Should I do the SQE even though I don’t have a training contract?

The Legal Cheek Podcast is proudly independent. Thanks to our sponsor Simpson Thacher, home of the private equity training contract, for making that possible: https://ukearlycareers.stblaw.com/Should you start the SQE if you do not have a training contract lined up?Legal Cheek writer Nadia Ismail sits down with events coordinator Hannah Thompson to discuss her experience of self funding the SQE before securing a training contract, from why she decided to start straight after university to the realities of balancing studying with applications, interviews and assessment centres.How much should the financial commitment factor into the decision? Does completing the SQE make any difference when applying for training contracts? And what other routes to qualification are available if you do not have a TC?We discuss the pressures of taking the SQE without a training contract, qualifying work experience, the traditional training contract route and the circumstances in which self funding might, or might not, be the right choice.