What is the BPTC?

The Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) is a one year course that introduces participants to the first part of vocational training. The purpose of the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) is to equip you with the relevant skills to begin a Pupillage.

During the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) you will hone your skills in a variety of areas – there are of course the obvious areas you would expect such as advocacy and case preparation, but you will also deal with conferencing, negotiations, and legal research.

As part of the course you will also have to join one of the four Inns of Court prior to the 31^st of May of the year they beginning the course. It is possible to join an Inn at an early stage to get involved with their social events and even use their facilities.

During the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) year you are required to attend twelve sessions at your Inn in order to be called to the Bar. The dates of these sessions can be found in the Diary.

Who is Eligible for the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)?

By the time you embark on the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) formerly known as the Bar Vocational Course (BVC) you will need to hold a law degree or have a non-law degree and successfully completed the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) otherwise known as the law conversion course.

You will also need to have a minimum of a 2.2 law degree. We do not want to discourage anybody from pursuing a career as a Barrister but please remember a 2.2 is a minimum and it could be a very expensive year long course if you are unable to secure pupillage.

How is the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) graded?

There are three levels of grading on the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) Outstanding, Very Competent and Competent and these will be awarded based on your performance in the twelve assessments.

Outstanding

A Candidate must pass all assessments on the first attempt achieving outstanding in at least half of the twelve assessments. It is a difficult feat to achieve such high grades throughout the course and will need sustained commitment.

Very Competent

A Candidate may only fail one assessment on the first attempt achieving outstanding or very competent in at least eight of the assessments. In order achieve this, and you will need at least a Very Competent to outdo the competition, you will need to work hard all year and make sure you don’t flunk more than one assessment.

Competent

A Candidate must pass all assessments and this may include re-sits. This is really something you want to avoid and if you treat the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) in the same way as you did your undergraduate degree there is no doubt this is what you will achieve.

How much will the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) it cost?

The Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) formerly, the Bar Vocational Course (BVC) will set you back between £8,000-15,000. This does not include living costs. Funding your BVC is definitely something you will need to think about.

Where can I do the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)?

The Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) is offered by several providers, the largest two providers are BPP and the College of Law. We profile all of the providers and all of our profiles have been written by people who have actually been on that course, as we feel these are the only people who really know what it is like.

How do I apply for the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)?

There is a new website to apply for the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) which will be accepting application from Monday 2^nd November 2009  www.barprofessionaltraining.org.uk .