The Bar Council is consulting on shifting Pupillage Gateway recruitment to the January to April period to give applicant a chance to find out the outcome of their applications before they splash out on a Bar Professional Training Course. The Gateway, the method through which chambers advertise pupillages and recruit pupils, currently runs from the end of April, which is the closing date for pupillage applications, to August when acceptance of offers takes place. The new timetable would also avoid clashes between exams and pupillage interviews.