Exam invigilator

[Autienotnautie]

Anyone done this? I work part time Thursdays and weekends, so thinking of doing this as extra. Is it between 9-3 ? I can't stand for long periods, can invigilators sit ?

Invigilators can’t sit and need to be aware of the whole room all the time. I have friends who’ve done it and they say that there are times when there are exams back to back and you can be in the hall for several hours.

I imagine most exams begin at nine, but afternoon ones might go on past three, depending on the start time.

Yes, in my experience you can sit and the hours are within school hours

I organise exam invigilators and you definitely can sit - there are often small rooms with 1:1 supervision or small groups. If you explain what you are able to do or not do the chief invigilator will be able to organise your shifts accordingly. It's a great thing ti do - enjoy it!

There's a huge shortage as the pay is rubbish and there's no guaranteed hours. There's also quite a lot of training and a lot of responsibility / rules considering the very low wage. I'm not 100% sure on the official rules and if you're allowed to sit down, perhaps for a brief rest. But for the most part you would be expected to patrol the room and supervise the students.

The most recent exams (mocks) I’ve been told about, the invigilators were not allowed to sit and I certainly wasn’t some years ago.

Interesting maybe it's school dependant.

You’d need to be there before 9am in some cases to help set up. You don’t start when the exam starts. We never let EI sit, they were expected to be moving around, taking students to the bathroom etc.

Invigillators sitting in the exam hall depends on each school. I have worked in a couple that prefer you to stand so you can see everything that is going on better. The one I am currently in allows invigilators to take turns in terms of some sitting and some standing.

Alternatively, you could ask to be placed with the kids who do their exams in classrooms. There will only be a few kids in each room and these will be the ones who need assistance such as someone to read and/or scribe or need to be put in a classroom due to stress/anxiety/need to read aloud etc.

With invigillating just one or two students, you can sit down the whole time.

Sorry, just to add, depending on how many invigilators they have, you may not be doing the job on a full term basis. You'll probably do some full days but there may be some days where you only do morning or afternoon.

I have applied for an exam job (and been accepted) and said in my application that I have a back problem and cannot stand for long periods. So hopefully we can sit. But I have also specifically applied for the supervision of the students who have exam access arrangements etc.

I haven't done it for a few years but in the school I worked in some invigilators did sit (one had minor mobility issues). Often two sitting at the front sorting registers or other exam admin and others standing around the room. We would swap positions. There are sometimes students who need their own room or to work on computers - in these scenarios as long as the invigilator has eyes on they can sit. There is a whole document about correct practice for invigilation which you would be trained on and expected to know inside out to ensure the integrity of the exams across the country in all centers.

Thank you everyone this is all really helpful

@SettlingForANewPassword good luck hope you enjoy it

Thanks! I am really looking forward to it. Hope all works out for you.

Yes you can sit in certain exams. I've done it myself. However, I'd make it clear in your application that you cannot stand and walk for long periods.

The exams I sat down in were the smaller groups where children had readers/extra time and I would sit at the top of the room and ensure there was no extra help offered by the readers.

Can I ask what do you do if a child is sick or has a mobile phone? It's difficult as I know what I would do irl but what is the ideal exam invigilator scenario please.

@Hopebridge there will be a senior invigilator you can turn to for advice.

The main thing is not to cause any commotion that might upset the quiet exam space.

Sick person - take them from room and note the time they are way and why.