There can be something daunting about becoming a legal locum, and many candidates assume it to be a confusing career path to take. However, this is rarely the case. There are actually a range of benefits that come with being a legal locum, which is why it’s something that many legal professionals pursue. In this blog, we have taken a look at the ins and outs of being a legal locum.
The Benefits of Being a Legal Locum
- Legal Locums Have a Better Work Life Balance - As being a legal locum is a flexible role, you tend to have a better work life balance than candidates in permanent positions. If you are a legal locum with a specific skill set, there is a high chance that you will be offered flexibility, such as working from home or working on a part time basis. This is ideal for anyone who has loved ones to care for or children to collect from school. Plus, as locuming allows you to work for a set period of time and then take time off, it’s possible to spend a lot more time with friends and family.
- Legal Locums Have Lots of Career Opportunities - You will have a lot of career opportunities as a legal locum, as you will continually develop your skills and expertise within various sectors. You could locum between permanent positions, or locuming could become your main career focus for a long period of time. You could also work as a legal locum as a way to boost your income on a short term basis, or to develop your skills when looking for your ideal permanent position. There are a lot of businesses, locations and sectors to explore as a locum, each of which will offer something slightly different and boost your career in a unique way.
- Legal Locums Earn More - One of the main benefits of being a legal locum is that you tend to earn more than permanent candidates. This is because roles tend to become available at short notice and they need filling immediately, and because legal locums need to be more flexible than permanent members of staff. It’s also due to legal locums having to work unsupervised, which requires you to get stuck in straight away.
- Legal Locums Can Boost Their Skills and Experience Quickly - Working as a legal locum allows you to continually enhance your skills, which can open doors for career advancement. Each business you work for as a locum will offer a unique experience, enabling you to build up a diverse range of experiences that often surpass those of permanent legal professionals. It presents an excellent opportunity to expand your expertise and explore unfamiliar areas of law that you may not have previously considered.
Many legal locums take the opportunity because locuming fits in well with their lifestyle choice, and it’s a more flexible way of combining a legal profession with other aspects of life. For example, many legal locums are people returning to work and looking to gain experience, or candidates that don’t want to work all year round. It’s also a popular choice for retired or semi-retired lawyers, candidates looking for flexible working hours, and lawyers wanting to try out a new sector.
What Salary Can a Legal Locum Expect?
As mentioned before, legal locums can expect to earn more than professionals in a permanent role, but the exact amount depends on a lot of variables. The specific sector you work in, the type of work that you do and the location of the role will all have an impact. The flexibility available could also impact your salary. There is no ‘one size fits all’ legal locum salary, but working with a recruitment team can help you to secure your desired salary and role.