Tips for applying for examiner vacancies

[wiltingflower]

NQT science teacher and want to apply to be an examiner for cpd. I've found one exam board who take on teachers with a year's teaching experience (this isn't the same board I teach) and will ask my head of department and headteacher to be my references after half term. I'm worried about what my referees might think because covid 19 related business will be top of their list and I'd possibly be adding onto their list of to do's. I think I just want reassurances over applying now, what you think of marking, whether it's too soon to apply, any thoughts or top tips at all!

I'll be honest, if be surprised if they take you. I've been marking for 9 years with 2 boards and every year I try to get colleagues in but it can take a few years for you to actually start marking once you've been accepted, and in general they want you to be teaching what you are marking. I was accepted in my third year (applied in my second year), began marking in my fifth year. Our HoD would also be worried about your workload come marking time as it would be your first time on a full timetable with GCSEs; I'm science and tend to mark 2 papers for GCSE and will mark for at least 6 hours a day on a school day, getting up early before work (so starting at 5am), work and then once home another 4 hours. I do this for 6 weeks, you get 3 weeks per paper to mark and interim deadlines roughly every 5 days. My A level marking then comes after that.

Not trying to be negative, it is the best thing I've ever done for CPD but experience is definately needed to be able to balance workload, let alone the actual marking process.

Good luck, but talk to your HoD first about it. If you do get it organisation and planning is key. Not being disturbed once you are in the zone. Not stopping once you start a question to prevent you being seeded too much. Be prepared to be working 16 hours a day on a school day, and for the long answer questions in science, be ready for 1 question taking you at least a full weekend day.

Forgot to mentuon, in your application they will want your experience of marking and assessment, and as we stopped on the 20th March you will have very limited mock experience. If you have any, redder to any training you had for this, if you worked along any experienced examiners (I train our NQTs and moderate all of our mocks) and what you gained from that.

Being a marker is excellent CPD and helped me to improve my teaching.

Pay is okay but your hourly rate will depend upon how quickly you mark and your marking will be checked. Depending upon how good you are then you may be able to do the following years as well.

If I was you I would wait until next year. You may get lucky with the exam board you actually teach the specs for.

I got marking in year 2 and have been offered work every year since for A level. It is wonderful CPD and your HOD should be supportive, but I don’t get why you are doing this now when there is no marking this year. I would say November for next Summer, exam boards are struggling to manage their existing stuff at the moment as their is no work at the moment.

I also wouldn't apply for a board you don't teach. It is much better for practice as a teacher (and market) to mark the board you teach.

I would put in a back burner for now. I am an examiner too. Wait until September. Most recruitment is November for summer 2021, allows for current covid issues to be dealt with too. It is the best CPD you can do for your students.

heads might not be supportive if you were marking a different paper to one in school because they may question how it would benefit the students. Also the exams and mark schemes are very nuanced- I wouldn't recommend it). However it is also worth contacting the exam board you do teach. Also if I understand correctly (that you are just finishinf your nqt year) by the time you are marking you would have had nearly three years experience - (ITT, NQT, NQT+1)

I started it in my NQT +2 or similar- that was 12ish years ago and changed paper a few times and had a few years off. Also got up at 5 am. I set really strict daily target and a planned a few days off at weekends. Around 20 papers per day. I have three weeks to mark 300 papers. The marking start usually a week after the exam with Standardisation. Marking is mainly online with 'seeds' that check your accuracy. In your first year you can do a smaller quote (200).