From as early as I can remember, my answer to the question "what do you want to be?" never really changed. I wanted to a doctor, or a neuroscientist, depending on the day. From young, I had already decided, and that sense of certainty followed me all the way through to UCAS application season.

I chose my A-levels accordingly: chemistry, biology and psychology, at a college that heavily encouraged the traditional university route. UCAS was presented as the natural next step. Apprenticeships and alternative pathways were barely mentioned, if at all.

Standard university felt like the promised land, so I followed the path laid out in front of me. I applied through UCAS and eventually secured an offer from my first-choice Russell Group university to study the subject I had dreamed about for years. At this time, everything was falling into place on paper.

Application season

Everything shifted because of a passing comment following the completion of my Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) titled: offender profiling and effective application in the British legal courts. “What about law, Erin”. At first, it sounded laughable. My A-levels had been carefully chosen with medicine in mind, and law had never crossed my radar. So initially I dismissed the suggestion, but the seed of doubt was planted.

However, in the middle of exam revision, curiosity got the better of me. I began researching routes into the legal profession, half expecting to confirm that it wasn’t realistic, as I had already completed all my UCAS submissions. Instead, I found something I had never properly heard of before. That being degree apprenticeships.

I didn’t know anyone pursuing that route, and most of the guidance available still funnelled students straight towards traditional university. But once I’d started looking, I couldn’t ignore it. So, with limited information and even less time, I kept digging.

By then I found most deadlines had passed. If I wanted to study law at university, my options seemed to be via UCAS clearing after results day or via the apprenticeship route. However, I had found a paralegal apprenticeship vacancy in London.

At this time, I had worked part-time throughout college, so I had a solid CV template ready to go. Knowing this role might be my only opportunity to explore law before committing to my university offer, I invested my time researching the firm and drafted my applications carefully.

This left me with my UCAS offers, and one remaining apprenticeship application that felt like it carried far more weight than I’d expected.

Interview

When I received an email inviting me to a first-stage interview with Nicholls & Nicholls, a defence litigation firm in the City of London, I instantly knew the apprenticeship route was for me.  Of course, this intensified the self-doubt I was already feeling, but beneath the nerves I was excited. That excitement confirmed to me that I wasn’t comfortable to commit to university, student debt, and years of study in a field I no longer felt certain about. However, the interview process was daunting. It involved a formal interview with the managing partner and a solicitor. Before I could reach this stage, I was required to complete a series of technical legal tasks and be prepared to justify my answers in detail. For someone with no formal legal education, it felt overwhelming.

My legal knowledge at that stage was minimal, having come mostly from my EPQ and an essay I had then written for a local law competition to practise my research skills. I didn’t have lawyers in my family or immediate circle to turn to for guidance, and that made the process feel even more isolating. So, I relied on initiative and attended a lunchtime law revision session at college, despite being very obviously part of the science faculty. There was some understandable confusion about why I was there, but I found the tutor and explained what I was trying to do and the help I needed.

Again, the concept of a legal apprenticeship was unfamiliar in my college, but the tutor looked past that and spent the full hour going through key principles and helping me think more critically about the tasks I had been set.  To this day, I still remember that session and the tutor clearly. The conversation and guidance offered to me in an extremely short amount of time allowed my confidence to grow. That single hour, combined with recognising my transferrable skills and natural strengths, made all the difference in my interview and I felt far more content in the path I was now pursuing.  

Having been competing against applicants with the “expected” A-level subjects, I was offered the paralegal apprenticeship at Nicholls & Nicholls. Overall, having accepted that offer changed the entire trajectory of my career.

My first years

My family was understandably apprehensive at first. Apprenticeships were relatively unfamiliar, and this route looked nothing like the one I had spoken about for years. When induction arrived, I joined the firm with cautious, yet genuine, support from those around me.

From day one, I made a conscious decision about how I would approach the role. If I was going to take a less traditional practical path, I was going to make the most of it. I listened carefully to every conversation around me, even when it didn’t directly relate to my own work. I volunteered to get involved. And most importantly, I was never afraid to say, I don’t know. Looking back, that openness shaped both my professional and personal growth. I didn’t have the “expected” subjects or a conventional legal background, but I did have curiosity, resilience, and a genuine hunger to succeed, and that proved to be just as valuable.

Becoming a Solicitor Apprentice

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learnt is that hard work rarely goes unnoticed, and more importantly, growth requires intention.

Each week, I sat down with my supervisor and treated are meeting as more than a routine check in. I would ask direct questions: How can I improve? Where are my gaps? What should I be focusing on next? So, constructive criticism never felt like a setback. After every meeting, I would write a list of focus areas for the following week with practical steps I could take, before the next meeting. That rhythm of feedback and action became my framework for development. In truth, it still is, and I approach every new task with the same mindset.

Over time, that consistency helped me and senior management recognised my progress and commitment, and I was promoted to Junior Paralegal in 2023. Not long after, I was offered a place on the Level 6 Solicitor Apprenticeship, and my title changed once again. This time to Solicitor Apprentice.

These steps quietly confirmed that stepping away from the traditional university route had not been a risk, but a considered decision. Each stage of my progression reinforced something I had once doubted. There is more than one way to build a career, and sometimes, the unconventional path is the one that fits best.

What do you have?

Looking back, I realise my own journey was never about switching career paths, and success isn’t determined by who you know. More often, it’s about how well you know yourself.  When I was applying, the information available to aspiring apprentices was nowhere near as accessible as it is today. There were fewer role models and far less guidance available to me. Yet without realising it, I had already begun asking myself the right questions.  

If you’re considering an apprenticeship, these are the reflections I believe matter:

• Why me? 

What do you bring that would contribute to success in your chosen your desired apprenticeship?

Remember, you are applying for both further education and employment. Employers are investing in you, so question what makes that investment worthwhile?

• Skillset?  

Think broadly. Consider your studies, work experience, extracurricular activities, and transferable skills. These often carry just as much weight as technical knowledge.

•  What are my natural strengths? 

Everyone has them. The key is identifying yours and understanding how they set you apart. Your strengths become your authentic unique selling point.

•  Where can I improve?

Honest reflection is powerful. Be honest to yourself about any weaknesses and plan to improve them.

•  What motivates me? 

Is it a specific role? A department? A long-term career ambition? Motivation matters, as it sustains you when work becomes challenging.

•  Where can I find help?

You are rarely as alone as you may feel. Someone will be willing to offer guidance if you ask. Whether that be a family friend, a colleague, a teacher, or a mentor.  Go to the people around you and ask questions.

My next steps

Apprenticeships aren’t easy and that’s the truth. Any apprentice who has taken this route, regardless of their field, will tell you the same.  Balancing full time work with university study, and life can be challenging, especially as academic pressure increases. However, despite this my motivation to qualify as a lawyer has never changed. Now I reflect on how easily I could have followed my original plan without question. Had I not paused to evaluate my options, I may have committed to a career that truly didn’t align with me.

So, I now mentor aspiring legal apprentices and actively advocate for alternative routes into the profession. This has included invitations to significant events, where I have had the opportunity to discuss the barriers surrounding apprenticeships with Members of Parliament at a round table setting.

Also, as a London Ambassador for Outercircle, a national apprenticeship community, and as Lead for the Apprenticeship Readiness Programme (an initiative designed to help students prepare for applications and interviews across any field) I hope to help ensure others have access to the clarity and support I once had to search for.

I hope to continue championing apprenticeships, not as a second option, but as a credible, and rewarding pathway. I know what it feels like to stand at that crossroad and be torn between the perceived security of university and the unknown potential of an apprenticeship. 

Erin Edgar

Solicitor Apprentice (4th yr) at Nicholls & Nicholls

You can find out more and connect with Erin on LinkedIn.