Which route works best for you?

Part One Flexibility

On this page you can decide which route through the ICCA Bar Course works best for you. The flexibility of the online Part One course allows you to follow a guided pathway over 12-14 weeks taking your BSB centrally set assessments (also known as centralised assessments) at the first opportunity available to you, or alternatively to take a more flexible approach, which is useful if you are working or have caring responsibilities.

BSB Assessments

The BSB centrally set assessments are held in April, August and December each year. There are two civil assessments and one criminal assessment. You are able to take all three examinations during one assessment window, or you may choose to take the two civil assessments at one assessment window (e.g in December) and the criminal assessment during another assessment window (e.g. April), but you are not entitled to take the two civil assessments at separate assessment windows. We recommend that all students complete Part One within a year of starting.

Part Two In-Person Training

Please remember that Part Two of the ICCA Bar Course is an intensive, in-person, five-month course in the Inns of Court in London, with timetabled sessions between 9am to 4pm up to 4 days per week. There is no hybrid, online or part-time option available for Part Two, so please factor this in carefully when planning for the future.

Applying for Pupillage

The timelines below demonstrate the various options available to you and assume that you pass all assessments at the first opportunity. Recognising the importance of securing pupillage for the majority of our students, you can see when pupillage applications and interviews take place and when pupillage offers are made. Bear in mind that after receiving an offer of pupillage, it will usually be another 18 months before your pupillage commences, so the ICCA Bar Course caters well to students whenever they apply for and secure pupillage.

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Pupillage Application (pre-course) and ICCA Bar Course Application Dates

ICCA Bar Course Routes and Pupillage Application (during course) Timeline

What are my chances of securing pupillage?

ICCA students do exceptionally well in securing pupillage, which stands as a testament to their hard work, enthusiasm and excellent results. The ICCA Bar Course is designed both to be respected by the profession as directly relevant to practice, and to equip you with the knowledge and vital practitioner skills required to achieve success in pupillage and then in professional practice as a barrister.

It is important to bear in mind that there are fewer pupillage/work-based learning places available than there are applicants. Since not all students secure pupillage/work-based learning either before or during their Bar training course, they will continue to apply each following year.

5 years to secure pupillage

Remember that students have a maximum of 5 years after completing their Bar training course to secure pupillage. On the one hand, this is positive news for applicants, since there are many opportunities available after completing your Bar course. On the other, it does mean that a backlog of applicants builds up and it is generally accepted that around 3,000 may be applying each year for around 600 places.

In fact, the Bar Council has reported in its Pupillage Gateway Report 2024 that the total number of pupillage positions advertised through the Pupillage Gateway in the 2022/2023 application window was 638, almost 150 more pupillages on offer  than in 2019/20 (489). For these 638 places there were 2,979 applicants.

This demonstrates that competition for places is high and you will need to remain focussed and motivated to succeed, in addition to putting in the hard work required to complete your Bar Course to a high standard.

Pupillage Insights

The Bar Council Pupillage Gateway Report 2024 gives some helpful key insights into obtaining pupillage, taken from the 2022/2023 pupillage application window.

1. The biggest indicator of success in securing pupillage was degree classification. 60.1% of offers made were to applicants with a First Class Honours degree. 36.1% of offers made were to those with an Upper Second Class Honours degree.
2. Few candidates obtained offers who had not undertaken at least one mini-pupillage: 12.7% of candidates who had attended at least one mini-pupillage received an
   offer compared with 1.7% of those candidates who did not.
3. 53.1% of the 288 offers recorded were received by candidates who had secured a scholarship from one of the Inns of Court, compared with 38.2% of those who did
   not.
4. Students who have not studied law at an undergraduate level are at no disadvantage.
5. Most candidates who secured a pupillage (57.3%) had not yet completed the vocational stage of their training.
6. A higher proportion of pupillage offers went to women (57.3%) over men (38.9%). This is comparable to 2021/22, where 57.5% went to women and 36.2% to men.
7. Of the candidates who received a recorded offer: 60.8% were White (British/English/Welsh/Northern Irish/Scottish); 2.4% were White (Irish); 10.4% were Asian/Asian British; 1.7% were Black/African/Caribbean/ Black British; 10.4% were of mixed ethnicity; 0.3% fell into the other category; and 3.8% preferred not to say.

How can I help myself secure pupillage?

There are numerous ways you can help yourself to secure pupillage. After all, you have invested in yourself to take and complete the ICCA Bar Course and to learn new skills which will help you as you progess through your career. What follows is not an exhaustive list, but contains a number of matters you may wish to consider to improve your knowledge, experience and prospects before embarking on a career at the Bar.

Undergraduate Degree Level

It is clear from the Bar Council report above that academic ability is highly prized at the Bar, so obtaining a First Class Honours degree will significantly improve your prospects of securing pupillage. If you have a 2:1, there is no reason to give up now. Remember that there is rarely a ‘perfect’ CV, so read on to find out how else you can improve your prospects.

Mini-Pupillage

It is also clear from the report that your prospects will be improved if you undertake a mini-pupillage.

Mini-pupillages typically last from a few days to several weeks.  Some are ‘asssessed’ and are used as an initial method of selecting candidates for pupillage. The key point is that if you are intending to go to the Bar, understanding what life is like at the Bar (including the area(s) of practice you are most interested in) is important. It is vital for you to know that this is what you actually want to do, and it is important for the chambers (or organisation) you are applying to, to believe this is what you want to do, i.e. that you are both motivated and equipped with a good level of knowledge about the profession, chambers and area of practice you seek to enter.

There is no magic number of mini-pupillages you should do, but gaining experience a a chambers you wish to apply to is always useful, as is experience in a chambers that works in the practice area you are interested in.

Advocacy

Advocacy ability is highly prized at the Bar, so demonstrating this ability will be a considerable help.

Taking part (and succeeding) in moots, for example, demonstrates that you enjoy advocacy and are motivated to learn and enhance your skills. The ICCA Bar Course has a considerable focus in Part Two on advocacy, but joining the ICCA Advocacy Committee and taking part in additional advocacy competitions will also help you. In addition, there are numerous advocacy opportunities available, including competitions and additional training with your Inn, a good reason to join an Inn at the earliest opportunity.

Practical advocacy experience can assist you, not least because you can demonstrate to the chambers you are applying to that you have actually represented a client within a legal context. The School Exclusion Project is available to all ICCA students and allows you to represent the parents of children permanently excluded from school. The Free Representation Unit (FRU) enables you to represent clients in certain tribunals, or acting as a County Court Advocate alows you to represent clients in chambers’ hearings in the County Court.

Advice Clinics

In terms of practical experience, working in a legal advice clinic will give you excellent hands-on client experience, as well as assisting people in need, and yet again demonstrates a motivation to engage with the sort of work you will be doing in practice.

Solicitors

It is also worth gaining work experience with solicitors who, after all, are responsible for providing the majority of work to the practising Bar. Understanding how solicitors work in practice can be invaluable. Many students work as paid paralegals after completing the Bar course and before commencing pupillage, and this additional knowldge can prove extremely helpful in practice, as well as allowing you to gain contacts within the legal profession.

Careers Help

If you wouild like assistance with your pupillage applications, students on both Parts One and Two can book an appointment with an ICCA Careers Adviser. It is recommended that you go to the Careers Hub (accessed through the VLE) where you will find a wealth of information to help you, and from where you can book your careers appointments. We wish you every success on your journey to pupillage and to a successful and rewarding career at the Bar.