Anyone work as an exam invigilator?

[Shufflebumnessie]

I resigned from my most recent job a couple of years ago and have been a SAHP since then.
I'd like to ease back in to working but an extremely horrible situation in my previous job has left me feeling very anxious and with low self esteem about my professional capabilities.
I've just seen a job advertised with a local secondary school for an exam invigilator which sounds great from the very limited information provided on the job description.
Does anyone have any experience within this field? How much of a stressful environment is it?
If anyone could share their experiences in this role I'd be extremely grateful.
Thanks in advance.

I've started doing some exam invigilating recently, having retired last summer as a primary school teacher.
There's much more to it than I realised in terms of special arrangements for certain students and all the compliance stuff but I've enjoyed it so far.
I'm lucky enough to work within a fabulous team of invigilators and our exams officer is fab.
I've enjoyed being back in an educational setting without the stress.
Give it a go!

Ive done it, its fine, can be very boring, but no more than you would expect

It is not stressful at all but it is bitty work. And id rather be pacing exam halls than scribing.

I manage a team of invigilators in a local college. There's a reasonable amount of info to learn in terms of the regulations but if you'll be based in a school I would imagine it's probably fairly stress free in terms of the types of exams you'd be invigilating.

I'd give it a go :-)

I have done it since May last year. Like you I was out of work for a few years. I wouldn't say it's stressful but can be quite boring.

My manager is very organised so everything is prepared in advance. You have to read the guidelines and make sure you are following them to the letter.

I started in the big exam halls getting to know how things work. I've now moved on to the smaller rooms dealing with children with additional needs. I find it really interesting.

My friend does it at a different school. Her manager seems very disorganised and everything is left to the last minute.

I would give it a go and see how you get on. There are about 40 of us at my school. Sometimes it's every day for weeks and them nothing for a month. My school do test the children continuously so there's usually something happening.

I did it for a while, but I'd been a teacher for years, so I was used to being in schools and in charge of kids. I wouldn't say it's stressful, but it's quite rigid - you have to do everything absolutely by the book. And it's very boring! If the exams officer and your fellow invigilators are good it's fine.

My relative does it on a casual basis. She likes it but picks and chooses areas now as sometimes didn't make that much if only did a couple of hours factoring in petrol.

It's boring but not especially stressful unless the students are difficult and pushing the rules.
When I did it I only got paid for the exam time snd setting up/clearing away so you might be hanging around waiting for the next exam to start without getting paid.
Our local independent school pays about £18 an hour.

Often seasonal work with busy weeks when gcse exams or mocks are on and then periods with nothing. Autumn term is often quietest

lot of walking involved if you are put in large exam room eg sports hall - I am in a room of 260 students and can do at least 20000 stets at work - worst was 33000!

also helps if worked with teenagers or have teenagers yourself as you know how to talk them ….

Can I ask how much does it pay please

£11 at my school. Only paid when actually in an exam. There can be large gaps in between exams where you aren't paid.

I did it however did find it quite boring. There are short periods of being time-pressured and having to obviously stick rigidly to the rules - what you read out, being supervised for toilet breaks, getting everything set up in time. However, you are then left with a couple of hours of largely just keeping an eye and some pacing. Pay bitty as well if your timetable is just a few hours when you factor in transport. I think it's good short term.

A family member does this and absolutely loves it. They do grammar so a lot of exams throughout the year rather than the standard GCSE and A Levels. They have to escort students to the toilet if needed mid exam, and they have to check the cubical beforehand and then afterwards - look in the cistern etc! (Cheating) they also check to make sure no phones, notes in pencil cases and the obvious pacing up and down the room and generally watching them. Will start the exam and end. This family member is very strict though and the students will do as they are told. You need to be confident especially when students mess about and talking and you need to control them.

I did it after being a sahp and it was so useful to then transition to part time work. Yes it is boring but fit well around dc. The pay was ok and it was very flexible.

Me too. I started last year and had no experience of working in a school. Obviously there's rules and regulations but if we're unsure on anything we ask the exams officer.
Obviously, I set out papers and collect them in, I read out the pre exam announcement which is a bit tedious but has to be done, escort students to toilet and on rest breaks which usually involves walking around the school grounds. It can be boring if you're in a room 121 with a student for a long exams, not so bad in a busier room.
It's not a bad job, pay is the living wage and I do have some months with no work then suddenly it's a couple of weeks of mocks.

I quite enjoyed it. Generally you end up playing kind of games with yourself to ameliorate the boredom, like guessing which column of desks will drop a pencil first, or 'racing' other invigilators to answer a query/get extra paper etc.
It was interesting seeing behind the scenes at a school, too.

The independent schools pay more - around £18/19 ph by me

My friend does. She absolutely loves it!

Wow! £18 per hour. The local state schools near me (South-east) pay £10-50 - 11-50 and are very tight about set up/end times.

I found it a useful transition from SAHP back into work. I did it for a short time.

I can walk to two large Secondary schools so didn't have transport costs - because the exam sessions are short it's not worth spending lots of money on transport - it won't leave you much.

It is very flexible - we could pick and choose our sessions.

I did find it very boring - especially the 3hr exams plus (with extra time) - I also played games working out percentages of students doing different subjects, counting bricks on the wall, but my threshold is low.

Thank you so much for all the replies, I really appreciate all the information and encouragement you've provided.
Can anyone let me know what sort of hours they work if invigilating at secondary schools please? Do exams only take place during school hours, or can they run past the normal school finish time?
Thanks

Depends upon the school day, but arriving at 8 is normal - it is possible that exams can go past 4pm rarely once extra time and rest breaks for a longer afternoon exam happen, plus there is all the collecting papers, handing over laptops securely and the like, but it's going to be known in advance that that particular exam will be finishing later, so you'd be able to say 'I can't do that one'.

DP used it after illness as a start back into work, got a main job with that as top up, then went fulltime as an exams officer. Has now had enough of it, so is looking outside education altogether, but invigilating was a great way back from his illness.

At my school exams start at 9am for the morning and 1pm for the afternoon. I can be full-time one week and then nothing for weeks. For mocks and the GCSE and A Levels it's usually full-time. The afternoon exams can run until 4.30pm if students get extra time. Some people at my school prefer to do only mornings or only afternoons. They are mostly retired people who do that.

It's incredibly boring and a lot of standing. But not difficult. I scribe and Invigilate (part of my job though so don't get paid) that's OK, but usually sitting around in silence if they finish early.

I did this for a short time and it wasn't for me. I was still working and therefore taxed BR on my invigilation earnings , and pay was minimum wage. I was driving and incurring costs to get there and due to the timings of exams and number of other invigilators I was only doing 3 to 5 hours on a limited number of days . I enjoyed the actual invigilation work itself but was doing it to supplement my income and it was a lots of inconvenience for very little reward .
If you are local to the school , are not a tax payer, and only want a little work at certain times of the year it would probably be fine .