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Bad mini experience

Just had a 2 day mini.

Day One, parked in conference room, given case papers to read, one barrister who was dealing with one of the cases talked to me for 45 minutes at the end of the day.
Day two, upgraded to empty office. More cases to read. Another barrister similarly involved talked to me for an hour at 4pm.
Apart from one clerk, ignored by everyone, including Wednesday's barrister on Thursday (even though by his admission he was in charge of minis).

Cost c. £130 for two days rail tickets at peak times.

What do people think? Feel rather cheesed off.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 1

999tigger

Notch it down to experience. They are there to do a job and make money. You are much further down the list of priorities.
You get to have it on your CV. It can ve very hit and miss. You will just have to hunt other ones out.

Reply 2

Hann95

It's still worth putting down on your CV as experience. I'm sure you can come up with something you've learned during your time.

Did you try initiating conversation with anyone yourself or asking questions or anything? I did a mini day event last year that was absolutely fantastic and to be honest, I was gutted it was only a day. The advice I was given on that though was never to be afraid to talk to people. Barristers are busy people so I was told not to be offended if it seems like they've forgotten about you because if you sit silently in a corner, odds are they have. One of the barristers I chatted with said one of the best things you can do is offer to make everyone a cup of tea.

Reply 3

Crazy Jamie

Careers Forum Helper

There is a bright side here. To my mind this should not have happened to you on a mini pupillage. Certainly every mini pupil that I have had has come with me to court even if there was a paperwork element before or after, and indeed every mini pupillage that I did when I was a student involved extensive time in court as well. When most people, and by that I mean barristers and students alike, are told that you have completed a 'mini pupillage', they envisage a scenario where you have spent most of your time watching barristers in court.

However, what you have here is a different, and in fact this mini pupillage has given you a level of practical experience of paperwork that the vast majority of mini pupils will not have. Was it interesting for you at the time? I'm quite sure it wasn't. But when in future you're asked about what you did or learned on your mini pupillages, you will be able to point to the court experience that most people will be able to mention, but you'll also be able to talk about an experience of paperwork that most others will not be able to talk about. And that is a positive, because it's given you a broader range of experience, even if it was dull and frustrating experience.

Is it going to get you pupillage interviews? No. Is it going to make the difference between you getting pupillage and not? No. But you can turn it into a positive experience going forwards, both in your own mind now and for when you are asked about it in future.

Bad mini experience

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