Average age to start pupillage?

Hello guys,
As the title suggests, I'm wanting to know what the average age people start pupillage at? I can't seem to find any specific statistics or anything like that.

The reason I ask is because I'm a little worried, I'm a mature student going into my first year of uni this September at 22. After acquiring the qualifications and possibly a BCL/LLM I will be 27 going on 28 by the time I start my pupillage (if I get one!). I know my worries are foolish and finicky, but I've always had this ambition that by the time I'm 30 I'll be settled and progressing in my career, and with only a couple years experience at the bar in my belt I will be in a vulnerable position.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 1

Crazy Jamie

Careers Forum Helper

I don't know what the average age is for starting pupillage; I suspect about 25/26 or thereabouts but that really is just a guess.

However, the average age isn't really relevant for your position, because as you rightly say your worries are foolish finicky. There are plenty of barristers out there who have secured pupillage in their 30s or 40s due to a career change, and plenty who have secured pupillage around the age that you will be applying. Your chances of securing pupillage rest on the strength of your application, both written in terms of your CV, and personal in terms of your performance at interview. Of course the reasons why you haven't gone to university until you are 22, and what you did in the years prior to going to university, may well be relevant for the purposes of your application. But your age, as a factor in and of itself, is simply not relevant.

The other point that you make is that at the age of 30, if you secure pupillage, you'll be in a vulnerable position. If things go your way you'll be a tenant by then, at which point you'll be no more vulnerable than any other junior member in the profession. If you want to be cynical about it there is always a 'vulnerability' in practising as a barrister because changes to the law and procedure can have significant impacts on your ability to work and earn a living, but that in many ways is the nature and risk of being self employed. In any event your cut off point of age 30 to be settled in your career is arbitrary and meaningless; I can almost guarantee that you will not think the same way when you're only a year or two off being 30, regardless of what you're actually doing at that point.

Reply 2

Forum User

https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/media-centre/research-and-statistics/statistics/pupillage-statistics/

Too many non-responses in the later years shown here to get a reliable idea but it seems to me that the '35 and overs' if anything slightly outweigh the 'under 25s'. It seems likely that those in the '25-34' group fall mainly at the younger end of that range. I'd guess that Crazy Jamie is about right or perhaps even one year low with his estimate.

For what it's worth, I will be 38 when I start my pupillage next October, and that isn't really something that worries me.