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HFW Vacation Scheme 2027

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

No published policyVacation Scheme (London)

Unconfirmed. HFW publishes no sponsorship policy for its vacation scheme, so we cannot state a firm answer. Applications open in October each year and places are filled on a rolling basis, so there is no fixed closing date. Every participant is guaranteed a training contract interview, but the page states no bursary or weekly pay figure and does not mention visa sponsorship for the scheme or the training contract it feeds into.

Sponsors grads?
Not published
Pay vs threshold
Not published
Opportunity
vacation scheme
Pay
not stated on page
2027 cycle
Applications open in October each year (no year printed), places filled on a rolling basis, no closing date published
Confidence
medium

How HFW recruits

Current London cycle (page undated; vacation schemes and training contracts recruited together). 6 stages, from HFW's own careers pages, checked 2026-10-04. Test providers are named only where HFW names them.

  1. The application

    Application form

    Online application covering academics, work experience, and short answers on extracurriculars, motivation for law and HFW, and a commercial topic. Reviewed on a rolling basis.

    “The recruitment process for Training Contracts and Vacation Schemes is the same, assessing all applications on a rolling basis.”
    Source

  2. Virtual assessment centre

    Assessment centre

    Second stage: a virtual assessment centre of about seven hours including breaks, with up to eight candidates.

    • about 420 minutes
    “The second stage of our recruitment process for vacation schemes and training contracts is a virtual assessment centre. The assessment centres typically last for seven hours, including breaks, and we invite up to eight candidates to each one.”
    Source

  3. Written exercise

    Written exercise

    At the assessment centre: analyse a short document and write a short advice letter to a fictional client. No legal knowledge tested.

    “You are given a short document to analyse, and are tasked with writing a short letter of advice to a fictional client.”
    Source

  4. Group exercise

    Group exercise

    At the assessment centre: a group discussion of a commercial scenario, agreeing advice for a client.

    “The group exercise is a discussion around a commercial scenario.”
    Source

  5. Online ability test (Watson Glaser)

    Online tests, Watson Glaser

    At the assessment centre: an online Watson Glaser critical thinking test. The firm suggests a practice test beforehand.

    “An online ability test: We use a test called the Watson Glaser because this is a test that is shown to have “predictive validity””
    Source

  6. Associate interview

    Other stage

    At the assessment centre: interview with one or two Associates based on the application form, with competency and commercial awareness questions.

    “An interview: with one or two of our Associates. We use your application form as the basis for this interview.”
    Source

Every programme and stage at HFW

“Applications for our vacation scheme open in October each year. Places are filled on a rolling basis so we would encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.”
HFW, from its own careers pages
The catch: Rolling admission means the scheme can fill before any advertised deadline, so applying early matters more than tracking a specific close date.
HFW early careersVerify on gov.ukSee the licence record

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What HFW publishes about this programme

Checked against HFW's own careers pages on 2026-10-01. Anything not published is worth asking the early careers team before you apply.

  • Visa sponsorship policy: not published
  • Application dates: published
  • Programme description: not published
  • Duration and start date: not published
  • Who can apply: not published
  • Pay: published
  • Locations: not published
  • Degree requirement: not published
  • Recruitment stages: published

More early careers programmes at HFW

Sources

Verdict last checked 2026-09-23. Application dates last checked 2026-10-01. How we check programme verdicts

Common questions

Does HFW sponsor visas for its vacation scheme?

Unconfirmed. HFW publishes no sponsorship policy for its vacation scheme, so we cannot state a firm answer. Applications open in October each year and places are filled on a rolling basis, so there is no fixed closing date. Every participant is guaranteed a training contract interview, but the page states no bursary or weekly pay figure and does not mention visa sponsorship for the scheme or the training contract it feeds into.

Does the pay clear the UK Skilled Worker salary threshold?

The pay for this scheme is not published clearly enough to judge against the threshold.

What is the catch international students miss with HFW?

Rolling admission means the scheme can fill before any advertised deadline, so applying early matters more than tracking a specific close date.

When do applications open for the HFW vacation scheme?

Applications open in October each year (no year printed), places filled on a rolling basis, no closing date published. Checked on 2026-10-01 against HFW's own site.

How should I confirm HFW's sponsorship before applying?

Read the specific vacancy on HFW's careers site, ask its early-careers team directly, and check the employer on the gov.uk Register of Licensed Sponsors. Policies and thresholds change, so treat this page as a starting point and confirm for the exact role and cycle.

Related guides

All visa and sponsorship guides

Other law schemes

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Other law schemes we track

Sponsorship data: Home Office register + job ad wording. Not immigration advice, verify on gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. How we check this data.