Internships, vacation schemes and short work placements are a common way into legal work, and candidates often wonder whether these shorter stints can count towards Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) for the SQE. The answer is that they can, provided they meet the same conditions as any other QWE. This guide explains when a placement qualifies, how short experiences fit into the two-year requirement, and how to get them confirmed.
Length is not the deciding factor, substance is
There is no minimum length for a single piece of QWE. A short internship or vacation scheme can count, just as a longer role can, as long as the work involved providing genuine legal services and gave you exposure to at least two of the competences in the Statement of Solicitor Competence. A two-week placement spent shadowing and photocopying is unlikely to qualify, but a placement where you drafted, researched, attended client meetings and contributed to live matters may well do.
How short placements fit into the two years
QWE has to add up to a minimum of two years full-time or the equivalent, and it can be built from up to four placements. This is where internships and vacation schemes become genuinely useful: several shorter placements can be combined, alongside other paid or unpaid work, to make up the total. The four-placement limit means you cannot stitch together an unlimited number of very short stints, so it is worth being strategic about which placements carry real substance.
What makes a placement qualify
When assessing whether an internship counts, focus on what you actually did:
- Did you produce legal work, such as drafting documents, researching law or preparing notes that were used?
- Did you engage with clients, matters or cases in a meaningful way?
- Did you exercise any legal skill or judgement, rather than only observing?
If the honest answer is that you contributed to real legal work, the placement is likely to qualify. If you mostly observed or did administrative tasks, it probably will not count on its own, though it may still be valuable experience for your development.
Getting a placement confirmed
Internships and vacation schemes are confirmed the same way as any other QWE. An independent solicitor who did not employ you can confirm the experience by reviewing your evidence and obtaining feedback from your placement supervisor, who does not need to be a qualified solicitor. This is helpful where a firm or organisation that hosted you does not run a formal QWE process for short-term placements.
A vacation scheme with real work
During a structured scheme you drafted documents and contributed to live matters under supervision. That substance can count, and a supervisor's feedback supports confirmation.
Several short internships combined
You completed a few placements at different organisations. Within the four-placement limit, the ones with genuine legal substance can be combined towards your two years.
A placement that was mostly shadowing
If you spent the time observing rather than doing legal work, it may not qualify on its own. We can help you assess honestly what counts and what does not.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a minimum length for a placement to count?
No minimum length is set for an individual piece of QWE, but the total must add up to two years full-time or the equivalent, across up to four placements.
Does a vacation scheme count?
It can, if you did genuine legal work demonstrating at least two competences. A scheme spent only observing is less likely to qualify on its own.
Can I combine several internships?
Yes, within the four-placement limit. Combining placements that carry real legal substance is a sensible way to build towards the two years.
Who confirms an internship?
An independent solicitor can confirm it using feedback from your placement supervisor, who does not need to be legally qualified.
What if the placement was unpaid?
Paid and unpaid work count equally. The test is the substance of the work, not whether you were paid.
What to do now
If you have done internships or vacation schemes and want to know whether they count, the simplest step is a free assessment. Tell us about the placements using our short form, and we will respond within 24 hours with whether they are likely to qualify, which competences apply, and how confirmation would work, with no obligation and no payment.