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Internship Awards

Although any project meeting these criteria will be considered, preference will generally be given to projects with an international element and/or which involve an element of unpaid or low paid work for the community. In making these awards, the Committee will take into account (in addition to the usual criteria relating to merit, resources and need) the likely value to the profession and/or the public good of the candidate’s proposed use of the award. A total of £29,250 is available for such awards.

 

Eligibility

Any member of the Inn may apply for the Inn’s Internship Awards. 

Any member of the Inn may apply for the Inn’s Internship Awards. The Sir Joseph Priestley Scholarships can only be awarded to barristers of less than 3 years’ call. Candidates who expect to be called imminently may nevertheless apply prior to call, but may not take up their award until they have been called. (So, for example, students expecting to be called to the Bar in July may apply in May for an award to be taken up for a project to be carried out during the summer vacation between call and starting pupillage.) Preference for all such awards will normally be given to those who have not previously received and taken up such an award. Internship Awards and Sir Joseph Priestley Scholarships are given only for identified projects. If the project is not carried out within 12 months of the award, the award will lapse, and any money received must be returned. Permission will not usually be given to defer the taking up of an Internship Award or a Sir Joseph Priestley Scholarship.

 

Application procedure

Applications for 2026 will be open from 1pm on Monday 30 March 2026 until 11:59pm on Monday 18 May 2026. 

In order to apply for a scholarship you will be required to submit an online application form, which will be linked below, when the application window is open.

The application form is broken down into 7 sections – contact information; proposal for internship; educational details; legal and non-legal work experience; financial circumstances; references and equality monitoring.

In the “Proposal for Internship” section you will be asked to provide full details of youir intended project, how it meets the criteria for an award, the likely cost, any additional or alternative sources of funding, and the amount sought from the Inner Temple.

References

Applicants are required to arrange for two references to be included in support of an application, which can be either academic or professional references.  All referees should have known the applicant for at least 6 months, and references should be as detailed as possible. Please note that family members cannot provide references.

After the application form has been submitted, applicants will be required to provide the names and contact details for their referees. An automatic email will then be sent to the referees, asking them to upload their reference directly to us.

The reference deadline is 11:59pm on Sunday 17 May 2026.

 

Interview Process

In the last round of Internship Award applications, the Inner Temple interviewed every applicant. It is the Inn’s intention, numbers permitting, to continue to offer interviews to all candidates that apply for an Internship Award.

In 2026, interviews for the Internship awards will be held on the evening of Wednesday 3 June 2026, online via Zoom. 

Interviews are conducted by a panel of members of the Inn, and last approximately 20 minutes. All panel members will have been sent your application form prior to the interviews. The questions asked will be based on information from your application form and the placement you have proposed.

After the interviews, results are usually distributed within 2 weeks, via email.

For more information contact the Scholarships and Students Manager

Scholarships

Phone

020 7797 8211

Email

scholarships@innertemple.org.uk