Law students and lawyers involuntarily on the sidelines of their legal career can now look forward to some pay stability in other forms of employment. Part time efforts as a barrista or at the local bar will now be rewarded to the full tune of the minimum wage. No more using of tips to make up your wages to the threshold. The legal loophole that enabled hospitality industry employers to use tips to make up wages will now been closed.

"When I leave a tip, I don’t expect it to be used to make up the minimum wage. I want it to go to the person who has served me as a thank-you for their service – this is a basic issue of fairness," the eternally generous Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson told the BBC .

Whilst we have received news of out-of-work lawyers working in bars or coffee shops, there are other more glamourous options available. As redundancies surged last winter the big news was of professionals heading to European ski resorts to try their hand at ski instructing. With winter creeping up on us again and the job market still fairly weak we expect more of the same this year. Winter sport might not suit everyone though – if you need some ideas on career-break job opportunities click here .

New laws on tips and pay in force [BBC]