Subject Specialist External Examiner

The Bar Standards Board is responsible for setting the education and training requirements for becoming a barrister. We are recruiting a Subject Lead External Examiner to ensure that the common assessment criteria for the vocational component of Bar training specified in our Curriculum and Assessment Strategy are met. Barristers play a vital role in the administration of justice. They must demonstrate a high standard of professional practice to justify the trust placed in them by the public and other professionals.

We are recruiting the following role commencing in October 2026, to join our current team of Subject Specialist External Examiners:

  •  1 Subject Specialist External Examiner in Legal Research and Opinion Writing

Subject Specialist External Examiners act on behalf of the Bar Standards Board (“BSB”) in monitoring the consistency of standards of assessments set by the organisations that we authorise to provide the vocational component of Bar training (Authorised Education and Training Organisations or “AETOs”) in their specialist subject area. These are:

  1. Advocacy
  2. Professional Ethics
  3. Opinion Writing and Legal Research
  4. Drafting
  5. Conference Skills

Subject Specialist External Examiners must be competent in the relevant subject area and be familiar with quality assurance practices established in UK Higher Education. They must demonstrate integrity, impartiality, and independence.

You can view the current list of AETOs. External Examiners review assessments in their subject areas across a range of AETO locations but will not be required to visit them to do so.

An indication of fees for the role and subject area is shown in the Candidate Brief. The successful candidate will enter into a consultancy agreement for services with the BSB and will not be employed by the BSB. Reasonable expenses can be claimed in line with the BSB’s expenses policy.

Application Process

Applications should be made to [email protected] including:

  • A full CV detailing your qualifications, employment, skills, and experience;
  • A covering letter (of no more than three pages) stating why the position you are applying for interests you and how you meet the selection criteria detailed in this candidate brief.

If you wish to seek a reasonable adjustment to the recruitment process for any reason, please tell us when making your application.

Please note that we will retain your application information for a period of one year after receipt.

We aim to recruit talented candidates and value diversity in background, skills, and experience. We are committed to providing equality of opportunity for all applicants.

Timetable:

Closing date for applications: 11 September 2026

Interviews: w/c 21 and w/c 28 September 2026

Induction training: Week commencing 5 October 2026

Start date: on completion of induction training (by 12 October 2026)