?
What is the benefits package whilst completing the apprenticeship?
Along with an annual salary of £22,000 (London) or £20,000 (Bristol) 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.