Building Tomorrow's Advisers: Tulia's Work Experience Sessions at Blue Coat School
On Monday 13th July 2026, Tulia Group team took part in Blue Coat School's annual work experience day, delivering a session titled Using Law to Change Lives to students across five sessions throughout the day.
The event brought employers from across the region into the school for a single day, each running the same hour-long taster session on rotation, with students building their own bespoke timetable from the sessions on offer. For Tulia, an organisation built on legal advice and holistic support for migrants, the invitation was also a chance to extend our mission in a different direction: helping shape the next generation of legal advisers, not just supporting the people we serve today.
Why this matters to us:
Tulia's work depends on people entering the legal and advice sector who might not otherwise see it as open to them — regardless of background, exam results, or whether they've ever met a lawyer.
Many of Tulia's own advisers qualified through non-traditional routes, including the Immigration Advice Authority pathway, rather than the conventional university-to-solicitor track.
Introducing young people to the profession early, and to the range of routes into it, is part of building a more representative future for the sector.
What the session covered:
Each session opened by challenging assumptions about who becomes a lawyer, using a "myth or fact" quiz on cost, university requirements and courtroom time. Students were then introduced to the range of careers within law — including solicitors, barristers, CILEX lawyers, paralegals, immigration advisers, and roles in policy and campaigning — before hearing about the different routes into each.
The strongest response came when the session moved from theory to real Tulia casework: a family who avoided being separated by removal, and migrant care workers whose jobs were protected after their employer's licence was suspended.
The impact:
Across the five sessions, students moved from general curiosity to specific questions — about casework, pay, and how to get work experience with Tulia directly. Students with no prior interest in law left asking follow-up questions, while others who already had law in mind gained a clearer picture of the paths available to them.
Tulia Group CIC will continue to support schools and community organisations looking to introduce students to careers in law and advice work. Schools interested in hosting a similar session can get in touch via www.tulia.org.uk or email us at info@tulia.org.uk
