You will be paid a fee on receipt of your annual report, and reasonable expenses incurred in the course of carrying out your duties as an external examiner for Brookes will be reimbursed.
Fees
The Academic Policy & Quality Office will arrange for payment of your fees on receipt of your annual report (for details about submission of reports, see section 8) - you do not need to make a separate claim for your fee. Fees are processed in the pay run for the month following submission of the report, and the funds deposited in bank accounts on the last day of the month. The APQO will make arrangements to pay your fee using the bank account details you provided at the time you accepted your appointment as external examiner (or at the time of the most recent update request). Please notify us as soon as possible if these details change.
Calculation of fees
Fees are calculated on the basis of the size (in student numbers) of the programme examined, using a multiplier of £10 per full-time equivalent, rounded up to a minimum of £250, or down to a maximum of £800, as appropriate. An additional flat fee of £50 is added to this payment for attendance at the relevant examination committee meeting. If you examine on any of the University’s overseas collaborative programmes and are required to travel to a partner organisation, you may also be paid an additional fee to compensate you for the time away.
Tax
Tax will not automatically be deducted from fee payments, unless specifically requested, and it is therefore the individual’s responsibility to meet their tax liabilities. If you would like income tax to be deducted before payment of your fee, please inform the APQO on acceptance of your appointment so that we can ensure this is set up correctly on our Payroll system.
VAT
The University will not pay VAT in excess of the total annual fee. If fees are to be paid to a company or organisation you should inform the APQO on acceptance of your appointment so that the relevant details are available to our Finance service when the account is initiated.
Expenses
The University will reimburse expenses incurred in the course of carrying out your duties as external examiner for Brookes, in accordance with the rates specified in the allowances section below. The University reserves the right to amend this policy at any time, at the discretion of the Senior Management Team.
Expenses claims will only be reimbursed on production of receipts giving details of the expenses incurred. In most cases, credit card slips do not contain this information and are therefore not acceptable. With the exception of car mileage claims, specific receipts for all goods or services being claimed for must be supplied. All claims must be submitted to the Academic Policy & Quality Office, on the External Examiner Expenses Claim Form (which you can download at /asa/apqo/external-examining/) by post or email, as appropriate:
By post:
Simon Waine
Office Administrator (ref. EE payments)
Academic Policy & Quality Office
Oxford Brookes University
BCK1.10 Buckley Building
Headington Campus
Oxford
OX3 0BP
By email:
externals@brookes.ac.uk
All expenses claims are subject to the University's normal audit procedures, in accordance with its financial regulations. You are required to provide some personal data on expenses claim forms in order that the University can process your claim – Oxford Brookes processes all personal data in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
Expenses allowances
1. Travel
Where possible, external examiners are asked to use public transport, in line with the University’s commitment to sustainable travel
1.1 Rail fares will be reimbursed, at standard class rate, on production of proof of purchase. First class or ‘open’ fares will not normally be reimbursed by the University. For details of how to reach the University by rail, see: /travel/train-travel/
1.2 Bus/coach fares will be reimbursed on production of proof of purchase. Oxford is well served with buses, including the Brookes Bus and the Park & Ride services, and London/airport coaches run from directly outside the Headington campuses. For details, see: /travel/bus-and-coach/
1.3 Car mileage will be reimbursed at the rate of 40p per mile (up to 10,000 miles per tax year). Motorcycle mileage is reimbursed at the rate of 24p per mile. Car parking fees paid during the course of external examiner duties will be reimbursed subject to the production of proof of expenditure. For details of Park & Ride facilities in the Oxford area see: http://parkandride.oxfordbus.co.uk/ Unless agreed in advance, the University will not reimburse external examiners for the cost of a hire vehicle.
1.4 Taxis may be used where public transport is not available, or there are specific circumstances requiring taxi travel - receipts should be obtained for all journeys.
1.5 Flights - domestic air journeys should only be made where it can be shown that this mode of travel will result in either direct or indirect cost savings (e.g. hotel charges), where there is no other practicable method of travel, or where other special circumstances apply (e.g. industrial action affecting other forms of transport). This must be approved in advance of the expenses being incurred. International air travel costs will not normally be reimbursed, except where external examiners are being asked to fly out to visit partner organisations overseas.
2. Accommodation
2.1 The cost of overnight hotel accommodation will be reimbursed on production of receipts, up to a maximum of £100 per night. Your Programme Lead or Programme Administrator may be able to advise on suitable local accommodation but are not permitted to make bookings on behalf of external examiners. Please note that the University is unable to reimburse any telephone, newspaper or gratuity costs incurred during overnight stays.
3. Subsistence
3.1 Expenditure on meals will be reimbursed on production of VAT receipts. Please note that the University is unable to reimburse external examiners for the cost of alcoholic drinks.
3.2 Where an external examiner wishes to claim for a meal but is unable to provide a receipt, reimbursement is subject to a limit.
4. Postage
4.1 Where an external examiner has incurred postage charges, e.g. for returning scripts, these will be reimbursed on production of receipts.
5. Requests to exceed maximum rates
5.1 The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances when the maximum rates stated above may have to be exceeded. This must be authorised by the Head of the Academic Policy & Quality Office, if possible, in advance of the expenses being incurred. In order for reimbursement to be considered, externals are asked to attach a covering letter to the claim form explaining the reasons for the additional expenditure.