Advising Students on Qualifying Work Experience (QWE): The Careers Advisers’ Companion

Abstract

With the introduction of the Solicitors’ Qualifying Exam (SQE) in September 2021, sweeping changes were made to the rules relating to qualifying as a solicitor, including the introduction of a period of two year’s Qualifying Work Experience (‘QWE’) which can be undertaken either before or after the candidate completes the SQE assessments and can be collected from up to four organisations, including law firms, law centres, charities, in-house legal teams, and university legal advice clinics. The rules around QWE can be complex to decipher. Following discussions with stakeholders in this area, the authors published two research-informed peer-reviewed student guides to QWE. This Careers Advisers' Companion accompanies the student-facing guides and aims to provide Advisers with an overview of the most important issues to discuss with students when helping them to navigate the rules around QWE.