Third six pupil Rebecca Vanstone on her longer than expected journey to tenancy

When I decided to start applying for a third six it was a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. Although I am constantly told how common it is for pupils to complete a third (or fourth, fifth, even sixth) six these days, especially in Crime, there isn't a great deal of information out there as to how to get one – although the third six section of the Bar Council website is an increasingly useful resource.

Third sixes are still something of a mystery – they're not regulated by the Bar Council and don't need to be registered. You are simply required to let your Inn of Court and the Bar Council know of your move so they can update your contact details. I assume the thought process behind this is that, as a third six pupil, you have your practising certificate and therefore have completed all the necessary requirements to enable you to 'fly solo'. All well and good, except that the lack of regulation leaves third-sixers open to exploitation. I've heard stories of third sixes being offered purely so that chambers have someone to cover the Saturday courts and any overflow of Magistrates' Court cases during the week, which generally turn out to be few and far between. As third sixes are neither funded (neither by an award nor by way of guaranteed earnings), nor offered with a view to tenancy, chambers have nothing to lose by offering them. Thankfully I'm not in this position; I'm completing a third six at a set where there's a lot of work at the very junior end, I'm in court every day and I frequently cover cases in the Crown Court for senior colleagues.

My experience is that completing a third six is exactly the same as completing a second six – you're still assigned to a pupil supervisor who you carry out work for – except you are probably more comfortable on your feet and may be trusted with more difficult cases as you're deemed to have more experience than the second sixers.

I didn't apply for tenancy at the set where I completed my twelve-month pupillage and so took a gamble by leaving. I often wonder what my next step will be if I'm not offered tenancy at my current set at the end of my third six (although really it's a 'third-twelve' as tenancy applications can only be made annually, in April). I've met numerous barristers who were taken on as tenants after moving three or four times which, although encouraging, means the road to tenancy could turn out to be much longer than I'd hoped.

Rebecca Vanstone is a third six pupil at 3 Temple Gardens