Exam Invigilating

As a retired teacher I have an idea of what is involved. It’s very seasonal work. I’m sure you would be welcomed warmly in any school. You do need to stand for periods of time but otherwise it’s not strenuous work and some might find it repetitive. It’s a good occasional source of income for a retired person although I’ve no idea what the rate of pay is.

I’ve only ever done it when teaching EFL with the British Council abroad. I was invigilating one of my own classes in their exam when I couldn’t help seeing one of them very blatantly looking across the aisle at someone else’s answers.

The chap was a sort of minor VIP, in that he was an official at one of the local embassies, so I was a bit unsure of how to handle it - apart from saying his name fairly sharply - which he ignored - until a much more senior and experienced teacher came in. Of course I told him - he said, ‘I’ll sort him out’, - went and stood equally blatantly in the aisle between the desks!

🤞 you’d have no such issues here, faringdon59!

I did it for the SQA for many years, and also for the local council for the prelims in January. It was very enjoyable, and I felt that I was contributing something by helping to keep the exams running smoothly for the candidates, and making sure that those who needed a separate room or a reader/scribe were catered for. You need to be able to concentrate on getting the papers properly collected and packed up as well as ensuring that nobody is using a mobile phone (prohibited in the exam hall anyway) or looking at someone else's paper. We were able to sit in the hall and didn't walk up and down too much as it would have been distracting.

The pay was welcome, and a bit more when I ended up as Depute Chief Invigilator. Chief would have been a step too far for me, and anyway I stopped when DH was unwell.

Go for it, and enjoy it!

I did it for a few years locally. It was minimum pay. I was frequently in charge which was stressful when we were invigilating 90+. If a teenager needed the loo they had to be escorted so there was usually a steady stream. Sometimes I would be standing/walking for 3 hours. I was younger and fitter.

A lot depended on the subject eg German and there may only have been 20 sitting. Whereas the arts and there could easily be 120.

It was stressful at the end making sure that each teenager had written the basics such as their name.

I much preferred it when I did 1:1 invigilating and I could read my book.

Over the years I only saw blatant cheating once. I got a colleague to witness it and we each had to write a statement.

I did it for some years when I worked in the Uni. They got existing staff to do it rather than hire outside invigilators. Its not difficult - just a rather boring 2/3 hours. Occasionally someone wanted to go to the loo (and you had to accompany them) or wanted spare paper etc.

We often had part of a room sectioned off where some students were allowed extra time. When the main batch finished they all wanted to exchange notes with their pals. So the challenge was to hustle the noisy chatty people out quickly so as not to disturb those writing.

There were always two of us. I used to just sit at the back and pace around the room at intervals. I never caught anyone cheating.

I have just been given my dates for the prelims. It is a good way to get out and about and also a chance to meet new people' There is the opportunity if you are unable to stand (or walk) for periods of time that you "can do one to one" invigilating.
i have always found the students (I can't really call the children any more) to be very polite and well behaved.
The rate of pay is £12 per hour (Scotlnd) and you always get paid a minimum of 3 hours per session.

I thought about it and I know the local schools would have bitten my hand off. However the rate of pay just wasn't enough for the time it would have taken out of my busy week. I haven't discounted it for the future though.

I used to do it for small classes and I could usually read or do my writing .
I have never caught anyone cheating , but I did tell an early finisher off for being disruptive .
One of my friends has done it for years .
She says that it's a bit boring and not that well paid , but that she's more than happy to earn some extra money .

I did some invigilation in local schools and colleges when Cambridge were trialling their university entrance exam and I have to say I have never been so bored in all my life. The tests were usually only one hour or one and a half hours long so I would have found three hours plus ( some candidates have extra time) ones extremely tedious. Then there is the hassle of the DBS (or whatever it is called now) check. I don’t know whether everyone has to have it but we did. What with photocopying the test paper in different colours for some dyslexic candidates, making sure the anxious ones were near the back, phones were left at the front, smart watches were taken off and water bottles had their labels removed not forgetting pens etc were in a see- through pencil case, it all seemed a bit like policing. I am now too weary to be on my feet all the time so I wouldn’t do it again but I must say I was extremely surprised to see the pay was only£12 an hour approx. We were paid considerably more than that in pre Covid times so it may pay to shop around.

My eldest daughter does it as it fits in with her 3 girls. He husband goes away a lot so she can't commit to a regular job.
She likes the pocket money she earns.

I have invigilated for 7 ish years. I mostly enjoy it but pupil behaviour can sometimes be a problem. This is making me wonder whether to continue. Pay is not fantastic but you can choose your hours/days so suits some people.

I did it for several years in High schools. It was extra money but no idea what pay rates are now.

My worst experience was when a large bird flew in the gym windows where exams were held and you might guess there was a girl with a phobia of birds!

I have done it on a 1 to 1 basis. The student had special needs autism or something similar I think, and it was done in his home. In that situation there had to be two invigilators. We covered two exams on different days.

The first maths GCSE paper the student didn't have a calculator which is allowed. The exam started on time while his mother took off to buy a calculator. Arrived back an hour later empty handed. Ten minutes later the student said he was finished. Still nearly an hour left. I suggested he check his work. No, he went to his room.

The second exam GCSE English on a different day, he locked himself in his room. We had coffee with his mother and chatted for the two hours.

Coolgran65 you have given me an idea! I used to do one to one tuition in the home and it was always hard getting invigilators to come in from the school.

Maybe I could offer my services for these circumstances? I may make a few phone calls today- it would suit me to do this and benefir the kids and the schools. Win win maybe?

I'm 70 .. still work part time as a TA in a senior school. Invigilators set up the exams ..sometimes in a smaller room for students who have exam access arrangements. I get called in to be another person in the room sometimes. It's boring as you can't read or do anything for couple of hours. I did sometimes quite like the peace tho!

I have done this for the last 10 years. Pay is typically minimum wage but the hours are flexible. There is a lot of training to complete re rules and regulations and safeguarding, but if you like schools, young people, and can absorb and apply the many rules and regulations it's an agreeable part time, seasonal job. Overall, you are there to protect the wellbeing of the candidates, the integrity of the exam and to prevent administrative errors.

I invigilated for several years. It is not just a matter of walking up and down between the desks. It can be hard work with groups as small as 15 to hundreds of students in one hall. Dealing with hysteria attempted cheating, ear plugs playing music, the list goes on. Not highly paid or appreciated. Many schools are using agency staff now which must be more costly.

My daughter does this. It fits in well round operating her two holidays lets and her family. The school uses outside invigilators for internal exams, not just GCSE and A level, so there is work available quite a few months of the year. It varies from being in sole charge of a pupil with special arrangements to part of a team in a big hall. She seems to enjoy it and is well-regarded.

Yes I have been invigilating since I retired at 58, 10 years ago. It fits well around my various activities, and flexible enough to allow me to have some choice about specific days/times when I am unable or do not wish to work. Obviously I try to keep the GCSE and mock periods available for work. The examination officer works closely with the invigilators and gives advance notice of timetables, training sessions and meetings and it is up to the invigilating team to advise their availability as soon as possible to allow him/her to issue a rota for all the team. It is a lovely way to make new friends and gives structure to my life. The money comes in useful to add to our holiday kitty.

That's a nice job as is election supervision and making up the voter register.

I did it for a couple of years, usually twice a year for Mocks and the main exams. It was harder than I'd thought as you have to stand throughout to make sure you can keep an eye on all the students, plus walking up and down aisles for the same reason. There was always a Lead Invigilator who took charge of 'posting' us around the room, usually one at each side i.e. 4 minimum, plus the Lead. Also the Lead Invigilator was usually responsible, with one helper, for sorting the question papers (often there would be different tiers for one exam or a couple of different subjects being tested simultaneously, which can mean different timings. Again sorting that was largely their responsibility. That all sounds more onerous than it actually is. In practice it all works well (at least 90% of the time). You'll have to do some training, which in my case was a morning, mostly online with an opportunity to ask questions.

I actually found the time went quite quickly, as you need to be alert constantly. It helped that I was in a school where I was previously a TA, so was familiar with my surroundings.

Good luck - I loved it, particularly the camaraderie and support from the other invigilators. You're never on your own, even if you are in one of the 'other' rooms - that's the extra rooms sometimes used for students who have allocated extra time/use of laptops etc.

I’ve done it, and unlike many of you, I did not like it at all. Simply too boring!

Been there , done that, bored to death. Up at 6 to get to the school and find a parking space, did my rota, paid tax on my earnings, worked out at £5 per hour after taking in petrol costs. No more thank you

IMO it is one of the most boring jobs on earth or tasks that can be wished upon teachers.

You sit or stand for hours, can neither read, knit or sew, and become quite desperate for some-one to need to be chaperoned to the nearest toilet.