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Exam Invigilator

View this career for different education levels:

Primary Secondary Post-16

Exam invigilators play a vital role in the education system by ensuring that examinations are conducted fairly and according to rules set by exam boards. Their responsibilities include preparing exam rooms, distributing papers, monitoring students during the exam, dealing with queries, and collecting completed scripts. Invigilators must be vigilant, impartial, and able to manage a quiet environment to prevent cheating and ensure students are not disturbed. Most positions are temporary and coincide with exam seasons, making it a popular job for those seeking flexible work, such as retirees, students, or those with other part-time jobs. Training is usually provided by the employing school or college.

Exam Invigilator

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📊 Statistics

Typical Salary

Exam invigilators in the UK usually earn between £10 and £13 per hour, depending on location and the type of institution.

Employment Numbers

Thousands of exam invigilators are employed across the UK every year, mainly during peak exam periods such as GCSEs and A-levels.

Working Hours

The role is generally part-time and seasonal, with hours varying from a few days to several weeks during each exam session.

🚀 Careers in this path

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School Exam Invigilator

Responsible for supervising students during school exams, ensuring that exam rules are followed and maintaining a calm environment.

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University Assessment Invigilator

Oversees university exams, checks student identification, and assists with the distribution and collection of exam papers in higher education settings.

Online Exam Proctor

Monitors candidates taking exams remotely via online platforms, ensuring that exam conditions are met and preventing cheating or misconduct.

Research the Role

Understand the Responsibilities

Learn what an exam invigilator does, including duties such as supervising exams, checking attendance, and enforcing exam rules.

Exam invigilators play a key role in making sure exams are conducted fairly. Their tasks include distributing and collecting exam papers, ensuring that candidates do not cheat, and providing assistance with exam procedures. You can find information about these responsibilities on school, college, or examination board websites.

Check Entry Requirements

Find out the typical requirements for becoming an exam invigilator, such as background checks and essential skills.

Most exam invigilator roles do not require formal qualifications, but you will need to be reliable, organised, and have good attention to detail. Employers usually require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, especially if the role is in a school or college setting.

Prepare for Application

Develop Relevant Skills

Build skills such as communication, organisation, and time management, which are important for invigilators.

You can develop these skills through volunteering, part-time jobs, or helping with events at your school or in your community. Being calm under pressure and able to follow instructions precisely will help you stand out in applications.

Gather References

Arrange for references from teachers, mentors, or previous employers who can vouch for your reliability and integrity.

Most schools or examination centres will ask for references as part of the recruitment process. Choose people who know you well and can speak about your trustworthiness and ability to work with young people or in a professional environment.

Apply and Start Working

Find and Apply for Vacancies

Look for exam invigilator jobs on school, college, or council websites and submit your application.

Many exam invigilator roles are advertised in the run-up to exam seasons, especially in spring and summer. Prepare a simple CV highlighting your relevant skills and experience. Make sure to follow each employer's application procedure carefully.

Attend Training

Complete any induction or training provided by the employer before your first exam session.

Most organisations provide short training sessions that cover exam regulations, safeguarding, and emergency procedures. Pay attention during training as it will prepare you for what to expect and how to handle different situations during exams.

🎯 View Apprenticeships

Explore relevant apprenticeships that can help you kickstart your career in Exam Invigilator. Apprenticeships offer hands-on experience and training while earning a wage.

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Career Progressions

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Sample Qualifications

An Exam Invigilator shares similarities with a Secondary school teacher in that both are involved in the educational environment and require understanding of exam regulations and procedures. While their roles differ in scope, both contribute to the assessment process within schools and need to maintain a professional, authoritative presence during examinations.

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role

University

Undergraduate degree

You can do an undergraduate degree that leads to qualified teacher status (QTS), for example:

  • Bachelor of Education (BEd)
  • Bachelor of Arts (BA) with QTS
  • Bachelor of Science (BSc) with QTS

Postgraduate certificate

If you already have a bachelor's degree without qualified teacher status, you can complete a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE). This can be done at university or through a training programme based in a school.

You do not always need to have a degree in the subject you'd like to teach. Your teacher training organisation will decide whether you have the required skills and knowledge to teach the subject

You can sometimes do a subject knowledge enhancement course to improve your understanding of the subject you want to teach.

More teacher training options

There are more training options if you want to change career or specialise in teaching certain subjects.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

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Apprenticeship

You could do the Teacher Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths
  • a degree for a teaching apprenticeship

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Work

You could start as a teaching assistant or learning mentor and do a part time degree. You could then move onto a postgraduate teaching course to qualify as a teacher.

Volunteering

You might find it helpful to get some experience of working with young people.

You could volunteer at a school, do youth work or work on a holiday scheme.

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Registration

Career tips

You can also attend a Get Into Teaching event before you apply to get advice about teaching, funding and the different training routes available. You can attend events in person and online.

Further information

You can discover more about how to become a teacher from Get Into Teaching.

You can also search for jobs through the Teaching Vacancies service.

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