Exam invigilator job

[Hopebridge]

Hi, does anyone else do this for a job? I have health issues which has meant I have had a break in employment. I was looking at working in education part time and this may be a first step. I have done some volunteer work when my health allows.

Has anyone done this as a job and any tips? I'm a bit nervous to apply having had such a long break (years) I have had lots of hospital stays and illness but finally turned a corner with good treatment and although would struggle full time feel I can cope with part time.

Thank you.

That was my worry. I did a professional job before and feel a bit rusty now. I will apply and see what happens. I guess if I'm not what they are looking for then they will just say no :) I volunteer at the local school but it's only a couple of hours a week. I don't want to be a teaching assistant as a vocation but this sounds a great opportunity. Thank you for the feedback :)

I did it for quite a few years and it was fine. Will not earn you loads of money but a good step back into the work place. I also did all year group exams so did have work in November and January as well as the summer exam season. It can be very boring but not at all difficult and you get training.

You get a pension as well!

It did say suited to NQT but unsure at £11 an hour how many will apply 🙈. Doesn't hurt to try does it :)

My fil does, he's 75. He mostly acts as a scribe or sits in the 'quiet room'.

I am an exam invigilator. Can be boring, but I invigilate students with access arrangements: word processing, prompt, rest breaks, extra time etc so quite a lot to do with printing scripts etc. I also work as a scribe and reader.
in addition to points made above, the school will definitely ask you about safeguarding and whose responsibility it is. I invigilate summer exams and mocks in Jan, March and November.

I know all schools will be different but when I did it a few years back you didn't have to have anything to do with education, I dont think anyone I worked with did and as the pay isn't great I'm not sure theyd get enough people if that was the case

Absolutely no sitting down in the main hall, you couldn't do the job if you weren't walking round

In the access arrangement rooms you could but youd still be expected to be moving round making sure you were actually monitoring what was going on

@BarcardiWithGadaffia Thanks very much. That's interesting. Yeah, I guess you need to move around and kind of observe each person in turn as well as scanning the room as a whole for anyone passing papers, acting suspicious etc.
I'm presuming someone with limited mobility could do it using one of those wheeled walkers?
I wonder what the pay is like? If it's above London living wage I'd say that might be feasible.

I’m honestly not sure they could. School are overstuffed with kids and there isn’t a lot of room between the desks.

Well if you're an invigilator you need to keep an eye out for hands going up, walk up and down the rows etc.. grabbing extra paper, pens etc, reading out questions. You won't be able to take a seat for most of the time.

You'd be hard pressed to find a job which is low stress, not talking to anyone; sat down for the whole time, and no physical work.. if there was such a thing everyone would be on to it.

@BobbyBiscuits

What about a paper / exam making type job, if there's such a thing?

I’m a teacher and I’ve done plenty of invigilation.

You have to put out the papers, check the seating, check kids are in the right seats, respond to those wanting paper, walk up and down the aisles endlessly. Write on the board.

Then you have to collect them in, check them a million times, Escort kids out row by row. The rooms are big like halls so lots of walking.

You’ll maybe sit down 20 minutes out of 2 hours if you’re lucky. There’s also the constant going back and forth between exams office and carrying the papers and straightening the desks after. It’s a really physical job.

You apply direct to the schools.

Universities need invigilators too: as well as school invigilation I’ve done one to one invigilating in universities, or acting as a reader/scribe.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow Thank you. It does sound a bit hardcore physically. I kind of had a dream of them at computer screens and me just watching them and pushing a few buttons. But yeah, I think this type of thing might not be for me right now.

@ShallWeGoToTheFirepit i know, it's a big ask and probably a pipe dream. I do want to try and get back into work but everything seems so much harder now. Thanks for your advice!

Is it NMW?

I'm an invigilator. I have no teaching experience and wasn't expected to have any. I mostly invigilate for candidates with additional needs which can range from 25% extra time to rest breaks, prompting, readers and scribes. I enjoy it but I don't think you could get enough hours to live off it.

Give it a go and apply.

I’ve done invigilating two years now - GCSEs at a small private school. You don’t have to be a teacher, you just have to do some online training beforehand. It isn’t hard work as such, but I wouldn’t say it was stress-free either - when I first started I was always paranoid I would forget to put some vital detail on the whiteboard or calculate the end time wrongly or something. Mainly I invigilate the kids who are allowed word processing, so there’s usually at least one issue in every session with a computer malfunction or printer jam or kids being completely unable to create a header or footer! And staying alert at all times without being intrusive is quite a skill in itself.

I do like it though and I actually get quite attached to my invigilees and hope they do well! I'm freelance and most of the time work at home by myself so it’s nice to have a change of scene and see people to talk to. The work is generally seasonal though, so I only do it May/June and November.

All the invigilators at the school I’m at get to sit down, but are expected to walk up and down at intervals. But then the cohort is quite small, so it’s easier to keep an overview.

To do marking work, you do have to be a teacher (somebody asked up thread).

I'm a supply teacher, and fairly often get texts about schools looking for invigilators.
I'd like to give it a go when I'm older and not in class so much.

I'd say it would be a good job for those of us who are good at "switching their brains off" for long periods of time, and don't need a lot of external stimulation to stay awake. Some exams can be quite long and for 99% of the time nothing is really happening.

No, not where I worked , the desks are a regulation distance apart and you have to move without disturbing the students, even noisy shoes are a no no, any kind of mobility aid would be unfairly distracting imo and you need to respond quicky if a student puts their hand up or anything happens

Every job legally has to pay NMW or do you mean it is only NMW?

I know someone who does this. Has been doing it for years and is now 82. I'm sure she must sit down as wouldn't be fit enough to stand for several hours. Is not a teacher but highly intelligent and capable. I don't think I could do it although much younger - would find it too difficult to stay alert enough!

You don't need to be a teacher although I was a retired teacher. IME schools advertise locally when they need people rather than use an agency.

My school used to offer dates to work and you could choose but other schools might do it differently. Obviously it is seasonal so not a steady income.

Teacher here - it’s v boring and these days wit extra time and access arrangements often quite complicated. Mostly deathly dull though and not really connected to education in any meaningful way.

@Escaperoom
she may work in a small room with one or two students. I invigilate with a lady who is late 70s/early 80s (she told me her son was 60) and she generally covers one to one exams- no standing required.