Bar examination
Since the UK has a separated legal profession, Law graduates in England and Wales can take examinations to qualify as a Barrister or a Solicitor by either undertaking the BPTC or the LPC respectively. These courses are the vocational part of the training required under the Bar Association and The Law Society rules and are either undertaken on a full-time basis for one year or on a part-time basis over two years. After successfully completing these courses, which generally include various examinations and practical ability tests, graduates must secure either a Training Contract (for those who have completed the LPC) or a Pupillage (for those who have completed the BPTC). These are akin to Articling positions in other jurisdictions and are the final Practical stage before being granted full admission to practice. The general timescale therefore to become fully qualified after entering Law School can range between 6–7 years (assuming no repeats are required).
Pupil master
A pupil master ('pupilmaster' or 'pupil-master') or in the case of a female barrister, 'pupil mistress' etc., is the former name given to an experienced barrister who a pupil shadows during their pupillage. The term pupil master or mistress has now been replaced by the term 'pupil supervisor'. Barristers are called to the Bar via one of the four Inns of Court upon successful completion of the BPTC and having undertaken a required number of "qualifying sessions" in their chosen Inn of Court. In most cases, the newly called barrister is then required to undertake training for a period of at least a year before the barrister can start their own private practice. This training period is known as pupillage, usually split into two periods of six months known as "sixes". The first "six" is a non-practising six, during which the pupil will shadow their pupil master; the second is usually a practising "six", when the pupil, with their pupil master's permission, can undertake the supply of legal services and exercise rights of audience in court. Occasionally, a pupil barrister may undertake a third "six", extending the training period a further six months. At the end of pupillage, to continue practising the law, a barrister may attempt to become a tenant in a set of barristers' chambers, or find a position as an employed barrister.