Choosing a Bar Training Course: A Practical Guide for Final-Year Undergraduates

I know from the analytics on this website that many of you are final-year undergraduates.

As we enter March, the pressure builds.

What next?

Should I complete the Bar Training Course?

Where should I go?

What should I be looking at?

There is surprisingly little clear, consolidated information about the Bar Course structure. It is also difficult to interpret online reviews, which often reflect unusually positive or unusually negative experiences.

Yet this is a significant professional and financial decision. Providers adopt materially different structures. They offer different funding routes. They impose different assessment timetables. Depending on your temperament and circumstances, one model may suit you far more than another.

In this article, I break down:

• What the Bar Course actually involves
• How different providers structure it
• The reality of attached Masters programmes
• Funding considerations
• Administrative expectations
• A neutral overview of the main providers

A Brief Note on Perspective

This information is compiled from publicly available material, combined with anecdotal insight from practitioners and recent graduates. For transparency, I studied at BPP. My understanding of other providers is based on publicly available information and conversations with peers. I have aimed to keep this as objective as possible, but carry out your own research before making any conclusions.

What Does the Bar Course Actually Look Like?

Unlike university, the Bar Course is significantly less academic in the traditional sense and far more focused on applied professional skills.

The core areas are:

• Civil Litigation
• Criminal Litigation
• Advocacy
• Opinion Writing
• Drafting
• Professional Ethics

The civil and criminal litigation examinations are centrally set by the Bar Standards Board and sat nationally across providers.

The course is dense. Face-to-face teaching hours are comparatively limited relative to undergraduate study. There is a strong expectation of independent preparation. Falling behind can make it difficult to keep pace with both current material and revision for centralised assessments.

Many describe the course as deconstructing your previous assumptions about advocacy and rebuilding them in a structured, provider-specific format. Interestingly, similar things are said about pupillage - which raises the question: how essential is the Bar Course? It is worth remembering that formal vocational training for barristers is relatively modern. The Bar Vocational Course was introduced in 1989, later becoming the BPTC and now the Bar Training Course under the current regulatory framework. Today, completion of an approved Bar Course is mandatory.

Structural Differences Between Providers

The most meaningful differences between providers relate to sequencing and integration.

BPP University Law School

BPP adopts a bifurcated structure.

Term 1 typically focuses on civil procedure and civil advocacy.
Term 2 focuses on criminal procedure and criminal advocacy.
Opinion writing is often placed in the second term.
Ethics runs throughout.

The advantage of this approach is integration within each subject block. For example, you might study interim injunctions and then perform an advocacy exercise relating to them shortly afterwards. This reinforcement can help consolidate learning.

The potential downside is intensity within each procedural block. You are immersed in one area at a time.

Inns of Court College of Advocacy

ICCA adopts a two-part model.

Part 1 covers knowledge subjects, primarily litigation and ethics, and is delivered largely online.
Part 2 focuses on skills, including advocacy, drafting, and opinion writing, delivered in person.

The benefit is a clear division between knowledge and performance. Students complete the centralised examinations before progressing fully into skills training.

The online component in Part 1 may suit independent learners but may feel isolating for those who prefer in-person teaching. As with all providers, the centralised exams are identical nationwide.

One notable feature of the ICCA structure is its flexibility. Students may take a break of up to three years between completing Part 1 and progressing to Part 2. This can be attractive for candidates who wish to keep other career options open or who want to attempt pupillage applications before committing fully to the skills component of the course. Part 1 is also comparatively inexpensive relative to full Bar Course fees, which allows some students to spread the financial commitment over a longer period.

The City Law School

City runs an integrated structure in which civil and criminal elements are taught alongside advocacy throughout the year.

This approach can feel intense, as students juggle multiple substantive areas simultaneously. Some find this produces a steady rhythm; others find the cumulative workload demanding.

City is London-based, which has implications for cost of living but also proximity to the Inns and professional events.

The University of Law

The University of Law operates across multiple campuses and adopts an integrated structure broadly similar in overall shape to City’s model.

Civil and criminal litigation are typically taught in parallel across the year. Advocacy, drafting, and opinion writing are embedded throughout. Ethics runs concurrently.

The advantage is continuity. The challenge is organisational discipline, as multiple subjects progress simultaneously.

To Masters, or Not to Masters?

Most providers offer the option to attach an LLM to the Bar Training Course.

It is important to understand what this entails. The LLM is typically completed through an additional research project or dissertation component alongside or immediately following the Bar Course. It is not usually structured like a traditional standalone Masters degree with a year of seminars and sustained academic supervision.

The question is therefore practical rather than purely academic.

From a CV perspective, views differ within the profession. Some practitioners regard the attached LLM as a funding mechanism rather than a substantive academic distinction. Others see it as neutral. It is unlikely to be decisive in pupillage applications compared to advocacy ability, experience, and references.

The key practical consideration is funding.

Funding Implications

You cannot access postgraduate student finance for the Bar Course alone in England and Wales.

However, when the Bar Course is combined with an LLM, students may be eligible for Postgraduate Master’s Loan funding through Student Finance England, subject to eligibility criteria.

The Postgraduate Master’s Loan is a contribution toward fees and living costs and does not necessarily cover the full course fee. You must check the precise figures and eligibility rules for the relevant academic year.

You should also consider:

• Inn of Court scholarships
• Provider scholarships
• Private savings or family support
• Commercial lending

The funding structure may materially influence whether the LLM option is attractive.

VISA Implications

There is also a practical consideration for international students. In many cases, attaching the LLM enables eligibility for a student visa and potentially a post-study work visa. For non-UK students intending to remain in the UK after the course, this can be a decisive factor in choosing the combined Bar Course and LLM structure.

Administrative Expectations

It would be incomplete not to address administration.

Speaking from my own experience, and from conversations with peers across multiple providers, Bar Course administration can at times feel pressured and fast-moving. This is not unique to any single institution. These are large professional training programmes with strict regulatory requirements, national assessment timetables, and hundreds of students progressing through centralised examinations at the same time.

That combination inevitably creates complexity.

Common student frustrations tend to include:

• Timetable changes at relatively short notice
• Heavy reliance on online portals for communication
• Assessment scheduling pressures
• Delays in responses during peak examination periods

It is important to keep perspective. The centralised litigation exams are nationally set and synchronised across providers, which limits flexibility. Skills assessments must also be scheduled around regulatory constraints. Administrative teams are operating within a tightly controlled framework. And, of course, administrative chaos is something that you will need to get used to in a life in Court!

However, given the financial investment involved, it is reasonable to expect clarity and organisation. My practical advice is simple: approach the course as if you are already in professional practice. Keep your own calendar. Save confirmation emails. Download key documents. Do not rely on last-minute reminders.

Students who are proactive and organised tend to experience far less stress than those who assume the system will hold their hand.

The Bar Course requires resilience academically. It also requires resilience administratively. Developing both is part of the professional transition from student to practitioner.

Conclusion

The Bar Training Course is not simply a continuation of university. It is a professional training programme designed to prepare you for pupillage and practice.

When choosing a provider, focus on:

• Learning style compatibility
• Structural preference
• Financial reality
• Geographic considerations
• Personal discipline and organisation

There is no universally “best” provider. The centralised examinations are identical nationwide. Your success will depend far more on your work ethic, preparation, and ability to absorb structured feedback than on brand alone.

Choose the structure that best aligns with how you learn and how you manage pressure.

If you approach the course seriously, remain organised, and seek feedback early, it can be an extremely formative year.

I hope this article has helped you somewhat, and I wish you the best of luck in choosing your Bar Course Provider!

Wtih thanks to Matt Shouler for his helpful contributions to this article. 

Jared Higgins

Founder, PupillagePulse