Is anyone a judge? I am thinking of applying to be

[cleanandclothed]

I don't know any judges. Would anyone be able to answer a few questions?

do you mean a magistrate ? No offence but asking on Mumsnet about a career as a judge indicated to me that you are not a barrister -which is a fundamental prerequisite to being a judge, twinned with a lot of experience and knowing the right people

Magistrates are lay people that sit in the lower courts on a bench of three.

You can be a district judge if you have been a solicitor.

No, it is the Tax Tribunal I will be applying to. I am not a solicitor but I am a Chartered Tax Adviser with enough experience, and thus it is not essential to be a solicitor/barrister, but probably will be a drawback, not least because I therefore don't qualify for the shadowing schemes.

try informal shadowing - most Tribunal judges are very approachable, and a polite letter explaining that you can't do the scheme, but would like to sit in, will probably get you some results.

and go and watch as many hearings as you can, of all different kinds, tribunals and courts, just to pick up tips and practical experience.