The recession has made the trainee jobs market tougher than ever, with more than a third of graduates expecting to work more than 50 hours a week and almost 40% forced to look for jobs outside law, according to research published today.

An online survey of 900 graduates applying for training contracts by internet recruiter cvmail found that 15% expect to work more than 55 hours a week in 2010, and 35% anticipate working more than 50 hours a week. The results showed that 39% of law students had been forced to apply for jobs outside the legal profession. Banking and finance are seen as the most popular alternatives, followed by the public sector.Candidates are applying to more firms this year than they did last year, according to the study, with 18% sending applications to more than 20 firms. The percentage of candidates applying to between one and four firms fell from 28% in 2009 to 20% in 2010. The research also showed that, in their desire to secure a job, graduates are losing interest in firms’ corporate social responsibility policies – cited as ‘key’ by just 6% of respondents.

Instead, they are focusing on a firm’s professional reputation (rated as the most important factor in their choice of firm by 23% of respondents), and long-term training and career opportunities, which 21% listed as most crucial.

Salary and benefits was the most important consideration for 10%, while the size of firm was most significant for 14% of the graduates surveyed.

A firm’s location has become less of a deciding factor for candidates, with 78% saying they would be prepared to relocate to secure a training contract.

Cvmail business development manager Debbie Sumner said: ‘While the economic environment has not swayed graduates from a career in law, they are having to cast their nets wider.

‘This year, worries over whether a trainee position will lead to a permanent job at the end seem to be a real driver for law students. Over the last two years the number of trainees being offered full-time positions on the completion of their training contract has plunged,’ she added.

In the ‘boom years’, she said graduates felt they could pick and choose which firms they wanted to work for, but now they are having to be more realistic because of the limited number of training contracts available.