Qualifying Work Experience (QWE): The Complete Plain-English Guide
One of the biggest sources of confusion on the SQE route is qualifying work experience, or QWE. The rules are deliberately more flexible than the old training contract, and that flexibility is exactly what makes people anxious. Let us clear it up.
What QWE actually is
You need two years of full time (or equivalent) experience providing legal services. The point is to give you real exposure to legal work and the chance to develop the competences expected of a newly qualified solicitor. It is not an exam. It is hands on experience that a qualified solicitor confirms you have done.
The flexible bits people miss
- Up to four organisations. You can build your two years across as many as four different placements. Your time does not have to be at one firm.
- It counts in many settings. Law clinics, paralegal roles, placements during a degree, in house legal teams, and volunteering at advice centres can all count.
- Before, during, or after the SQE. There is no fixed order. Many people gather QWE while revising, or even before they sit a single exam.
- Part time adds up. Work is measured by full time equivalent, so part time roles still count, they just take longer to total two years.
Who signs it off
Your QWE must be confirmed by either a solicitor at the organisation or the SRA regulated body's compliance officer. They are not vouching that you were brilliant. They are confirming the experience was real and gave you the chance to develop the competences. Keep a clear record of your dates, your role, and the kind of work you did, so the sign off is straightforward.
You do not need to have been perfect. You need to have been there, doing legal work, with a route to confirmation. That is a much lower bar than the old training contract anxiety many people carry.
How to find QWE if you do not have a training contract
This is the worry for so many candidates. A few practical routes:
- Paralegal and legal assistant roles, which are often the most direct path.
- University law clinics and pro bono projects.
- Advice charities such as Citizens Advice, where supervised legal work can count.
- In house teams at companies, charities, or the public sector.
Keep your evidence as you go
The single best habit is to log your experience in real time. Note your start and end dates, your supervisor, and examples of the competences you practised. When the time comes to confirm it, you will have everything ready instead of scrambling to remember work from two years ago.