Pupils: Most positive about the experience
The proportion of pupil barristers who would “definitely recommend” the Bar as a career has fallen by 10 percentage points in a year to less than a third, Bar Council research has found.
There was also a “significant increase”, from 26% to 34%, in the proportion of pupils stating that a lack of work-life balance was the reason why a career at the Bar was seen to be “potentially not viable”.
The results of the Pupil Survey 2025 showed that nine out of 10 pupil barristers were positive about their experience of pupillage, a rise of 4% from last year’s survey.
However, only 32% said they would “definitely recommend” the Bar as a career, down from 42% last year. A further 45% would “possibly recommend” it, compared to 52% in 2024.
Asked whether a career at the Bar was ‘viable’ for them going forward, the proportion who said yes was little changed from last year at 62%.
A third of pupil barristers (34%) cited work-life balance as why it might not be, the most frequently cited obstacle.
Pupils also mentioned as threats to their wellbeing excessive last-minute workloads, poor scheduling and a lack of work-life boundaries.
Meanwhile, health concerns and caring responsibilities “were made harder by inflexible working conditions and unclear sick leave policies”.
Some 26% cited ‘insufficient remuneration’ as an obstacle, a big rise from the 14% who mentioned it last year.
The median pupillage award in this year’s survey was £30,000 to £39,999, the same as last year, and the median anticipated debt level unchanged at £50,000 to £59,999. The median working hours for pupils remained at 41-50 hours per week.
Some 170 of all 609 pupils at the Bar responded to the survey.
The proportion of pupil barristers saying they had personally experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination was little changed at 17%, a shade lower than last year.
However, the proportion of male barristers saying they had personal experience of it or had observed it rose sharply from only 3% to 28% – the same proportion as for female barristers.
Gender remained the most common focus of bullying, harassment or discrimination, followed by race.
The proportion of pupils stating that the harassment they experienced was sexual more than doubled, from only 7% last year to 18%.
In six out of 10 cases, the bullying, harassment or discrimination came from other barristers. Almost one in five pupils said it came from their pupil supervisor, and a similar proportion from their head of chambers or practice manager.
Meanwhile, the Bar Standards Board ethics exam was “widely criticised for its unfairness, being stressful, and for its inconsistent administration”.
Almost nine out of 10 pupils (88%) described their stress levels were ‘moderate’ or ‘high’, up from 82% last year.
Barbara Mills KC, chair of the Bar Council, said it was encouraged by the “consistently positive experiences” reported by the majority of pupils.
“However, some of the findings demonstrate areas where we need to do more work alongside chambers, employers, inns and specialist Bar associations to ensure all pupils have the support they need.”
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