E-Mentoring
The Bar E-Mentoring Scheme is designed for Year 12, 13 and first-year undergraduate students to gain practical guidance and advice about a career as a barrister. The Scheme is intended to support students from non-traditional backgrounds, who are interested in pursuing a career at the Bar. You must have attended or be attending a state school in England or Wales. You can apply here.
All mentoring communications are via an online platform, which can be accessed here. This gives participating barristers and students flexibility and convenience, whilst ensuring it is through a safe platform. All applications are processed online. Applications to the scheme are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year, but each mentor-mentee relationship will run for six months.
Once matched, verification of the username and password will be sent to the mentor and mentee via email.
The online portal and communications are monitored by the Bar Council's Bar Mentoring Service to comply with safeguarding standards, to ensure the protection of student participants.
The e-Mentoring scheme has several features, which are:
- Messages - This is the main feature of the website, where barrister mentors and their student mentees can communicate with one another in a convenient and safe environment;
- Documents Platform - This will host a library of information to inform the mentor and mentee for the duration of the mentoring relationship. The library will include guidance on what the scheme entails, how to navigate the site, and CV building templates;
- Forums - A safe space categorised by your status as a user i.e. mentor or mentee, where users can openly discuss and share their views on key issues affecting the legal profession, and academic or institutional changes;
- News - A noticeboard for the Bar Mentoring Service to share profession-wide careers outreach initaitives, current affairs/ commercial awareness topics, and events worth noting e.g. Law Fairs;
- Review - Periodic feedback forms for mentors and mentees to share their views on areas of improvement, and the successes and challenges of the mentoring relationship.
If you are a Year 12, 13 or a first-year Undergraduate student, and would like to be mentored, please complete an application form online after registering for an account.
We ask mentors and mentees to provide as much detail as possible in their application forms to ensure that we can match barrister mentors with their student mentees based on practice area and/or life experience. The biography will appear on the user's profile page, which will act as the user's homepage.
Eligibility
To apply for the scheme, you must fulfil the following criteria:
- A genuine interest in pursuing a legal career;
- 5 A*- C grades or above at GCSE or 300+ UCAS points (i.e. BBB);
- Attended or currently attend a state school;
- Received or currently receive some form of government financial and/ or other support e.g. free school meals.
For further details about the scheme, please feel free to contact the Bar Mentoring Service directly via email on Mentoring@BarCouncil.org.uk.
For prospective mentors
The Bar E-Mentoring Scheme is delivered in line with the Bar Council's Safeguarding Policy.
If you are interested in becoming a mentor for students, please complete an application form online at www.barmentoring.org.uk.