May, 2017
If you are considering becoming a speaking and/or writing examiner for IELTS, let me tell you that I recommend it.
In short, I found the rubrics (examination criteria) understandable (i.e. a fairly objective measurement tool), the wage good, and the job enjoyable (speaking examining in particular). I was a speaking and writing examiner for 1.5 years and below are more details of my experience.
Qualification Considerations: Skills
This is only my opinion and not a job posting, but to be an examiner in general, you would need the following skillset:
- a strong grammatical foundation to be able to distinguish verb tense in addition to simple (and compound) and complex sentences (speaking and writing)
- knowledge of transition signals (conjunctive adverbs, signposting) (speaking and writing)
- an understanding of tone and formality appropriate to different writing situations (writing)
- ability to critique letters, summaries, and essays in terms of content/argument (writing)
- familiarity with natural word stress and connected speech (speaking)
Having a warm personality can also be an asset as it helps the candidate relax in the speaking interview.
Examiner Training
(Assumption: all centres have a similar training program)
The speaking training took place over a weekend, and the writing another. To be honest, there was a lot of material to cover and they were long'ish days (for ESL teachers at least). At the end of the weekend, there was an assessment task to determine if we qualified. Generally speaking, if you have the above qualifications that come from several years of teaching speaking and writing, then you should be able to make sense of the rubrics and pass. For writing examining, you really need to understand the components of a good essay (e.g. topic development, transitions, organization). If you have this experience, you should be able to pass and gradually become more and more standard in your grading.
Note that even if you fail one type of examiner certification (e.g. writing), that doesn't disqualify you from being an examiner for the other skill (e.g. speaking) or attempting the certification again at a later date.
The Biggest Challenge: Diving into Actual Speaking Examining
To pass the examiner training, you only have to grade some recorded candidates. At our centre, I was fortunate that I also got to practice one speaking interview with a volunteer.
Next, if you pass the certification, your next interview is a real high-stakes examining situation with a real candidate. At this point you may have only practiced the speaking interview process once! (And there's a lot going on in terms of language assessment and timing in speaking.) Needless to say, you're forced to make a quick (and daunting) leap into your first examiner experience. For some, the greatest challenge may be trying not to appear as nervous as the candidate.
You may make a few mistakes on your first day (e.g. particularly with timing each section), but you will soon get the hang of it. Because of the fixed/scripted nature of what you can say as a speaking examiner (especially in parts I and II), there's not that much room for verbal error thankfully. This may be a drawback for examiners who prefer to freely converse with their candidate, but for me (someone who likes structure), it was comforting.
Other Notes on Speaking Examining
Once you become comfortable with the speaking examining (the script will become ingrained in your brain), then it can actually be a lot of fun. You get to listen to candidates speak (for roughly 14 minutes) and enjoy their stories. You'll often laugh and meet intelligent people who have great ideas. It's definitely not the worst way to spend a weekend day, and the best part about it is that unlike teaching English, there is no prep and it pays well.
Other Notes on Writing Examining
For me, writing was a bit draining (I'm not a quick reader) but it is also a good way to make money, especially if you are fast. While I didn't find any particular enjoyment in writing, again, the pay is good and you don't need to prep or think about it after you're done.
Summary
Pros
- The pay is worthwhile.
- Speaking examining is enjoyable.
- There is no prep or after-thought.
- The rubrics allow you to feel confident in your grading.
Cons
- Being thrown in on your first day can be stressful.
- The scripted nature of the speaking examination can be robotic for some (not me).
Those are my thoughts that I felt were worth sharing. If you are eligible, I suggest you apply at your local testing centre as it's a great way to supplement your teaching income.
All the best.
-- M. Barton / Creator of Englishcurrent.com
Yes, I am looking to build my career in this line. Please help me!
Find your local IELTS centre and apply for a job.
i am already working as an IELTS trainer and i wish to be an IELTS examiner
and i wish to work in some other countries as an IELTS examiner
Pls Guide me
Judging by your punctuation/capitalization, it may be difficult for you to become a writing examiner. This link should provide you some information, however: https://www.ielts.org/teaching-and-research/examiner-recruitment-and-training
I am nervous as hell about IELTS training! I did a two day training course and some “dummy” interviews, then the standardisation which involved grading six candidates. I failed this part, but I don’t know which of my marks were too high or too low, or how many of them were “off”. I have a chance to repeat the grading in a week’s time.
I’ve been teaching and examining Cambridge exams for over 20 years and in that time I’ve never once failed a standardisation course. I speak six languages and I’m currently studying towards a Master’s in TESOL.
I have no idea what went wrong and I’m not at all confident that I will do a better job second time. If I do get through, I will be monitored closely for the first year, adding to my stress and nerves. If I don’t pass, I am not interested in repeating the whole process so I will jsut decide, what the Heck, I’m not cut out to be an IELTS examiner.
It is the hardest thing I have ever trained for, and it’s giving me sleepless nights.
Hello Adrian. Sorry I missed your post. If you read this, did you survive?
Hi.
I got through second time; thanks for asking.. But now I have my first session, feedback, further sessions, further feedback. It’s stress all the way.
Congrats! I’ll bet it’ll gradually get better. The feedback is useful. Soon it will become automatic and you’ll be comfortable with it. Also, you have to imagine how stressed out the candidates are and try to put them an ease (which hopefully won’t give you more stress :) ). Good luck
I’m still here, but still stressed out. I’ve had ONE one hour long session so far and HOURS and DAYS of (unpaid) induction, practice, training, feedback. Owing to lockdown and everything else I’ve been out of the loop for too long, so need to re-standardise this week for the chance to do one more one hour examining session next week.
Rapidly losing interest. There is NOTHING remotely enjoyable or professionally satisfying about any of this except for a couple of the conversations I remember with candidates, who had no idea I was 100 times more nervous than they were.
I suppose IELTS examining is not for everyone. The ‘high stakes’ nature of it can be stressful, though I still hope it can get better in your case. Definitely, if you are not enjoying it after you’ve given it a sincere effort, then I’d quit.
Is it possible to do the IELTS examiner trainer at any location around the world or is it usually done only in teacher’s home country? I am a US citizen but would like to do the examiner training abroad and also work abroad. Thanks for all the useful info. on this site.
I imagine that you could do the training anywhere. Once you are certified and have trainer #, you can work at any centre I believe. With that said, I think it’s generally true that IELTS Testing centres provide the training (either free or at cost), with the hopes that if you succeed, they can hire you. You would only qualify for such training then if you were eligible to work for them, i.e. you had a working visa.
I am a current examiner, qualified earlier this year. I was wondering whether anyone could answer the following questions:
1) If I am hired by a centre, can I also work for other centres, as the bookings with my centre are rather spasmodic? I paid for my own training, which was provided by the centre for which I am working.
2) Although I am told that I say have 10 bookings, when I arrive at the centre to examine they sometimes say some of the candidates have cancelled in which case I am only allowed to claim for the numbers examined. Is this true of all centres? Sometimes it makes it very unworthwhile, being paid for so few candidates, and I wondered whether all centres adhere to these payment policies.
Hello Sgreen. Though I enjoyed IELTS examing, I stopped examining about 2 years ago because of a conflict of interest with another employee. Regarding your question #1: I don’t think this was a common practice (working for multiple centres). I believe each examiner has a ‘home center’, which can be changed if they move. If I were you, I’d inquire with a busier centre in your area to see what would be involved with working for them.
Re: #2, that sounds like a drag. I used to examine approximately 18-22 speakers per day ($$$). It was draining but great. It would not be worthwhile, I agree, to do only a few. At my old centre, we were paid for the number of candidates we were scheduled to examine, regardless of whether they showed up or not. If you aren’t being paid for no-shows, that sounds unfair because I’m sure your centre is. However, if they are cancellations that were done in advance, then perhaps it’s a different story.
Hi. Thanks a lot for your article.
I am interested in becoming IELTS speaking examiner. I’ll appreciate your reply to my following questions:
1) Is that possible I pass my training course in a center then become an examiner in another one? For example, go to China for training but apply for working in Germany?
2) Is it possible to take some courses with you before my interview to improve my English knowledge? If so, how can I contact you?
Thanks for your time
Hello. Re: 1) Yes. 2) I am no longer an examiner (I had to resign in around 2017 because I began working for a competitor to IELTS). For this reason, I wouldn’t be a good trainer for you. Also, I am not doing private teaching at the moment due to time constraints. Thank you for your interest though.
Hi. Thanks for your reply.
May I ask if you know a well-educated teacher proper for coaching me online?
And based on my comments, could you do me a favor and assess my English and grammar as you did for another commenter here and inform me which part should I work on most?
Ps. I am a non-native English teacher and overwhelmingly stressed out for my English level and the way I have to work on it to reach my goal.
Again thank you for your time. It means a lot to me due to your hectic life as you have mentioned.
Hello. Unfortuntunately I do not know anyone looking for private students. It seems like your English is structurally sound. There are two word-choice/preposition issues in your writing (proper > suitable / stressed out for > stressed out about). Good luck!
Hi there,
I’m interested in becoming an IELTS speaking examiner in the near future. I have a BA in Linguistics and Japanese language (double major), in addition to the CELTA.
I’m wondering if you could answer a question for me.
Can I be both an IELTS examiner and an IELTS teacher, or do these roles conflict each other? As in, if I was already in the examining role, would an employer not hire me to teach IELTS?
I hope this makes sense!
Kind regards,
Hello. Yes these roles conflict and as a result examiners cannot teach IELTS on the side (this is based on my memory from several years ago; feel free to double-check).
Hi,
I’m a non-native speaker and I recently sat for the IELTS and I got a 9 in speaking. My overall score is 8.5.
Do I stand a chance to become a speaking examiner ? I’ve read somewhere that non-native speakers need an overall score of 9 (correct me if I’m wrong pls :))
I have 1 year of teaching experience and I’m wondering if this is adequate in order to qualify ?
Thanks for all the information you’ve posted here, it’s really useful.
Hello. Yes, I also understand that a score of 9 is needed to examine. There were several non-native English speakers examining at the centre I worked at. I think each centre has its own qualifications that they can set. For example, mine required examiners to have a masters degree. I would look for job postings from IELTS centres in your area and try applying.
How long does it take for the recertification results?
I haven’t worked as an IELTS examiner for 5 years. At the time, I did the certification training in-person at a centre, so I don’t think the results took more than a day. Nowadays, though, it must be different.
Hello there! Your post was exactly what I was looking for, much appreciated!
I am interested in becoming a writing examiner. (I am not a fast reader, either but love the challenge :) Most of the centres I contacted are looking for a speaking examiner, though. Do they-speaking & writing examiner positions- come as a package or do I get to choose?
Plus, I am a non-native English speaker. I wonder if I need to score band 9 overall.
Cheers!
Hello. It’s been four years since I last examined so I cannot advise you very well on this topic. I understand that the writing tests are taken and graded online, so that must affect how the work is parcelled out. I imagine that most centers would be looking for examiners that can do speaking as well as writing. I think you’ll need a score of 9 if you are a non-native speaker. Good luck.
Good Day
Can someone send me some contact details of centers that offer IELTS Examiners courses pls.
Thanks
Email me to dadam786@outlook.com
Hi M,
Thank you for the information you’ve provided here. I found it very useful.
I’ve heard that IELTS examiners are generally required to sit for the actual IELTS exam and score a band 9. Is this true? If that’s the case, does it matter if one opts for General instead of the Academic?
Thank you!
Hello. I have not taught IELTS since 2016. With that said, examiners who had a masters degree in an English program (e.g. me) were not required to take the IELTS test, thankfully. There is some information here about Canada: https://www.ielts.ca/teach-ielts/become-ielts-examiner/