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Exam Invigilator

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Primary Secondary Post-16

An exam invigilator is responsible for supervising students during examinations to ensure that they follow exam rules and regulations. The main duties include preparing exam rooms, distributing and collecting exam papers, observing students to prevent cheating, and assisting with any issues that arise during the exam. Invigilators must be vigilant, reliable, and able to communicate clearly with both students and staff. This role is ideal for those seeking flexible, part-time work, as most positions are temporary and coincide with school or university exam periods. No formal qualifications are required, but attention to detail and a responsible attitude are essential.

Exam Invigilator

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📊 Statistics

Average Hourly Pay

Exam invigilators in the UK typically earn between £10 and £13 per hour.

Employment Pattern

Most exam invigilator positions are part-time and temporary, often concentrated during exam periods such as May, June, and January.

Number of Positions

There are thousands of exam invigilator roles available each exam season across UK schools, colleges, and universities.

🚀 Careers in this path

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Chief Exam Invigilator

Responsible for overseeing the entire examination process in a school or college, ensuring all procedures are followed and supervising other invigilators.

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Assessment Centre Supervisor

Manages the running of assessment centres for professional qualifications, including coordinating invigilators and ensuring compliance with exam regulations.

Examination Access Arrangements Officer

Specialises in organising and supporting additional arrangements for candidates with special educational needs or disabilities during exams.

Understand the Role

Research Exam Invigilator Duties

Learn what is expected from an exam invigilator, including responsibilities such as supervising students and maintaining exam conditions.

Visit educational websites or talk to staff at local schools or colleges to find out about the duties of an exam invigilator. You can also look at job postings to see what is required and what a typical day might involve.

Familiarise with Exam Regulations

Read up on the rules and procedures set by exam boards for conducting exams.

Most exam boards have publicly available handbooks or guidelines for invigilators. Understanding these will help you feel confident about the standards you will need to uphold.

Prepare for the Application

Gain Relevant Experience

Get experience working in an educational or supervisory role, such as volunteering at a school or helping with school events.

Although specific qualifications are not required, experience working with young people or in an administrative capacity can strengthen your application. Volunteering or part-time work in schools can be very helpful.

Complete a DBS Check

Be prepared to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, as you will be working with children or young people.

Most educational institutions will require a DBS check to ensure the safety of students. You will usually apply for this through the school or agency employing you, and it involves a background check for criminal records.

Apply and Train

Apply for Invigilator Positions

Look for job adverts at schools, colleges, universities, or online job boards and submit your application.

Applications are often seasonal, so check local authority websites, education recruitment agencies, and individual school job boards in advance of exam periods. Prepare a simple CV and cover letter highlighting your reliability and attention to detail.

Complete Invigilator Training

Attend training sessions provided by your employer to learn about exam procedures, emergency protocols, and best practices.

Training is usually provided by the school or college and covers how to set up the exam room, deal with queries, handle incidents, and record attendance and incidents accurately. You may also shadow a more experienced invigilator at first.

🎯 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's primary role involves overseeing exams in educational settings, similar to the responsibilities of a secondary school teacher in managing classroom activities and ensuring assessment integrity. Both roles require good communication skills, attention to detail, and an understanding of examination procedures within an educational environment.

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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