FAQ

The annual subscription cost is £785 plus VAT.

Subscribing to the Pupillage Gateway has never been easier. Just follow this two-step process: Step 1: Please contact the Services department on +44 (0)207 611 1321 to make payment over the phone by credit or debit card. If you wish to pay by BACS then please contact Services on +44 (0)207 611 1321 or email PupillageGateway@BarCouncil.org.uk. The total amount payable is £785+VAT (£942). Step 2: If you are new to the system this year, you will need to complete the AETO Account Information Form and return it to PupillageGateway@BarCouncil.org.uk. On receipt of payment confirmation from step 1, the Bar Council’s Services team will activate your account and login details will be issued to you by email. If you have any questions about the Pupillage Gateway works, please email: PupillageGateway@BarCouncil.org.uk, or call Services on +44 (0)207 611 1321.

Please contact the Bar Council’s Services Team on 020 7611 1321 to make payment over the phone by credit or debit card. If you wish to pay by BACS then please contact Services on 020 7611 1321 or email PupillageGateway@BarCouncil.org.uk. The total amount is £785 plus VAT. If you’re an Annual Chambers Management Package member then don’t forget to apply your discount and pay as follows (including VAT): Bronze = £847.80; Silver = £753.60; and Gold = £659.40.

Once confirmation of your payment has been received the Bar Council will activate your account. You will then be able to access the system to create new pupillage vacancies. You will be able to use your existing log-in details. Please email support@jobsgopublic.com or call the Technical Support Team on +44 (0)845 835 0558 for assistance. If you need further information please email PupillageGateway@BarCouncil.org.uk. or call the Services Team on 020 7611 1321.

The BSB Bar Qualification Manual, stipulates that all vacancies for pupillages must be advertised on the Pupillage Gateway. If you are advertising a pupillage outside of the Pupillage Gateway system then please complete the AETO Account Information Form and the Vacancy Information Form and email them to the Bar Council at PupillageGateway@BarCouncil.org.uk and we will publish your vacancy. You will then receive a confirmation email once this has been done. If you have any questions about how the Pupillage Gateway works, please email: PupillageGateway@BarCouncil.org.uk, or call Services Team on +44 (0)207 611 1321.

All vacancies must be advertised on the Pupillage Gateway. Adverts must include the name and address of chambers, the number of tenants, a brief statement of the work undertaken, the number of pupillage vacancies, the level of award, the procedure for application, the minimum educational or other qualification required, the date of closure for the receipt of applications, and the date by which decisions on tenancy will be made.

Following submission of your pupillage vacancy, you will receive an email notification when the pupillage vacancy advertisement has been published. To view what criteria the Bar Standards Board (BSB) will use when authorising pupillage vacancies please see the advertising requirements in the BSB Bar Qualification Manual.

Yes. You can access the Pupillage Gateway from Wednesday 28 November 2018 and begin preparing your application using the practice online application form. This practice form will not include the tailored questions from each AETO, but you will be able to prepare the rest of the form before the submissions window opens on Monday 7 January 2019. The practice application form will allow you to save your answers. These will then be transferred into any real application form you open on the Pupillage Gateway. Please note that you will need to save your answers on the practice form in order for this feature to work.

From the current 2018/19 application round, applicants may submit up to 20 applications through the Pupillage Gateway. The Bar Council took this decision following feedback from applicants and the Bar, and from consultation with Gateway users. Candidates are not permitted to register more than once on the Gateway.

Yes. You will be able to tailor all of the sections of the application form to each pupillage vacancy. If you applied in 2015, your application data will be pulled from your main applicant record across into the first live application you start for 2016. If you use the practice online application form to prepare your answers first, any information that is saved on that form will update your main applicant record and pull through into your first live application for 2016.

No. The Pupillage Gateway is free to all applicants.

AETOs are encouraged to update the status of applications on the Pupillage Gateway and to update each candidate at every stage of the recruitment process. You can login to your account and view the status of your applications at any time.

Pupillage starts after completing and passing the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), formerly known as the Bar Vocational Course (BVC). Under normal circumstances you will be expected to undertake your Call to the Bar by one of the Inns of Court before you begin your non-practising period.

No, not all applications must be made through the Pupillage Gateway. Although advertisements for all pupillages must appear on the Pupillage Gateway, AETOs can elect to manage applications using alternative methods.

Please refer to the Timetable page on this website.

Pupillage is governed by the rules and regulations set out in the BSB Bar Qualification Manual, which also contains good practice guidance. The underlying Bar Training rules are set out in Part 2. You may also wish to refer to The Fair Recruitment Guide which is designed to help barristers comply with the Bar Standards Board’s equality and diversity rules on recruitment and selection. Advice on Equality and Diversity matters within the Bar including recruitment is available via the following link: https://www.barcouncil.org.uk/support-for-barristers/equality-diversity-and-inclusion.html.

You must start pupillage within five years of passing the BPTC.

If you a non EEA student, we would advise you to refer to the Bar Council immigration guidance.

Yes, you can search for vacancies and apply using the Pupillage Gateway. It should be noted that AETOs are no longer automatically exempt from the requirement to advertise and to fund pupillage where the prospective pupil has been exempted from the Vocational Component (the BPTC), so whilst you can also approach chambers directly, if they decide to offer you a pupillage they must apply to the BSB for an exemption.

To register for an account visit applications.pupillagegateway.com/users/register and follow these steps:

1. Enter your email address in the field provided and press Next
2. Complete your details on the next page, ensuring you set a secure and memorable password for your account
3. Click Register to complete the registration
4. Check your email account for the activation email. Click the link in this email to activate your account, and You will now be able to log in to the Pupillage Gateway using your email address and the password you chose in step 2.

You may use your account from last year by logging in with the same email address and password – if you have forgotten your password please follow the steps in the next section to choose a new one. The information you entered into your application forms in previous years will still be stored on the system. It is advisable to use the Practice Application Form to update this before the application period begins, so the most up-to-date information is present when you begin your real pupillage applications.

Logging in can fail for two reasons; 1. You have registered for an account but not activated it by clicking the link in the activation email sent after registering. If this is the case, you will see this error message when you attempt to log in: ‘You have not yet activated your account. Please check your inbox for the activation email’. Please check your email account for the activation email, which will be generated by the system within minutes of registering. You may need to check your Spam/Junk mail folder in case the message has been filtered there by your email provider. If you have problems activating your account, or cannot find the activation email, please contact the JGP Support Team on +44 (0)20 7427 8250 or support@jobsgopublic.com 2. The password you are entering does not match the password set up for your account. If this is the case, you will see this error message on attempting to log in: ‘Sorry we couldn’t find an account with that username and password’.
Please reset your password by taking the following steps:

1. Click the link under the log-in area labelled ‘If you have forgotten your password you can reset it on this page’
2. Enter your email address in the form on the next page and click ‘Reset my password’
3. The system will send you an email with a link to choose a new password. Click this link, and
4. Enter your new password and press Change Password. You will now be able to log in to the Pupillage Gateway using your email address and new password.

Please check your email account for the activation email, which will be generated by the system within minutes of registering. You may need to check your Spam/Junk mail folder in case the message has been filtered there by your email provider. If you have problems activating your account, or cannot find the activation email, please contact the Jobsgopublic Support Team on +44 (0)20 7427 8250 or support@jobsgopublic.com

Please reset your password by taking the following steps:

1. Click the link under the login area labelled ‘If you have forgotten your password you can reset it on this page’
2. Enter your email address in the form on the next page and click ‘Reset my password’
3. The system will send you an email with a link to choose a new password. Click this link, and
4. Enter your new password and press Change Password. You will now be able to log in to the Pupillage Gateway using your email address and new password.

The Pupillage Gateway allows you to save a list of pupillage vacancies you are interested in applying for. This list can be accessed by clicking ‘Bookmarked Vacancies’ in the left-hand menu. To save a vacancy to the list, do one of the following:

1. Click the Bookmark link next to the pupillage vacancy in the search results list, or
2. Click the Bookmark link on the top-right of a pupillage vacancy listing.

Pupillage vacancies that are already in your bookmarks list will have a yellow star icon in search results and in the top-right hand corner when viewing their details.

A ‘Saved Search’ is a saved set of pupillage vacancy criteria, used for two reasons:

1. To allow you to store your preferred criteria so you do not have to fill in the search form every time you visit the Gateway, and
2. To send you email alerts when new pupillage vacancies matching your criteria are advertised on the Gateway.

To create a Saved Search, first log in to your Pupillage Gateway account, then:

1. Click on ‘Search and apply’ in the left-hand menu.
2. Enter your desired criteria in the search form and click the Search button.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the search results, to the heading Saved Searches.
4. Enter a name for your saved search and click Save.

You can run or edit your saved search by clicking on Account and scrolling to Saved Searches – click Edit next to your search to change your criteria or email alert preferences.

The Practice Application Form allows you to prepare your application information online before the application period starts. Data entered into this practice application form will be copied to the first application you make when the submissions window opens, so filling in correct data can save you time when you apply for real pupillage vacancies. Note that the online practice application form does not include the open application questions, to prepare these offline you should use the sample application form which can be downloaded as a PDF from the Practice Application Form page. PLEASE NOTE – the practice application form updates your saved data, so it is not advised to fill in test or placeholder information, as this will then appear on your real pupillage applications.

Once the application period has begun you will be able to Apply Online to any AETO currently accepting online application forms. Some organisations advertising on the Pupillage Gateway do not offer this option. These vacancies will include information on how to apply. Should you have any questions regarding this, please contact the AETO directly.

To resume a saved application please take the following steps:

1. Ensure you are logged in to the Pupillage Gateway
2. Click on Account in the left-hand menu
3. Scroll to the Current Applications list, and
4. Click Edit Application next to the application you wish to edit.

There are two ways to save the online application form:

1. Press Save & Next or Save & Back – once the next page has loaded your previous work has been saved
2. Press Save and Continue Later to save and exit the form.

Using the Save & Next or Save & Back buttons requires you to have entered information in each of the mandatory fields before the form will save. These fields are marked with a red asterisk (*). If you click these buttons and the same page reappears, it is likely that some mandatory fields have not been completed. These will be highlighted in red. To save the information you are working on, please either complete the required fields on the current page of the application form or click Save and Continue Later (this option does not require mandatory fields to be completed).

When you click the Send Application button on the final page of the application form, the system checks that all mandatory fields (marked with a red asterisk) are completed. Your form cannot be submitted without this information. If your form fails to submit when pressing Send Application, please scroll through the page – the missing fields will be highlighted. After completing these fields return to the final step to check and send your form.

Once an application has been submitted you can edit it by taking the following steps:

1. Ensure you are logged in to the Pupillage Gateway
2. Click on Account in the left-hand menu
3. Scroll to the Current Applications list
4. Click Edit Application next to the application you wish to edit.
5. Make the edit you require to the form, and
6. Visit the final step of the form and click Send Application to resubmit the form.

To print an application form that has not yet been submitted, take the following steps:

1. Ensure you are logged in to the Pupillage Gateway
2. Click on Account in the left-hand menu
3. Scroll to the Current Applications list
4. Click Continue Application next to the form you wish to print
5. Click the Declaration page heading to see the whole form on one page
6. Print this page using your browser’s print function. Different browsers will have different instructions, but this is usually achievable by pressing CTRL + P keys at the same time (Mac Users: CMD[⌘] + P).

To print an application form that has already been submitted, take the following steps:

1. Ensure you are logged in to the Pupillage Gateway
2. Click on Account in the left-hand menu
3. Scroll to the Current Applications list
4. Click View Application next to the form you wish to print
5. Print this page using your browser’s print function. Different browsers will have different instructions, but this is usually achievable by pressing CTRL + P keys at the same time (Mac Users: CMD[⌘] + P).

This issue can occur where you have started further applications before submitting your first application. This is because the forms only fill up with your data at the point of being created. New application forms always pre-populate the information from the most recent version of a page you have saved – so if the last Education page you saved was blank, any new forms created after this will have a blank Education page. To rectify this problem please take the following steps:

1. Ensure you are logged in to the Pupillage Gateway
2. Click on Account in the left-hand menu
3. Scroll to the Current Applications list
4. Click the Remove Application link next to all of your draft applications to delete them
5. Click Edit Application next to your submitted application and navigate through the pages of the form, clicking Save and Next Step, until you reach the Declaration page
6. Scroll to the bottom of the Declaration page and click Send Application to resubmit this form. This will not send a duplicate copy; chambers will only receive one form.
7. Start new applications for any other pupillage vacancies you wish to apply for by clicking Apply Online at the bottom of the pupillage vacancy listing.