Becoming a barrister: what to do and when to do it

Second-year law or final-year non-law students: autumn term

• Read TARGETjobs Law. Pick up a paper copy from your careers service or use the online version available on the barristers' homepage on TARGETjobs.
• Get to know your own strengths and weaknesses and assess whether you have the right skills and qualities to become a barrister.
• Research the different areas that barristers practise in and decide what sort of chambers you'd like to do pupillage with.
• Go to law fairs and relevant events organised by your careers service.
• Draft a CV for pupillage and mini-pupillage applications and get it checked by a careers adviser.
• Investigate funding possibilities for the Bar professional training course (BPTC), formerly known as the Bar vocational course (BVC). Check the closing dates.

Second-year law or final-year non-law students: Christmas vacation and spring term

• Apply for mini-pupillages and organise other legal work experience. Use the Pupillages Handbook or pupillageportal.com for research.
• Look into other useful experience (debating, mooting, visiting court).
• If you are not studying law, apply for a place on a law conversion course. Use TARGETcourses Conversion & Vocational Law to research your options and the relevant deadlines. You'll be able to get a free copy from your careers service. Prepare scholarship applications for your law conversion course.

Second-year law or final-year non-law students: summer

• Undertake mini-pupillages or other legal work experience.

Final-year law or conversion course year: autumn term

• Join one of the Inns of Court and find out what help it can offer.
• Research Bar professional training course (BPTC) institutions using TARGETcourses Conversion & Vocational Law.
• Make scholarship applications for the Bar professional training course (BPTC).
• Apply for the BPTC via the online application system at barprofessionaltraining.org.uk - the deadline tends to be in early January (2.00 pm on Thursday 7 January in 2010). 
• Make sure you’ve got your financial situation in order.
• Check the system for obtaining your certificate of completion of the academic stage.
• Investigate the pupillage application procedure and check any early closing dates.

Final-year law or conversion course year: spring and summer term

• Register online for the TARGETjobs National Pupillage Fair (Saturday 5 March in 2011). When you attend, pick up your copy of the new Pupillages Handbook.
• Make pupillage applications online for sets using the centralised application system. See pupillageportal.com for more information. Make sure you get a careers adviser to look over your application.
• Apply individually to chambers that do not use the centralised online application system.
• Attend pupillage interviews. Some sets may have interviews close to your exam period.

BPTC year

• Don’t forget important paperwork on your first day.
• Be available for pupillage interviews. (Re-read your application beforehand.)
• Continue to gain as much experience as you can.

What are the stages of training to become a barrister?

Academic stage

Law degree (c 15,850 graduates) or non-law degree plus appropriate conversion course (c 4,700 full- and part-time places). Conversion course fees: £1,615–£8,730.

Vocational stage

BPTC run by eight institutions nationwide (c 2,020 places in 2008–9). BPTC fees: £9,500–£14,700.

Practical stage

Undertake pupillage in chambers (c 500–500 places), split into a first and second six or 12-month pupillage, before securing a tenancy, often with the same set, or undertaking a third six (ie continuing as a pupil).