‘Onwards and upwards’
A TikToking bar student has drawn praise on social media for her “raw” account of the challenges aspiring barristers face in securing pupillage.
On 9 May, dubbed pupillage offer day, aspiring barristers were informed whether they had been successful in securing a coveted training spot within chambers. After documenting her experience in the highly competitive process, aspiring barrister Heather shared the disappointing news that she had been unsuccessful in a video that has since gone viral with over 120,000 views.
In the post, Heather notes that this year she gained an impressive 12 first round interviews, which are awarded to the best candidates after a paper sift. She was successful in converting three into second round interviews — typically the final stage before decisions are made.
Unfortunately, not all second round candidates gain a pupillage offer. As Heather notes, “My thought process was always: it only takes one. Just one to believe in you. So, when they don’t believe in you, you’re like – should I believe in myself?” Realistic but gutted, she adds, “you probably were fantastic, but that somebody, maybe, was just that bit better. But when is that going to be me?”
Heather, who goes by Heather Mary Joan on TikTok, is currently concluding her bar course exams with the University of Law in Manchester, after completing the LLB.
Her frustration is palpable, especially when she lists her impressive experiences. From securing competitive mini-pupillages, winning numerous scholarships, and holding a first class degree — it is easy to justify Heather’s disappointment and goes to show how competitive the process is.
As she says, “what else can I do?… I’ve really put myself out there.”
For context, the Bar Council states there were 671 pupillages advertised and 3,408 applicants on the gateway in 2023/24. Like Heather, successful candidates generally hold a first class degree and had completed mini-pupillages.
“When you’ve worked so hard and you feel like you really deserved it… it’s then just very disheartening, and you think maybe you’re not good enough”, Heather says in the frank video, which she describes as “raw”.
@heathermaryjoan91 This is as raw as it gets #pupillageinterviews #pupillage #deadlineday #studentbarrister ♬ original sound – HeatherMaryJoan
On interviews, she says: “You come out of some interviews feeling elated, like ‘wow, I’ve smashed that’ — and then you don’t get through. And then you come out of others and you think, ‘wow that was terrible’ — and you get through… So I think that will be my one big takeaway: you just do not know how you got on, ever.”
“I’m trying to pull out the positives,” Heather adds in a hopeful note, “next year is going to be better because I know exactly what’s coming – first round, second round. Ugh, but I just wanted it so bad. And I know there will be so many people out there who feel the exact same as me. And, you know, I feel you.”
As she says, “I told you from the very start that I was going to do warts and all. So here are the warts.” But Heather quickly finds the silver lining to share with fans: “I can now just enjoy my wedding planning. A year I can spend some time with my little boy.” Adding, “onwards and upwards… To the next [pupillage] gateway — January 2026 — here we come!”
Reaching out to candidates feeling the same disappointment, Heather ends by saying:
“I wanted to show you all every aspect of this, because it’s not easy. And I think for people who want to come into this career and think: it’s so easy, oh yeah, I’ll do this, I’ll do that, and get pupillage – it’s not the case. This is the reality. And I hope that this has shed some light on the process and I hope it has given somebody else a bit of comfort, that they’re not the only person going through this. There’s quite a few of us over here that are distraught today!”
