Q I teach history to KS3 and 4 learners. I enjoy my job very much, but am starting to feel the need to find some new challenges. A colleague suggested that I might want to think about becoming an examiner – I can see how this could be a useful additional source of income, as well as an interesting thing to do in itself, but does it really have anything to offer me in terms of relevant CPD? And would it carry any weight on my CV, were I to consider promotion in the future?
A Working in assessment will most definitely aid your teaching and open doors to other opportunities.
As a result of the knowledge you gain as an examiner, in house mock exams are likely to be more effective. The marking of mock papers will be more accurate, which is great for your students as they will come away from the mock exam period with realistic expectations of their obtainable final grade. It will also give you the opportunity to help those students who might be struggling with certain aspects of the exam. It is inevitable that the greater the familiarity you, as a teacher, have with a paper, then the more likely it is that your students’ performance will improve. Being able to evidence an improvement in student grades on your CV, as a result of work conducted outside of your teaching duties, is a positive addition.
You will find that working as an examiner will provide you with a greater confidence – particularly if you are one of the only members of your department who works in assessment. You will effectively become an in-house expert on the teaching and assessment of the paper that you are marking – your colleagues will inevitably look to you for guidance. You can use this knowledge to enhance your presence within your department; putting yourself forward to deliver training on inset days and mentoring new teachers who are perhaps not as confident with the specification.
Being able to provide your department with such invaluable support, will not go unnoticed by your SLT, enhancing your suitability for promotion in school.
Working as an examiner is only the first step. A high performing examiner is likely to be promoted to team leader. From there, you may wish to put yourself forward for a principal examining role where you will be involved in setting the question paper. Career development with your exam board is definitely something that potential future employees will regard highly.
Q I have a full time, permanent job as head of the history department in a large and ambitious secondary academy. As you can imagine, this keeps me busy; however, I have been seeing advertisements suggesting that professionals like me are being sought as examiners, and am interested in exploring this as an option. Is being an examiner a role that is compatible with my work as HoD, or would it be likely to have an impact on my ability to carry out everyday commitments as effectively as I do now?
A Becoming an examiner is an excellent opportunity to earn some extra money in a part-time role, alongside any full-time commitments you may have. A large proportion of examiners are practising teachers and working in assessment will only have a positive impact on your teaching.
Before marking, new examiners will need to complete training, and all examiners must attend a standardisation event held either face-to-face or online, for which you will receive payment. The training required to mark as an examiner will take place between May and June. The majority of training events are held on Saturdays, meaning that as a rule, you will not need to be absent from school. However, if you are required to attend a weekday event, then a teacher release fee will be payable to your school in order to cover any supply costs that may be incurred.
The marking period for GCSE and GCE A Level is between May and July; the exact marking window will be determined by the examination date you are contracted to mark, but on average is two to three weeks. The advantage of this summer marking period is that it falls in a time where Year 11 and above, are absent – allowing you some freedom in planning your time most effectively. Furthermore, contracts are issued from the Christmas period right up until examiner training takes place – you may be contacted as early as December about marking in the summer, giving you plenty of time to get organised!
You will need to take a disciplined and organised approach, during the marking window. An average allocation should take between 35 and 45 hours to mark. A significant advantage is that all marking is done online – you will not be drowning in a sea of exam papers and you will be able to mark from the comfort of your own home.
Some examiners will prefer to dedicate their weekend to completing their allocation and others may prefer getting in an hour or so of marking before teaching. It really is down to the individual, but regular breaks will ensure accuracy and consistency.
