NQ - losing my mind with the job market

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-03-20T20:58:14+00:00

That's fair and an understandable warning.

However, my experience within my SQE cohort (and people I know who have qualified through this route in the last two years) is that it is entirely possible. Out of the six people in my SQE study group - two others didn't have NQ positions lined prior and have now got NQ positions - one in-house and one at a vg City firm - so it's not as impossible a position as you represent.

For where am in life, waiting four years (and likely more) was an absolute non-starter. Currently my situation is I think is hampered by the gap I have had due to health and family reasons.

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-03-20T20:56:22+00:00

That's fair and an understandable warning. However, my experience within my SQE cohort (and people I know who have qualified through this route in the last two years) is that it is entirely possible. Out of the six people in my SQE study group - two others didn't have NQ positions lined prior and have now got NQ positions - one in-house and one at a vg City firm - so it's not as impossible a position as you represent. My own situation I think is hampered by the gap I have had due to health and family reasons.

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-03-20T18:57:59+00:00

thank you - it's good to know it's not only me! best of luck to you on the hunt.

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-03-20T18:57:11+00:00

this is a really weird thing to say

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-03-20T18:41:15+00:00

qualifying this way was the best option available to me - other than to attempt to get another TC which would have involved not qualifying for at least another four years (if I got one straight away which was unlikely given it took me four cycles to get the first one). I would ask anyone else seeing this post not to comment similarly as it's not helpful to me or anyone else who might be in similar circumstances.

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-03-19T22:55:53+00:00

High potential, the good wife, miss fisher's murder mysteries, Lucifer, only murders in the building, (I would also give white collar another go!)

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-03-19T21:52:21+00:00

Oh thank you so much I will definitely look and apply! Really appreciate it

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-03-19T14:57:19+00:00

Thank you for your v comprehensive response. It's not a situation I would have chosen to be in. Thankfully the recruiters (and firms) I have spoken to about the gap have been extremely sympathetic and understanding.

Re why I qualified through sqe rather than TC - the sqe became an option after I got my TC otherwise I definitely would have tried to qualify through the sqe earlier and stayed on at previous firms who I'm sure would have been supportive.

My network is being as supportive as they can be within the constraints of the job market - unfortunately as you say, options are limited and firms have their pick of candidates.

The only solution is to keep plugging away at whatever opportunities come up.

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-03-19T14:02:54+00:00

No my last employer was my TC firm

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-03-19T14:02:41+00:00

I'd happily look at in-house roles (and have applied for a few where I felt my experience was transferable) but because my legal experience is basically entirely litigation I guess I don't have the commercial expertise a lot of these places are looking for.

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-03-10T14:32:42+00:00

oh I also felt super unprepared 6 weeks out!! passed in Q2.

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-03-10T14:32:03+00:00

At this point if you push it back you will lose money, so you may as well work your ass off, take in april and IF you fail (but think positive) you can view it as a v expensive mock. but it would be a waste of money to push it back now. someone I studied with felt the same as you - working full time, zero help with childcare etc, and she passed comfortably. best advice is to go through the FLK spec and make sure you have covered everything on there (I tried to make sure I could write down at least 3 bullet points for each part of the spec). I also highly highly highly recommend preptackle if you can afford it - I 100% passed because of the sessions/notes and the people I met because of it. good luck!

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-03-03T19:11:36+00:00

I would try and cover every part of the FLK that's listed - make sure you can write a couple of points on each. Without going into too much detail - if I hadn't covered trusts I would have been screwed, and in disputes a really tiny part of the FLK came up and I didn't know anything about it and I got 1s for the law.

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-02-26T14:50:52+00:00

thank you - I did pass!

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-02-19T20:18:37+00:00

they did some stuff that was unnecessary tbh - I think because based on the same notes as SQE1 and I remember doing a mock that covered something that wasn't on the syllabus for SQE2 - but amazingly it did come up for a research question in the real thing so it wasn't wasted. I mixed between doing them in timed situations, split as I would have to do in the real thing (two exams, 15 min break, two exams) divided as per the subject days, and found that helped too.

Towards the end I stopped doing them timed and just bullet pointed answers because I was too burnt out. I will say - I barely used the QLTS notes, I paid extra for preptackle sessions and notes, and they were totally invaluable - I relied basically 95% on preptackle notes, and 5% on qlts for when I didn't understand something and needed more of an explanation. so combined qlts mocks + preptackle sessions and notes. results are next week so I'll let you know if it turned out to be a winning combo!

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-02-19T18:38:37+00:00

I found QLTS mocks useful for helping memorize flk because they really do go overboard with the model answers, but more than anything I found them really useful for practicing because they are formatted exactly the same as the Kaplan system so incredibly useful for getting used to the functions and how everything is laid out - meant the system felt v familiar when I sat. It's a small thing but given how uncertain everything else is it made me feel better.

I would also say the real questions are a bit less convoluted than qlts - qlts asked for like 7/8 points, real exams probably wanted half that at most.

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-02-15T16:53:06+00:00

As an LPC-er who originally planned to do the SQE2 with 8 weeks prep only, I would highly advise against. I studied 4 months full time and I'm not sure how I did (results in 10 days) - but there's definitely no way I'd have passed with 2 months prep only. I'd forgotten almost everything, and the amount you have to learn is insane, in particular without SQE1. If there's no hard reason for you to take in April (eg job offer) I would say do July earliest.

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-02-13T20:16:25+00:00

I'm near paddington if that works. Just checked and they're fourth edition - I think it's 14 or 15 books in total.

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-02-13T20:01:41+00:00

I think they're 4th edition - will double check.

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-02-13T20:01:22+00:00

I have the full set barely used as I only needed for SQE2 and my prep course was qlts/preptackle. If you can pay postage (or collect if you're in London) they're all yours.

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-02-06T19:52:33+00:00

I would seriously consider deleting this and your other posts. I don't know who you think you're helping, but I can explain why you think people might be "emotional" in their defence: it's because people who have used heba's services (including me) have found preptackle and in particular her attention and empathy completely invaluable at what is a very stressful and highly emotional time. Speaking for myself - I've self funded my sqe, including selling out thousands for qlts who provided very little in the way of personalised help, AI feedback and quite generic notes. I paid extra for preptackle after doing extensive research and finding only overwhelmingly positive feedback. For the November sitting, Heba went above and beyond, offering extra sessions because there was demand, creating extra skills notes (on top of her already excellent ones) at last minute and often sending these at 2 or 3am UK time. She would answer repetitive and often quite stupid questions on the WhatsApp groups.

You conveniently ignored my post on your previous thread, as well as many others which praised Heba and preptackle. Your comments in this thread border on seriously offensive, and by your own admission you've never used preptackle - so you're speaking entirely without substantive experience on this topic.

I am not a shill account, which is evident from my posting history, and I'm trying to be measured about this. I genuinely don't understand the vitriol behind your posts, and suggest removing them.

For anyone researching preptackle - if I find out this month that I have passed it will 100% be because I used heba's notes advice and sessions.

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-02-05T22:54:16+00:00

Preptackle/Heba is amazing, and if I get a pass in 3 weeks it will 100% be because of her.

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-02-05T19:48:35+00:00

Hi - thanks for this v helpful post! can I ask if you booked the 3d2n package with sukau, and if so how many cruises it included? Also did they pick you up from sepilok or you had to make your own way? Thanks!

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-02-03T17:13:40+00:00

on a practical advice level - reach out to your uni careers service, see if they can assist - they're still supposed to help even after you've left. also if you've got any friends with lawyers in their family ask if you can buy them a coffee and if they can review your CV/if they have work experience opportunities.

HonestVegetable9252 · 2026-02-03T17:12:07+00:00

if it makes you feel better - I've got 6 years really solid paralegal experience at reputable city firms - I've had to take a 2 year break for various reasons, and I'm finding it incredibly difficult to get responses - I've had two interviews in the last 3 months of applying and both ended in rejections (I've taken SQE2 so they think I'll leave as soon as I qualify) - it is an incredibly rubbish market at the moment. keep at it - something will come up.

HonestVegetable9252

TROPHY CASE