Career timetable: barristers
First-year law and second-year non- law students The key to this year is thinking ahead. Focus on getting top grades, do your homework on the Bar and get involved in activities that will look good on your CV (mooting and debating are essential, but examples such as Duke of Edinburgh awards or captaining a sports team are also great). Research and apply for work experience (be it mini-pupillages or non-formal placements) in chambers for your summer holiday, in as many different work areas as you can. For alternative work experience, see the “Free Representation Unit” chapter on p65. Remember that without work experience, any application for pupillage is unlikely to be taken seriously. Join one of the four Inns of Court, which are non-academic societies that provide activities and support for barristers, pupils and students. You must join an Inn before 31 May of the year in which you intend to commence the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), but it is a case of the earlier, the better in terms of getting involved with the activities and using the facilities (eg, library and common rooms). Note that barrister training is changing and the Inns of Court College of Advocacy is likely to introduce a new two-part Bar course to replace the BPTC in 2020. The changes should make barrister training cheaper and more accessible without much disruption to the timetable described here. Find out more about the changes in the Bar Standards Board chapter on p457 and stay up to date by checking LawCareers.Net. Second-year law and final-year non- law students Autumn term, winter holidays and spring term Attend relevant careers events, including careers fairs, presentations and talks, and
pupillage fairs. Look into funding possibilities for postgraduate training (eg, local education authority grants and inn scholarships). Keep applying for mini-pupillages. Non-law degree students will need to apply for a place on the conversion course, known as the Graduate Diploma in Law or GDL. If you intend to study full time, you should apply through the Central Applications Board (www.lawcabs.ac.uk) from September onwards in your final year at university. There is not a closing date for applications; rather, applications are dealt with as they are submitted and institutions are notified weekly of new submissions. Applications for part-time courses must be made directly to the provider. Summer holidays Find out about pupillage applications. Look at the different BPTC providers and check their application details. Gain further work experience.
Final-year law and GDL students Autumn term
Start making applications for pupillage. Finalise your funding options and be clear about the closing dates for funding applications. For more on funding, see “Financing the vocational courses” on p121. The BPTC is a highly expensive course which does not open up any other career options than the Bar itself, so it is sensible to secure pupillage before deciding to enrol. The centralised BPTC application system – the Bar Student Application Service – usually opens in early December and stays open until the start of the academic year the following September. Find out more and apply at www.barsas.com. Spring term Attend pupillage fairs, including the Bar Council’s Pupillage Fair on 26 October
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