Feeling Hopeless and Lost After Failing SQE1
I graduated from university last year with an Upper 2:1 and a conditional job offer for a training contract, contingent upon me passing both the SQE 1 and SQE 2. Having to self-fund, I was working crazy hours at two jobs to earn £7k (on minimum wage within 3 months) needed to pay for the exams and the course, alongside studying for the SQE.
I wasn’t able to spend enough time studying and unfortunately failed my SQE 1 (294 in FLK 1, 287 in FLK 2). It was a horrible few months. I could either work less and study more, but not be able to afford to take the exams in the first place. Or I could keep working to afford to take the exam and just try my best to study alongside it.
I found out in April that I failed and my job offer was rescinded. Since then, I have been applying for jobs with no success. I have applied to over 40 jobs since my failure, all with cover letters tailored to that particular job and the firm’s values. I posted my CV on here a while back and updated it to fit all of the feedback I was given. Yet, I have only had two interviews, one of which was unsuccessful and one which I completed today but am not confident in.
I’m starting to feel like I’m never going to be able to get my foot in the door. Even though I am applying for paralegal roles, entry-level roles and training contracts, it seems that I am simply not impressive enough or do not have enough experience.
I have completed two vacation schemes and did pro bono work with my university’s law clinic in my final year. I am also currently training to volunteer with citizen’s advice to gain more experience. Even so, I don’t have enough experience for what these jobs require.
Perhaps naively, I thought a role as a paralegal was a good way to get your foot in the door in the legal profession. Yet most job listings require at least 1 year of experience, or I keep getting rejected for not having enough experience from jobs that stated no required experience in the listings.
I also live in a tiny village in the North, so job opportunities near me are limited. I am more than willing to relocate for my career, and say so in my cover letters, but I wouldn’t move down South. It seems that entry-level positions (especially in rural Yorkshire!) are limited.
I apologise for the ramble, I just feel lost and hopeless. I feel like a disappointment and a failure. I worked so hard on my SQE yet failed, and I feel as though my career is over before it has even started. Does anyone have any advice? I have decided to focus on getting a job and taking the SQE at a later date when I have some practical experience (hopefully funded by a firm), but I just can’t seem to get a job in the first place.