QWE Guides

Clear, plain-English guidance on Qualifying Work Experience for the SQE, from what counts and how to get it confirmed, to the evidence you need and the situations candidates ask about most.

What Counts as Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) for the SQE?

The SRA's conditions for QWE, which settings and roles qualify, paid, unpaid and overseas work, and how QWE is confirmed.

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How to Get Your QWE Signed Off

A complete guide to QWE sign-off: who can confirm your experience, what evidence you need, and what to do if your employer will not cooperate.

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What Evidence Do You Need to Confirm Your QWE?

What your evidence needs to show, which documents help, how to handle confidential material, and how the assessment works.

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QWE for International Candidates

Using overseas legal experience as QWE: eligibility, evidence requirements, and how remote confirmation works.

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QWE Sign Off for Paralegals

Your options as a paralegal, common scenarios, and how independent confirmation works when your firm will not sign off.

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How Much Does It Cost to Get Your QWE Signed Off?

How confirmation is priced, by the hour, per placement or a fixed fee, what you pay for, and the questions to ask before you commit.

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What to Do If Your Employer Won't Sign Off Your QWE

Where you stand if your employer can't or won't confirm your QWE, the SRA's position, and how independent confirmation solves it.

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Can I Use My Current Job as QWE?

How to tell whether your current role qualifies, what the SRA requires, and how to get it confirmed without leaving your job.

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Can Previous Jobs Count? Retrospective QWE Sign-Off

How to confirm experience from a job you have already left, what evidence you need, and why QWE has no expiry date.

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QWE for In-House Legal Teams

How QWE works for in-house legal, contracts and compliance roles, even when no solicitor is available to confirm it.

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Does Volunteering or Pro Bono Count as QWE?

How unpaid legal work, pro bono and law clinic volunteering can count towards your QWE, and how to get it confirmed.

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Do Internships and Vacation Schemes Count as QWE?

When short legal placements qualify, how they fit into the two-year requirement, and how to get them confirmed.

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How Long Does It Take to Get QWE Signed Off?

What the confirmation process involves, what affects the timeline, and how to get your QWE confirmed without delay.

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What If Your QWE Supervisor Isn't a Solicitor?

The difference between supervising your work and confirming your QWE, and how confirmation works when no solicitor is available.

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QWE for Career Changers

How the SQE suits career changers, the experience you may already have, and how to build towards your two years.

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Common Mistakes That Get QWE Rejected

The avoidable pitfalls that cause QWE to be questioned or rejected, and how to get your experience right first time.

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How to Record Your QWE: The Training Record

What to log, how to map your work to the competences, and how a good training record makes confirmation straightforward.

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