April 25 2022
How to apply to Flex Trainee
Flex News
Mary Bonsor
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We have been absolutely thrilled with the huge response to Flex Trainee, our ground-breaking SQE qualification programme aimed at making the law a more diverse and socially mobile industry! Not only have we had interest from clients who share our passion for widening access to the legal industry, but we’ve also been inundated with questions from hopeful Flex Trainees themselves.
This post will explain how to apply to the scheme through our partners at STRIVE, who handle the applications and selections side of the Flex Trainee programme. This means that you don’t apply to Flex Trainee directly through Flex Legal – but will have to register with STRIVE here and apply via their selection process.
In this post, you can see all of STRIVE’s eligibility criteria, requested personal information, and diversity and social mobility information. Please remember that at present the scheme is relatively new, and we don’t have quite as many places available as we’re hoping to have soon. If you aren’t successful in your application, please don’t take it personally! You can always try applying again for the next cohort.
STRIVE Eligibility Criteria
You are only eligible to apply to Flex Trainee if you have:- Already been admitted as a STRIVE Member (if not, the application is quick and can be found on the STRIVE website);
- Have any one of the below: (a) a law degree from any university, (b) completed your GDL, or (c) completed your LPC but are willing to transfer to the SQE;
- The right to work in the UK – Flex Legal is unfortunately unable to sponsor visas at this time.
You must then confirm the following:
- Please confirm that you have been admitted as a STRIVE Member.
- Please confirm that you have the right to work in the UK, or are able to arrange the right to work in the UK without assistance or sponsorship from Flex.
Personal Information
This section is very straightforwards, and simply requires you to provide:- Your first name.
- Your last name.
- Your email address. Please note this will be the sole means of communication between STRIVE / Flex Legal and you in relation to this application.
Diversity and Social Mobility
Diversity and social mobility are at the very core of what STRIVE do, and what Flex Trainee is all about. We appreciate that the questions in this section will overlap with those within the diversity questionnaire in the STRIVE Membership application. However, your responses to this section are only for the purposes of the current application.Please note that this section is extremely comprehensive and will contain questions with a focus on social mobility. For all questions, you have the option of choosing 'Prefer not to say', but we recommend avoiding this option as far as possible, as all information gathered will be extremely useful in helping us determine your diversity and social mobility circumstances, which in turn helps us accurately assess your suitability for this opportunity.
Please be as honest as possible in this section; your answers will be treated with the strictest confidence.
How would you describe your gender?
- Female
- Male
- Non-binary
- Prefer not to say
- Other
Was this the gender assigned to you at birth?
- Yes
- No
- Prefer not to say
Which age group do you fall into?
- 18-21
- 22-25
- 26-30
- 30+
- Prefer not to say
Which of the below best describes you?
- Currently in university pursuing my first degree (undergraduate)
- Already graduated from my first degree, and currently in employment
- Already graduated from my first degree, and currently not in employment
- Currently in university pursuing a postgraduate degree
What school type did you attend up until GCSE’s?
- State school
- State grammar
- Private grammar
- Private with means-tested funding (i.e. scholarship or bursary)
- Other
Which school type did you attend at A-Level?
- State school
- State grammar
- Private grammar
- Private with means-tested funding (i.e. scholarship or bursary)
- Other
Did you receive free school meals?
- Yes
- No
- Prefer not to say
How would you describe your ethnicity? (If mixed, please select all that apply)
- Arab
- Black/African
- Asian (Chinese or East Asian)
- Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi) Caribbean
- White British
- White (non-British)
- Prefer not to say
- Other
How would you describe your religious beliefs?
- Christian
- Muslim
- Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist
- Hindu
- Buddhist
- Jewish
- Sikh
- Prefer not to say
- Other
Have you ever been placed in local authority care?
- Yes
- No
- Prefer not to say
Do you identify as LGBTQ+?
- Yes
- No
- Prefer not to say
Are you from or in a single parent household?
- Yes
- No
- Prefer not to say
Do you have a disability under the Equality Act 2010? This is a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term (12 months or more) effect on your ability to carry out normal activities.
- Yes
- No
- Prefer not to say
Are you the first generation within an immigrant family?
- Yes
- No
- Prefer not to say
Are you the first generation within your family to go to university? For instance, if your parents have not gone to university but your older siblings have, select 'yes'.
- Yes
- No
- Prefer not to say
Are you the first person within your family to go to university? For instance, if your parents have not gone to university but your older siblings have, select 'no'.
- Yes
- No
- Prefer not to say
Did you attend a Russell Group university?
- Yes, at undergraduate level
- Not at undergraduate level, but only at postgraduate level
- No
Please state the full name of the university at which you are doing/did your undergraduate degree.
Which year will you graduate/did you graduate from your first (i.e. undergraduate) degree?
Which borough did you live in up until the age of 14? If unsure, please enter your postcode here to check.
If you did not grow up in the UK, please skip this question.
Which of the below best describes your mother's employment when you were aged around 14? Your response to this question will be used for the sole purpose of determining your social mobility.
- Blue-collar professions
- White-collar professions
- Unemployed
- Mother was not present
- Prefer not to say
- Other
Which of the below best describes your father's employment when you were aged around 14? Your response to this question will be used for the sole purpose of determining your social mobility.
- Blue-collar professions
- White-collar professions
- Unemployed
- Father was not present
- Prefer not to say
- Other
If you selected 'blue-collar professions' or 'white-collar professions' in the previous two questions, please use this space for any further detail you wish to provide. Your response to this question will be used for the sole purpose of determining your social mobility.
Cover Letter & CV
This section of the application is also straightforward, and simply encourages you to submit a Cover Letter, CV, and optional link to your LinkedIn profile. Once you have followed the requested instructions, you are asked to tick boxes to confirm you have do so.- Please send a 1-page cover letter in PDF format, addressed to Mary Bonsor, CEO & Founder of Flex Legal, to flex.ts@striveconsultants.co.uk Please do not submit this application form until you have sent your cover letter.
- Please send your CV to flex.ts@striveconsultants.co.uk. Please do not submit this application form until you have sent your CV.
- If you have an up-to-date LinkedIn profile, please provide the URL.