Law conversion course - Northern Ireland to England

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice on law conversion courses in Northern Ireland.
I currently work in business services at a law firm and want to qualify as a solicitor. I’m planning to fund the conversion myself rather than wait for firm sponsorship, as that route is uncertain and would likely delay things. Even if I don’t get a TC after I do the course, I want to move to London or Manchester, just to get the course out of the way
I’m weighing up two options:
Option 1 – Queen’s University Belfast (MLaw)
• Two-year law conversion course
• Total cost around £17,000
• Currently under review and not running again until December 2026
• You can’t apply for it at the moment
Option 2 – Ulster University (PG Dip Law)
• One-year law conversion course
• Costs around £4,500–£5,000
• Covers all core legal modules
• I spoke to the course director and he confirmed it works as a qualifying law degree for England & Wales if I want to sit the SQE later
• It’s the first year the course is being run
I’m also aware I could do the PGDL with providers like University of Law or BPP, but that would be around £12,000, (for online learning) and require relocating to back England. I’d strongly prefer in-person teaching and I can live at home and commute into Belfast daily, which makes things much more affordable.
One thing adding to my hesitation: I spoke to a friend who is a solicitor in a corporate Belfast firm with offices in England. He said that if I wanted to stay and practise in Belfast long-term, Queen’s is still viewed more favourably than Ulster, even though that is slowly changing.
However, I don’t plan to stay in Belfast permanent. My goal is to move to England after qualifying.
For context, I also already have a First Class Honours degree from a Russell Group (Sheffield, York, Leeds, Newcastle tier uni) in a social science subject. Additionally, not that it’s relevant for a conversion course, but I do have ABC at A level
So my question is:
For a law conversion course, does the university really matter to employers, or is it essentially just a box-ticking qualification given I already have an undergraduate from a Russell Group? Would any of the firms in London/Manchester care? I mean I’m not looking to qualify at S&M or Kirkland & Ellis, more like Womble, DLA, Shoosmiths or Reed Smith.
I’m trying to work out whether it’s worth paying £17k and waiting a year for Queen’s, or whether Ulster is the more sensible and pragmatic choice given my situation and long-term plans.
Any advice from people in the legal profession or who’ve done conversion courses would be really appreciated.