Northeastern previously offered Bridge Fellowships to students who had graduated but were unable to find legal employment. The fellowships offered $1,000/month for three months of part-time, 20 hour weeks at a nonprofit to serve as a bridge to full-time employment. I never wanted that to be my first choice, but as September drew nearer, I was hopeful that a Bridge Fellowship could be my safety net. One of my classmates in the Domestic Violence clinic was a recipient last year, and parlayed it into a great job.
Alas, NUSL decided not to offer them this year. In the fall I went full-time at the retail job, and worked on applications when I was able. On January 29th I received an email from my advisor in Center for Co-op and Professional Advancement (CCOPA). Rebecca, my 5th advisor (after Jerry, Jeff, Quaime, and Valerie) said that the fellowships were back on and applications were due asap.
I reached out to a former employer and returned to Children's Law Center of Massachusetts, where I worked on co-op the winter of 2011-2012. I'm answering our statewide intake line as well as updating a resource manual for families on the North Shore. I love the attorneys here, but I know that there is no chance of getting hired. I have my own office because they recently had to lay off a great attorney that had been here over a decade. (I did attempt to line up work at two other organizations, but they were unable to plan a fellowship on three days notice and declined).
I need to stay full-time at City Sports to keep my health insurance, so I decided to work Mondays and Wednesdays at CLCM and alternate working four or five days at City Sports. I have one day off every two weeks. Working at CLCM 16 hours/week means that my fellowship will be spread out over four months instead of three. I've worked seven days a week for most of the last three months. I'm exhausted, and one consequence is I haven't been submitting as many job applications. The money helps, but I don't feel like this is moving me towards a full-time position - if anything, I'm going backwards.
The Bridge Fellowship is a great idea, but the timing is wrong. Funding in the fall would have allowed me to pay rent and prioritize job-searching instead of settling for a retail position that leaves me exhausted. I hope in the future, NUSL will resume this program in the fall.
Alas, NUSL decided not to offer them this year. In the fall I went full-time at the retail job, and worked on applications when I was able. On January 29th I received an email from my advisor in Center for Co-op and Professional Advancement (CCOPA). Rebecca, my 5th advisor (after Jerry, Jeff, Quaime, and Valerie) said that the fellowships were back on and applications were due asap.
I reached out to a former employer and returned to Children's Law Center of Massachusetts, where I worked on co-op the winter of 2011-2012. I'm answering our statewide intake line as well as updating a resource manual for families on the North Shore. I love the attorneys here, but I know that there is no chance of getting hired. I have my own office because they recently had to lay off a great attorney that had been here over a decade. (I did attempt to line up work at two other organizations, but they were unable to plan a fellowship on three days notice and declined).
I need to stay full-time at City Sports to keep my health insurance, so I decided to work Mondays and Wednesdays at CLCM and alternate working four or five days at City Sports. I have one day off every two weeks. Working at CLCM 16 hours/week means that my fellowship will be spread out over four months instead of three. I've worked seven days a week for most of the last three months. I'm exhausted, and one consequence is I haven't been submitting as many job applications. The money helps, but I don't feel like this is moving me towards a full-time position - if anything, I'm going backwards.
The Bridge Fellowship is a great idea, but the timing is wrong. Funding in the fall would have allowed me to pay rent and prioritize job-searching instead of settling for a retail position that leaves me exhausted. I hope in the future, NUSL will resume this program in the fall.
