Marilyn Vitte and DanBunting – well said both of you – everyone should read that if nothing else.

I am, in many ways, a non-traditional candidate (think 6 gap years). My interest in the bar was actually provoked by the fact that when I stumbled off the boat from Australia two years ago, I fell into a job at BPP running the support side of admissions for the BPTC at BPP.

I absolutely loved the interaction with the BPTC applicants, many of whom are extremely interesting and erudite individuals (and genuinely nice!), and ultimately I was smitten by the traditions and usages of the bar, the history and the Inns of Court themselves. I’m doing an LLB part-time at BPP now (which I love, to be honest), and I suspect that my only realistic shot of obtaining pupillage is the “1st+BCL” strategy.

MY day job is as an account manager for a (different) university, I’m also the branch secretary of the support staff union at that uni so I am obtaining something resembling real advocacy and employment law experience representing/accompanying colleagues in capability and disciplinary hearings, engaging in collective redundancy consultations, etc.

Having started where I did, I’ve gone into this with my eyes open about how competitive it is and the natural instincts of the profession towards the traditional Oxbridge applicants. But I would be desperately disappointed to miss out, I don’t believe in fate but I do think that the bar is my niche in the world.

Thanks again for the podcast!