u/BarnacleEcstatic3577

TLDR; almost finished law degree, want long term career in APS, if i can't get a grad role is it better to apply for entry level (non-grad) APS jobs and work my way up or am I better off doing a private practice law grad program?

I’m about to finish my law degree and could use some advice from people who’ve gone into the APS or legal‑adjacent government roles.

I’ve got around four years of experience in legal admin/paralegal work at a mid‑tier private practice firm. I’ve applied for several APS legal graduate programs this year and I’m through to the interview stage for some of them, but I’m very aware of how competitive these roles are.

Long‑term, I’m really keen on a career in the APS in a legal or legal‑adjacent area e.g. ASIC, ATO, ACCC, etc - not necessarily as a solicitor, but I am open to that.

My question is basically this:

If I don’t get into an APS legal grad program this year, is it a good idea to apply for entry level APS roles (APS3/APS4) in the departments I want to work in long term, even if the role itself isn’t legal‑adjacent? For example, something like an APS3 Frontline Operations Officer at the ATO, then working my way up internally or re‑applying for grad programs the next year?

Is that a viable pathway, or is it a potential dead end?

Alternatively, would it “look better” on my CV to do a law firm grad program for a year or two and then apply for APS grad programs or APS4/APS5 roles after that? I have no desire to work in a private practice law firm long term.

P.S. i'm NSW based.

Keen to hear from anyone who’s gone either route.

Thanks in advance.

I’m renting a non-subdivided attached granny flat in NSW that was previously used as an Airbnb. There is an existing wall socket in the room that looks like it was used for internet/NBN.

The property is on Fibre to the Node (FTTN).

The main house is separately rented out to other tenants, so I have no access to their internet connection or router.

When I’ve tried applying for 5G home internet, ISPs have rejected me because NBN is available at the address (the main dwelling).

So I’m stuck trying to figure out what my options actually are. It seems like the granny flat may have previously just shared internet from the main house (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) when it was an Airbnb, rather than having its own NBN service.

My questions:

• Is it likely there is no independent NBN/copper service to the granny flat?
• Can ISPs activate a second FTTN service for a non-subdivided granny flat?
• Or am I basically limited to either:
  • getting internet shared from the main house somehow,
  • mobile broadband / 5G SIM router,
  • or some other workaround?

I've been using 4G internet as a workaround, which hasn't been ideal. My REA has of course been extremely unhelpful.

Any advice from people who’ve dealt with granny flat setups like this would be appreciated.