Dear people,
I am from Croatia, I graduated from law, and I don't have any work experience. My marks are not so bad but I think not enough to enter without a working experience (3.3. out of 5). Situation about getting a job in our field in my country is really not good, here is normal to wait for a job about 3-4 years, or even don't get a job never ever. I don't want accept that so I am searching for some solution to escape from this horrible situation. For instance, some freshly graduated young people if they want to work in a lawyers' office have to work for no salary and to pay about 200 pounds monthly for endowment policy (that money should pay employer but they don't want it and we are even happy if we have that lucky that someone want us to employ on this way). And in that case after 1.5 years we can do a bar exam. I just want to show you a situation here and why I want to escape from here. And of course I would like to do LLM in the UK and stay there and work. I want to work hard and to have a chance to work in my field but here I don't have that opportunity. So does anyone have any idea how to do LLM in the UK in my situation? Or maybe you know some other way to work as a solicitor or a lawyer in the UK, maybe some 1-year-course? Anything, help me, I am really desperate...

Hi, Stella. First of all, why not consider Canada? Canada's got a number of good schools, and it's certainly more diverse and welcoming to foreign students than the UK.

Second of all, you don't need work experience as a lawyer to be admitted to a good LLM program. If you can't - again, can't - get that kind of experience, why not try teaching? If you can't teach in local law schools, why not start a project of teaching Law to croatian or foreign students online, by video, for free? That's an idea that, if executed properly, would certainly impress examiners of even the most well-known universities around the world.

Third, another thing that you should consider is writing. Write papers, write essays, get published. If you can, also try to get some english fluency certificates (Cambridge CPE and ILEC, for example). That would be quite positive for your résumé, I think.

Dear people,
I am from Croatia, I graduated from law, and I don't have any work experience. My marks are not so bad but I think not enough to enter without a working experience (3.3. out of 5). Situation about getting a job in our field in my country is really not good, here is normal to wait for a job about 3-4 years, or even don't get a job never ever. I don't want accept that so I am searching for some solution to escape from this horrible situation. For instance, some freshly graduated young people if they want to work in a lawyers' office have to work for no salary and to pay about 200 pounds monthly for endowment policy (that money should pay employer but they don't want it and we are even happy if we have that lucky that someone want us to employ on this way). And in that case after 1.5 years we can do a bar exam. I just want to show you a situation here and why I want to escape from here. And of course I would like to do LLM in the UK and stay there and work. I want to work hard and to have a chance to work in my field but here I don't have that opportunity. So does anyone have any idea how to do LLM in the UK in my situation? Or maybe you know some other way to work as a solicitor or a lawyer in the UK, maybe some 1-year-course? Anything, help me, I am really desperate...

Hello Stella,

So does anyone have any idea how to do LLM in the UK in my situation? Or maybe you know some other way to work as a solicitor or a lawyer in the UK(...)

Thanks, guys, for your quick responds and good advices.

I really like the idea about teaching Croatian law on the Internet. That wouldn't only impressed teachers but enhance my own knowledge and presentation abilities.

I calculated my own marks (3.3 out of 5) and that means 66 percent. In your own knowledge is it an upper second class honours degree (2:1)? I read on some threats here that 2:1 (above 60 %) are considered by the most of the UK's universities (of course with the exception of Cambridge and Oxford). I really hope so...

I read some foreign students' experiences as well. Some of them have stayed and worked after an LLM in the UK, for instance at the bank. I suppose, we can't practice english law because we don't have the Common law background, but according to this experience maybe we can work in some other parts of the law??

In my country working in our field mostly is not rewarding and that's why I would like to do my best to run away from this not so good atmosphere. I know it's far away to talk about it, but maybe doing the PhD abroad after an LLM can open some door to stay and work there??

Thanks, guys, for your quick responds and good advices.

I really like the idea about teaching Croatian law on the Internet. That wouldn't only impressed teachers but enhance my own knowledge and presentation abilities.

I calculated my own marks (3.3 out of 5) and that means 66 percent. In your own knowledge is it an upper second class honours degree (2:1)? I read on some threats here that 2:1 (above 60 %) are considered by the most of the UK's universities (of course with the exception of Cambridge and Oxford). I really hope so...

I read some foreign students' experiences as well. Some of them have stayed and worked after an LLM in the UK, for instance at the bank. I suppose, we can't practice english law because we don't have the Common law background, but according to this experience maybe we can work in some other parts of the law??

In my country working in our field mostly is not rewarding and that's why I would like to do my best to run away from this not so good atmosphere. I know it's far away to talk about it, but maybe doing the PhD abroad after an LLM can open some door to stay and work there??

@hotpursuit, thank you for all your support. I will take your advice into my consideration. I don't speak any other language except my mother tongue and English, that's why there is an obvious barrier for me to do an LLM in Spain, Italy, France or elsewhere in Europe. However. I will think about Canada or Australia as well.
Anyway, does anyone know is 66% an upper second class honours degree?

Dear guys,

I sent a query to the Warwick Law School about my degree and one lady answered me that 3:3 out of 5 is low 2:2!!! I am really pissed off right now. That degree is really hard to achive in my country and if lady in admission department recount my marks into percentage it would be obvious that 66 % percent is too high for law 2:2.

She wrote me this:
"UK grade equivalence
1:1 - 5
2:1 - 4
2:2 3
A grade of 3.3 out of 5 would be considered a low 2:2 and would fall below our requirements for admission."

But she obviously doesn't know that Croatian degree system looks like this:
5 - between 4.5 and 5
4 - between 3.5 and 4.4
3 - between 2.5 and 3.4
2 - between 2 and 2.4

In my opinion, it's not fair that someone with 60 percent is considered whereas my marks with 66 percent can't be considered. My degree should be at least high 2:2 and with a certain work experience I should be taken into consideration. Even if we look through percentage, my degree should be 2:1.

Guys, help me please with some advice how to constructively fight in this situation.