Checked 14 November 2026. We checked the timetable against the Pupillage Gateway’s own page on 14 November 2026, and the interview material against the Bar Council’s Fair Recruitment Guide (last reviewed 22 June 2021) and the BSB Handbook version 5.0 on the same day. Each chambers or other AETO sets its own interview process. Our suggestion: read its advert and its invitation for the format.
A pupillage interview is set by each chambers or other AETO (authorised education and training organisation), and none of the official sources we read publishes any AETO’s questions. What is published is the frame: the Bar Standards Board’s rule rC110 requires barristers to take reasonable steps to ensure that, in relation to their chambers or BSB entity, save in exceptional circumstances every member of all selection panels must be trained in fair recruitment and selection processes, and recruitment and selection processes use objective and fair criteria. The Bar Council’s Fair Recruitment Guide, its best-practice advice to chambers, recommends a structured interview (the same opening questions for every candidate, scored against set criteria) together with a work sample such as an advocacy exercise. It describes three kinds of question: competency questions about what you have done, situational questions about what you would do (it names judgement, advocacy and ethics), and biographical questions about your education, experience and motivation. Below: what the rules require and the guide recommends, 26 practice questions in four groups, two model answers, and the questions the guide tells panels not to ask. For the 2027 round, AETOs recruiting outside the Gateway can begin shortlisting and interviews from 29 January 2027, and AETOs recruiting through it from 1 February 2027 at the latest (possibly 29 January, pending the approval of the Bar Council’s Director of Services); initial offers are made on 7 May 2027 (Pupillage Gateway timetable, read 14 November 2026). Independent practice. Not affiliated with the Bar Council, the Bar Standards Board or any chambers.
| Date (Gateway timetable) | What happens |
|---|---|
| Thursday 28 January 2027, 11:59pm | Applications close |
| From Friday 29 January 2027 | AETOs recruiting outside the Gateway can begin shortlisting and interviews |
| From Monday 1 February 2027 at the latest | AETOs recruiting through the Gateway can download applications and begin shortlisting and interviews; they may be able to access them on Friday 29 January 2027, pending the approval of the Bar Council’s Director of Services |
| Friday 7 May 2027, 9:30am | Initial offers made, all on the same day at the same time; AETOs must not make informal or indicative offers before then |
| Friday 14 May 2027, 9:30am | Deadline to accept an initial offer (7 days). If an offer is declined within the 7 days, the AETO may make a second-round offer immediately; if the deadline passes with no acceptance, AETOs should send second-round offers within a reasonable time |
From the Pupillage Gateway “For applicants” page, read 14 November 2026. The timetable gives no date by which interviews must finish.
FreeTests: Why the Bar · why this chambers · competency · written argument
Check one pupillage application answer free
Paste an answer you are writing for a chambers or other AETO, with its word limit. See our score, how your words are spent, how many of our criteria it meets, and the change we suggest first.
1 free answer check · no sign-in▶ Start nowThis one is free · no sign-in needed- 15 full answer reports
- Point-by-point feedback on each answer
- 30 interview questions with model answers
- 5 ethics scenarios on the BSB Handbook
How pupillage interviews are run
Two kinds of source cover this. The BSB Handbook is the regulator’s rulebook; its rule rC110 requires barristers to take reasonable steps to ensure fair-recruitment requirements are met in their chambers or BSB entity. The Bar Council’s Fair Recruitment Guide is advice: the Bar Council says it is “not ‘guidance’ for the purposes of the BSB Handbook”, and that chambers can comply with the fair recruitment rules by reading its first three sections. So the guide tells you how a panel trained on it is encouraged to work, not how any particular chambers runs its interviews.
| What the source says | Source | What it means for you (our reading) |
|---|---|---|
| You must take reasonable steps to ensure that, in relation to your chambers or BSB entity, save in exceptional circumstances every member of all selection panels must be trained in fair recruitment and selection processes, and recruitment and selection processes use objective and fair criteria | BSB Handbook, rule rC110.3.c and .d (a rule) | Expect questions linked to criteria, not a free-ranging chat |
| The training covers, among other things, interviewing skills and assessment and making a selection decision | BSB Handbook, guidance gC142 | Interviewers are expected to know how to probe and score |
| Structured, criteria-based interviews (the same opening questions for every candidate; follow-up questions vary with the answers) combined with a work sample exercise are recommended; unstructured and biographical interviews are “strongly discouraged” | Fair Recruitment Guide, Section 3 (advice) | Prepare examples for each likely criterion, and expect follow-up questions on them |
| A shortlisting interview, used as the final stage of shortlisting or as a first interview, is usually very short, with set questions, and can be in person, by phone or online | Fair Recruitment Guide, Section 3 (advice) | A first round may be brief: be ready to answer concisely |
| A panel of three is advisable; about 45 minutes is considered a suitable length for an interview | Fair Recruitment Guide, Section 3 (advice) | Recommended practice, not a promise. Our suggestion: check your invitation, and ask the AETO if the length or number of rounds is unclear |
| Information should be sent to candidates with the place, time and format of the interview, any other assessments and exercises, and the expected dress code. Panels should ensure they have met any requests for reasonable adjustments, and, for online interviews, the guide adds: “Don’t forget to ask about reasonable adjustments” | Fair Recruitment Guide, Section 3 (advice) | If the invitation leaves these out, it is reasonable to ask |
| Each panel member rates the evidence against each criterion; the panel then agrees a score. The guide’s interview record form uses 1 Not met, 2 Partially met, 3 Fully met, 4 Exceeds | Fair Recruitment Guide, Section 3 and Section 4 Template 4 (advice) | A good answer gives the panel something specific to write down |
| AETOs using the Gateway either assign you an interview slot or invite you to book one; your status changes to “Interview”, and you may see the panel’s names, depending on the AETO | Pupillage Gateway applicant user guide, 11 December 2025 | Check the Gateway and your email once applications close |
Sources: BSB Handbook version 5.0 and the Bar Council’s Fair Recruitment Guide (last reviewed 22 June 2021), read 14 November 2026; Pupillage Gateway applicant user guide, read 13 November 2026. The third column is our reading.
The rating scale on the Bar Council’s template interview record form (Fair Recruitment Guide, Section 4, Template 4). A template for chambers to adapt; we do not know which chambers use it.
The four types of pupillage interview question
The four types below are our own preparation groups, and they overlap only roughly with the question kinds in the Bar Council’s guide: legal and current issue questions can include situational questions, and the guide names ethics among the criteria situational questions can measure, which is why we practise ethics separately. The guide’s own example questions include why you chose to become a barrister (biographical), a time you had to work hard to convince others (competency) and “What piece of XYZ legislation would you change, and why?” (situational).
| Type (ours) | Bar Council guide’s term | What it usually tests | How to structure an answer (our suggestion) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motivation | Biographical (the guide discourages a whole interview of these, but says biographical questions are suitable as part of a mix with competency and situational questions) | Why the Bar, why this practice area, how well you know the job | Answer first, then the experience behind it, then what it taught you |
| Competency | Competency-based (asked in the past tense) | A skill shown in something you have actually done | STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result, with most time on the action |
| A legal or current issue | Can include situational (hypothetical) questions | Reasoning, advocacy, knowledge, communication | Position, the law or facts briefly, two reasons, the best objection answered, conclusion |
| Ethics | Situational (the guide names ethics among the criteria these questions can measure) | Whether you spot the professional duty and act on it | The problem, the duty engaged, what you would do now, what you would do if it continued |
Types and structures are ours; the guide’s terms and examples are from the Bar Council’s Fair Recruitment Guide, Section 3.
On STAR, the guide tells interviewers that the “majority of the allocated time” should go on the actions the candidate took, and to ask about the result and “any reflection”. Its advice on competency questions is that past performance is a good predictor of future performance, which is why the guide recommends asking what you did rather than what you would do.
What a panel looks for: the example criteria
The guide’s Template 1 lists example selection criteria for pupils and starter tenants that “can be used as a starting point”: chambers can use or adapt them when setting their own criteria. Our summary, with what an interview answer can show for each:
| Example criterion (Bar Council template) | What an interview answer can show (ours) |
|---|---|
| Intellectual ability | Accurate knowledge, stated briefly. The template’s indicators include formally assessed qualifications; awards, scholarships and prizes; and writing, legal analysis and commentary |
| Analytical thinking | Separating relevant from irrelevant facts; not overstating what you know |
| Effective communication | A structured answer, pitched to the listener, with the point first |
| Influencing/advocacy skills | A logical case for a view, the objections foreseen and answered |
| Resilience | Staying calm when a panel member pushes back on your answer |
| Interpersonal skills | Examples of working well with clients, colleagues or people unlike you |
| Drive and determination | Getting round an obstacle; meeting a deadline you were given |
| Motivation | A considered choice, with a realistic view of the job’s downsides |
| Ability to work independently | Using your own judgement, and knowing when to seek guidance |
Criteria from the Fair Recruitment Guide, Section 4, Template 1, read 14 November 2026. The second column is ours.
- 15 full answer reports
- Point-by-point feedback on each answer
- 30 interview questions with model answers
- 5 ethics scenarios on the BSB Handbook
Motivation questions
Our suggestion: if you answered “why the Bar” or “why this chambers” in your application, use those answers as the starting point for preparing these questions, and be ready to be asked about anything you wrote. Our application questions guide has weak and strong written answers to both, so they are not repeated here.
| Practice question (ours) | What it tests (our view) |
|---|---|
| Why the Bar, and why now? | A considered career choice; why this year and not later |
| What have you seen of the job that you did not like, and why are you still applying? | Whether you know the less attractive side of the work (the Bar Council’s example criteria mention both the positive and negative realities of the role) |
| Why this area of practice, and what do you think a junior in it does day to day? | An accurate picture of junior work, not only the headline cases |
| Which one experience is your best evidence that you can do this job? | Choosing your strongest evidence and explaining it briefly |
| Tell us about a hearing you watched. What would you have done differently? | Observation, judgement, and being fair to the advocate you watched |
| How would you cope with the irregular hours and income of early practice? | A realistic view of self-employment and resilience |
| What will you do if you are not offered pupillage this year? | Resilience and a plan, without sounding half-committed |
Competency questions
These ask for a real example. Our suggestion: prepare six to eight examples from study, work, volunteering or anything else, and know which criteria each one can show. The guide says candidates give examples “from any area of their life”.
| Practice question (ours) | What it tests (our view) |
|---|---|
| Tell us about a time you had to give someone news they did not want to hear. | Resilience; communication; care for the listener |
| Describe a time you disagreed with someone more senior. What did you do? | Judgement; courage; respect for the other person |
| Tell us about a piece of work you were proud of. What made it good? | Your standard of work and how you judge it |
| Describe a time a plan of yours went wrong. What did you change? | Honesty about the mistake; what you learned from it |
| Tell us about a time you had to finish something with no one to guide you. | Working independently; knowing when to ask |
| Give an example of arguing for a position you did not personally hold. | Influencing/advocacy skills: building a case “regardless of own personal perspective”, as the Bar Council’s example criteria put it |
| Tell us about a time someone was angry with you. How did you handle it? | Staying calm under pressure; handling conflict |
Worked question 1: a competency answer
A model answer in the STAR shape, with labels added for this page. Our delivery suggestion: leave out the labels when speaking.
Worked question · Competency question
“Tell us about a time you had to get on top of a large amount of unfamiliar material in a short time.”
Model answer · 238 words · labels added for this page
Situation. In my final year I volunteered at my university’s law clinic. Two days before an employment tribunal hearing, the student preparing the file fell ill, and the supervising solicitor asked me to take it over. I had never worked on an unfair dismissal claim, and the file was about four hundred pages of emails, payslips and policies.
Task. She needed a chronology and a one-page note of the issues by nine the next morning.
Action. I did not start at page one. I read the claim form and the employer’s response first, so I knew what was in dispute, and wrote down the three questions the hearing had to answer. Then I went through the file only for documents that bore on those questions, logging each in a dated table with its page number. Where two documents gave different dates for the same meeting, I flagged the conflict instead of choosing one. At seven that evening I told the solicitor I would not get through the minor documents in time and asked which she needed first. She chose the issues note.
Result and reflection. I sent her both by half past eight. She used the chronology at the hearing, and one of the date conflicts I had flagged became a point she put to a witness. What I took from it: read for the issues before the detail, and tell the person relying on you early, not late, when you cannot do everything.
Written for this page; the candidate, the clinic and the case are invented. The question is ours, not quoted from any chambers. Our practice suggestion: aim to deliver an answer like this in about two minutes, adjusting for your own pace, and say it in your own words rather than learning it.
| Part | What the answer does (our assessment) | Evidence for (our mapping to the Bar Council’s example criteria) |
|---|---|---|
| Situation and task | Three sentences of context, then the deadline. The panel learns quickly what was at stake. | Sets up the evidence; earns little on its own |
| Action | The largest section of the answer. Says what “I” did, in order, and why: issues first, a dated table, a flagged conflict, an early warning to the solicitor. | Analytical thinking; ability to work independently; effective communication |
| Result | A concrete outcome the candidate can stand behind, without overclaiming credit for the hearing. | Drive and determination |
| Reflection | One lesson that would carry over to pupillage. | Shows the experience changed how the candidate works |
FreeTests: Why the Bar · why this chambers · competency · written argument
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Paste an answer you are writing for a chambers or other AETO, with its word limit. See our score, how your words are spent, how many of our criteria it meets, and the change we suggest first.
1 free answer check · no sign-in▶ Start nowThis one is free · no sign-in neededLegal and current issue questions
Our suggestion: where a question asks for your view, take a clear position, state any law or facts accurately and briefly, and answer the strongest objection. Where it asks you to explain something, aim for accuracy and plain language. In either case, practise the follow-up questions and the arguments on the other side.
| Practice question (ours) | What it tests (our view) |
|---|---|
| Which legal development of the last year has interested you most, and why? | Reading beyond your course; explaining a point clearly |
| Should judges in England and Wales be elected? | A clear position, reasons, and the best answer to the other side |
| Should more court hearings be broadcast? | Weighing open justice against fairness to those taking part |
| If you had to cut the cost of the courts without reducing access to justice, where would you start? | Prioritising under constraints; knowledge of how the system works |
| Should barristers be allowed to publish their win rates? | Thinking through consequences for clients and the court |
| Explain a recent Supreme Court decision to someone with no legal training. | Plain explanation of a complex point |
| What is the strongest argument against a view you gave in your application? | Being able to argue the other side of your own case |
Worked question 2: a legal issue answer
A model answer to our generic version of an example in the Bar Council’s guide, “What piece of XYZ legislation would you change, and why?”, which the guide lists against “Advocacy, Knowledge of XYZ legislation, Communication”. The law it states is from section 50 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 and section 1 of the Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Act 2019 (read 14 November 2026).
Worked question · A legal or current issue
“If you could change one law, what would it be and why?”
Model answer · 222 words · labels added for this page
Position. I would raise the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales from ten to twelve.
The law now. Section 50 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 says it is conclusively presumed that no child under ten can be guilty of an offence, so a child of ten can be. In Scotland, an Act of 2019, in force since 17 December 2021, provides that a child under twelve cannot commit an offence.
Reasons. My first reason is that, for children of ten and eleven, I think the more useful questions are why the behaviour happened and what will stop it happening again, and those are better asked outside a criminal trial. My second is consistency within the United Kingdom: two eleven-year-olds who do the same thing can face different consequences depending on which side of the border it happens.
The other side. The strongest objection is serious harm. People need to know that a grave act by an eleven-year-old will be dealt with. My answer is that raising the age should not mean doing nothing: I would want any change to come with a clear route for serious cases outside the criminal courts, and I would want to look at how the Scottish change has worked in practice before settling the detail.
Conclusion. So: twelve, with a clear non-criminal route for serious cases, informed by the Scottish experience.
Written for this page; the candidate and the view are invented: it is not our view or legal advice; it illustrates reasoned argument and accurate legal explanation. The question is ours, not quoted from any chambers. Our practice suggestion: aim to deliver an answer like this in about two minutes, adjusting for your own pace, and say it in your own words rather than learning it.
| Part | What the answer does (our assessment) | Evidence for (our mapping to the Bar Council’s example criteria) |
|---|---|---|
| Position | Answers the question in the first sentence. | Effective communication |
| The law now | States the current law accurately and briefly, with its source. A panel may test anything you assert, so keep to what you know. | Knowledge; accuracy |
| Reasons | Two reasons, each in one or two sentences, framed as the candidate’s view (“I think”). | Influencing/advocacy |
| The other side | Takes the strongest objection, not a weak one, and concedes what is still unknown. | Analytical thinking; balance |
| Conclusion | Restates the position with its condition, so the panel can follow up on the detail. | Structure |
Ethics questions
For our ethics practice, we use situations that ask what you would do. Our suggestion: name the problem, say which professional duty it engages, say what you would do now, and say what you would do if the problem continued. The duties come from the ten Core Duties in the BSB Handbook. If you are also preparing for the Bar course ethics assessment, see our separate Professional Ethics mock test.
| Core Duty | The duty (BSB Handbook version 5.0) |
|---|---|
| CD1 | You must observe your duty to the court in the administration of justice |
| CD2 | You must act in the best interests of each client |
| CD3 | You must act with honesty, and with integrity |
| CD4 | You must maintain your independence |
| CD5 | You must not behave in a way which is likely to diminish the trust and confidence which the public places in you or in the profession |
| CD6 | You must keep the affairs of each client confidential |
| CD7 | You must provide a competent standard of work and service to each client |
| CD8 | You must not discriminate unlawfully against any person |
| CD9 | You must be open and co-operative with your regulators |
| CD10 | You must take reasonable steps to manage your practice, or carry out your role within your practice, competently and in such a way as to achieve compliance with your legal and regulatory obligations |
From the BSB Handbook version 5.0, Part 2, read 14 November 2026. The Handbook says CD1 overrides any other Core Duty if, and to the extent that, the two are inconsistent.
| Practice question (ours) | Duties to think about (our view) |
|---|---|
| In conference, your client tells you that a document they have disclosed is not genuine. What do you do? | Duty to the court; honesty; when you cannot continue to act |
| Your opponent, who is acting in person, has misunderstood a procedural rule in a way that helps your client. | Duty to the court; fairness to a litigant in person |
| A friend asks for informal advice about a claim against a company another member of your chambers acts for. | Confidentiality; independence; acting without proper instructions |
| After a hearing, you realise you gave the court an incorrect figure. | Not misleading the court; correcting the error |
| Partway through a trial, you realise you know one of the witnesses. | Independence; conflicts; telling the right people |
No model answers here: an ethics answer depends on the facts and the specific rules. Our suggestion: practise these against the Handbook itself or with marked feedback.
- 15 full answer reports
- Point-by-point feedback on each answer
- 30 interview questions with model answers
- 5 ethics scenarios on the BSB Handbook
Advocacy exercises and other work samples
The Bar Council’s guide recommends that chambers add a work sample to the interview, so that the most important criteria are measured more than once. Its template observation forms cover “a presentation/presenting a legal argument/advocacy exercise”, “a role play exercise” and “a group discussion exercise”. The Bar Council’s own 2026 interview webinar covered tips to “answer the interview questions and do advocacy exercises” (event page). The invitation should tell you about any exercise; whether one is set, and in what form, is up to each AETO.
Practise against the clock
Our suggestion: after each answer, check it against the structure for its type in the table above, and ask yourself what follow-up question a panel would put next. For marked practice, the Pupillage Application Pack has 30 original interview questions in four sets (motivation, competency, a current legal issue, ethics) and 5 ethics scenarios on the BSB Handbook version 5.0: you type what you would say, each answer is marked point by point against our own practice criteria, and then you see a model answer. The free check in the boxes on this page is for a written application answer.
Questions the Bar Council’s guide tells panels to avoid
The Bar Council’s guide tells panels to avoid questions based on assumptions, stereotypes and concerns related to gender, ethnicity, disability, religion, sexual orientation, age and socio-economic background, and to ensure that all questions are criterion or competency-related and so “can and should be reasonably asked of all candidates”. Its examples include:
| Questions the guide tells panels to avoid | Why (the guide) |
|---|---|
| Asking women about plans for marriage or children, or what their partner does; asking about childcare arrangements | Likely to be offensive or patronising, risk biased decisions, and could lead to claims of unlawful discrimination |
| Asking Black or ethnic minority candidates where they (or their parents) are from, or about their plans to stay in the UK | As above |
| Asking an older candidate about their age; asking about religious observance; asking disabled candidates about their health and hospital appointments, or about coping with the pressures of the role if other candidates are not asked the same | As above. The guide says the Equality Act 2010 prohibits health-related questions before an offer is made, except to make reasonable adjustments, for equality monitoring, or to establish whether you can carry out a function intrinsic to the work |
| Questions about home life or economic background | As above |
From the Fair Recruitment Guide, Section 3, read 14 November 2026. If you are asked one of these, our suggestion: you can ask, politely, how it relates to the role, and BSB rule rC110 requires barristers to take reasonable steps to ensure their chambers or BSB entity has at least one Equality and Diversity Officer; our suggestion: you could raise a concern with the AETO afterwards, for example with that officer.
After the interview
Initial offers are made on Friday 7 May 2027 at 9:30am, all at the same time, through the Gateway, by phone or by email, and you have until 9:30am on Friday 14 May 2027 to accept an initial offer. If an offer is declined, the AETO may make second-round offers. The Bar Council’s guide says two strengths and two developmental areas (if applicable) should be enough for giving feedback to each candidate; our suggestion: if you are not offered pupillage, ask the AETO for feedback. For context, the Bar Council’s Pupillage Gateway report 2024/25 records 3,912 candidates and 287 offers through the Gateway in that round, a share of 7.3%. For work experience before you apply, see our mini-pupillage application guide.
What we could not find
| Question | What we found (14 November 2026) |
|---|---|
| Any chambers’ actual interview questions | None in the official sources we read; the questions on this page are ours |
| How long interviews last, or how many rounds there are | The official sources we read set no universal length or number of rounds. The Bar Council guide considers about 45 minutes suitable and describes short shortlisting interviews. Our suggestion: check your invitation, and ask the AETO if the length or number of rounds is unclear |
| A pass mark, or a scoring scheme chambers must use | None in the sources we read. The guide publishes an example 1 to 4 rating scale in a template chambers can adapt |
| Whether interviews are in person or online | Up to each AETO; the guide covers both. The Gateway booking page can show the interview location |
FreeTests: Why the Bar · why this chambers · competency · written argument
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1 free answer check · no sign-in▶ Start nowThis one is free · no sign-in neededFrequently asked questions
What questions are asked at a pupillage interview?
Each chambers or other AETO sets its own, and none of the official sources we read publishes them. The Bar Council’s Fair Recruitment Guide describes three kinds: competency questions about what you have done, situational questions about what you would do (including ethics), and biographical questions about your education, experience and motivation. This page groups practice questions as motivation, competency, a legal or current issue, and ethics.
How do I prepare for a pupillage interview?
Our suggestion: re-read your application, since the panel may probe it; prepare six to eight real examples you can use for competency questions; read about current legal developments and practise taking a position on them; learn the ten Core Duties for ethics questions; and practise aloud against the clock, ideally with someone who asks follow-up questions.
How long is a pupillage interview?
It depends on the AETO. The Bar Council’s Fair Recruitment Guide considers about 45 minutes a suitable length for an interview, and describes shortlisting interviews, used as the final stage of shortlisting or as a first interview, as usually very short.
Who sits on a pupillage interview panel?
The BSB Handbook requires barristers to take reasonable steps to ensure that, save in exceptional circumstances, every member of their chambers’ selection panels is trained in fair recruitment. The Bar Council’s guide advises a panel of three. Through the Gateway you may see the panel members’ names, depending on the AETO.
What is the STAR method for pupillage interviews?
Situation, Task, Action, Result. The Bar Council’s guide describes it as a model for interviewers probing competency answers, with most of the time spent on the actions the candidate took, then the result and any reflection. Our suggestion: keep the situation short and say what you did, not what “we” did.
Are there advocacy exercises at pupillage interviews?
It depends on the AETO; the official sources we read do not say how many set one. The Bar Council’s guide recommends adding a work sample, and its template forms cover an advocacy or legal argument exercise, a role play and a group discussion. The invitation should say what you will be asked to do.
What ethics questions come up at pupillage interviews?
The Bar Council’s guide includes an illustrative ethics question about knowing one of the parties a client mentions; it does not list any AETO’s questions. Our practice examples cover situations in which a professional duty is engaged, such as a client admitting something, a mistake you made in court, or a conflict of interest. Our suggestion: answer by naming the duty, using the BSB Handbook’s Core Duties, and saying what you would do now and if the problem continued.
When are pupillage interviews in 2027?
Applications close at 11:59pm on 28 January 2027. AETOs recruiting outside the Gateway can begin shortlisting and interviews from 29 January 2027, and those using it from 1 February 2027 at the latest. Initial offers are made on 7 May 2027 at 9:30am. The timetable gives no end date for interviews.
Can a pupillage panel ask about my health or background?
The Bar Council’s guide advises panels to avoid questions based on assumptions, stereotypes or concerns about gender, ethnicity, disability, religion, sexual orientation, age and socio-economic background, and gives examples involving family plans, where you or your parents are from, age, religion and health. It says the Equality Act 2010 prohibits health-related questions before an offer, except for reasonable adjustments, equality monitoring, or a function intrinsic to the work.
What should I wear to a pupillage interview?
The Bar Council’s guide says the information sent to candidates should include the expected dress code. Our suggestion: check your invitation, and ask the AETO if it does not say.
Sources
- official — Pupillage Gateway: For applicants, including the 2026/27 timetable (read 14 Nov 2026)
- official — Pupillage Gateway: Applicant user guide, 11 December 2025, on the How to use page (read 13 Nov 2026)
- official — Bar Council: Fair Recruitment Guide, Section 3 (shortlisting, interviewing and selection) and Section 4 templates, on the Ethics & Practice Hub; last reviewed 22 June 2021 (read 14 Nov 2026)
- official — Bar Standards Board: BSB Handbook version 5.0, Part 2 Code of Conduct, Core Duties and rule rC110 (read 14 Nov 2026)
- official — Bar Council: Pupillage interview techniques: Q&A 2026, event page and recording, 24 February 2026 (read 14 Nov 2026)
- official — Bar Council: Pupillage Gateway report 2024/25, published 31 October 2025 (read 13 Nov 2026)
- official — legislation.gov.uk: Children and Young Persons Act 1933, section 50 (read 14 Nov 2026)
- official — legislation.gov.uk: Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Act 2019, section 1 (read 14 Nov 2026)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
