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IELTS examiner certification
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vikeologist



Joined: 07 Sep 2009
Posts: 600

PostPosted: Sat Jan 04, 2014 12:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The rates aren't advertised anywhere, but I did find an advert for USA pretty much the same rate as here in China, (which of course in real terms given the cost of living would be lower).
But basically I'm saying I don't know. However, I'm fairly certain that most places outside China you're likely to only get about 10 tests a month, and that's the big problem. I've not met any examiners who've reported getting any more than that anywhere.

The trick would be to try to get a (full-time) job as an examiner, (I found adverts that are seemingly this) but I suspect that would involve less money and doing things other than examining. Again, I'm not sure. the ads are all a bit vague, and it's possible that what they're really trying to do is attract mugs who will pay big money to do the training, and then, whoops, we can only offer you 10 candidates a month.

It's so pity.
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auchtermuchty



Joined: 05 Dec 2009
Posts: 344
Location: Beijing

PostPosted: Sat Jan 04, 2014 12:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

shawadywady wrote:


(although why you'd sign an agreement admitting you're working illegally is beyond me ...).



Wouldn't any work as a freelancer be illegal for a foreigner in China?
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Big Worm



Joined: 02 Jan 2011
Posts: 171

PostPosted: Sat Jan 04, 2014 12:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

shawadywady wrote:



Big Worm - i would hesitate to credit the BC with the ability to engineer such a situation but i think the end result of all this could well be as you say - a more standardised sort of employment, almost undoubtedly with lower pay. Vik - midweek interviewing will become more common to fill the huge gap left by examiners on inappropriate visas.




...or recorded.
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vikeologist



Joined: 07 Sep 2009
Posts: 600

PostPosted: Sat Jan 04, 2014 11:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Big Worm wrote:
shawadywady wrote:



Big Worm - i would hesitate to credit the BC with the ability to engineer such a situation but i think the end result of all this could well be as you say - a more standardised sort of employment, almost undoubtedly with lower pay. Vik - midweek interviewing will become more common to fill the huge gap left by examiners on inappropriate visas.




...or recorded.


I don't understand. What would be recorded?
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shawadywady



Joined: 13 Mar 2013
Posts: 40

PostPosted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 2:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I don't understand. What would be recorded?


Interviews conducted by a computer then recordings sent to examiners to grade a la TOEFL/Pearson. It's something that's been talked about in hushed tones by some examiners for a while but currently the face-to-face interviews are one of the big selling points of IELTS so while it might be an option for the future I'd be surprised if it happened soon.

Then again examiners had been talking about tax for ages then it came in out of nowhere almost overnight so who knows??
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Mr. Leafy



Joined: 24 Apr 2012
Posts: 246
Location: North of the Wall

PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 3:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

theoriginalprankster wrote:
... I also accepted a third in another region, only for the flight to be cancelled, and me told to go home from the airport - compensation for that: nada. I sat in that airport for seven hours, seven wasted hours of my life.
...
I'm not a money wh-re, so I declined to be shipped off to various parts of the country, with 2+ hour flight delays and/or cancellations at the airports.


Did they at least pay for the flight and the local transport to the airport?

For all current (or recent) examiners, how often do you get sent out of town? Are most of the tests outside your city in the same region (say, a two-hour flight), or are you offered jobs cross country? What's it like examining out of town?

I guess this varies a lot by where you are based, but I'd like to hear your experiences.
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vikeologist



Joined: 07 Sep 2009
Posts: 600

PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 10:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mr Leafy

As you may be able to tell from this thread, lots of things are changing at the moment. The situation is very different from what it was 3 months ago, and what it will be 4 months from now.

However, which city are you based in?

Examiners usually stay close to home, though there are a few that get flown long distance. I go everywhere by train. Examining out of town is in some ways nicer than examining in your own town, though of course a lot more expensive for the BC, and thus one is likely to get more work if you're the same city as the centres.

The answers to all your questions are - it depends, and it might be different tomorrow.

Honestly your best source of information at the moment is the BC themselves, or examiners in the same city as you, (though you really shouldn't take it at face value when people claim to be examiners. I'm pretty certain 'I'm an IELTS examiner' is near the top of the Laowai Lie Chart. I'm not even convinced that I'm really an examiner. It might just be one of my delusions).
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wonderingjoesmith



Joined: 19 Aug 2012
Posts: 910
Location: Guangzhou

PostPosted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 4:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

shawadywady wrote:
wonderingjoe - beware of tired & emotional Brits in pubs who have recently lost a significant chunk of income! (but if you'd like to share stories about 'quality of examiners' you'd have a willing audience right here)
I guess everyone is aware. Isn't it easy to abuse the human factor, especially on mainland China?

shawadywady wrote:
Interviews conducted by a computer then recordings sent to examiners to grade a la TOEFL/Pearson. It's something that's been talked about in hushed tones by some examiners for a while but currently the face-to-face interviews are one of the big selling points of IELTS so while it might be an option for the future I'd be surprised if it happened soon.
Should the examiners be computers may be the question. How one grades the English leaves many wrap their heads around the guides/standards and seemingly disturbs the interested local population.
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Mr. Leafy



Joined: 24 Apr 2012
Posts: 246
Location: North of the Wall

PostPosted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 1:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

vikeologist wrote:
However, which city are you based in?

I like to keep personal and online lives a bit separate so I won't be more specific than I've written at the left. I realise that could affect the answers I get.

vikeologist wrote:
... Examining out of town is in some ways nicer than examining in your own town, ...

Because of the hotels? I've heard they put you somewhere nice. How's the per diem? Why is it nicer for you?

vikeologist wrote:

As you may be able to tell from this thread, lots of things are changing at the moment. The situation is very different from what it was 3 months ago, and what it will be 4 months from now.

I know a lot of people are unhappy or even angry at them now. But this is something I've been thinking about for long time, so after the New Year break I'll put my application in. I guess they'll tell me more about the travel then.
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notnow



Joined: 10 Aug 2011
Posts: 19
Location: Shanghai

PostPosted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 1:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Any IELTS examiners think they'll still be examining or marking come May or whenever the BC introduces direct employment via BC and that third party?

Any examiners understand the point of the BC asking for our availability for speaking for every day in March from 1st to 28th? I mean, we all have to have z visas to be able to do speaking, which means we work and probably weekdays so we can do speaking on the weekends but now the BC is asking us if we're free on weekdays! Are they introducing a further restriction? First it was z visas and now it's z visas + available 7 days a week!

Any of you be willing to work directly for the BC? And how would that work? Surely we would have to leave our current jobs?
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theoriginalprankster



Joined: 19 Mar 2012
Posts: 895

PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 3:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm leaving my current teaching gig in June, so I would need a new Z visa.

But the idea of being 'owned' by the BC doesn't sit comfortably.

I filled in the availability form yesterday stating I was available on certain days, and that I only examine in my city and the city next door (by high speed rail). I refuse to fly - I've sat in airports for hours on end on Sunday nights because of delays. NO MORE!

If BC 'owns' me (ie. gets me a Z visa) I might be forced to fly. Ugghh. Sounds like 'Chinese management' stylee to me..

That said I will suck it up and examine as much as possible between now and June as I might be hitting the high road and cycling through Asia come June - need funds for that.
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Volver



Joined: 27 Sep 2013
Posts: 181

PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 6:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That survey was weird. Aside from the fact that many or most of us have to work M-F, we have no idea if we can work other days since the schools don't tell us our schedules until the last minute. I won't know what days I work or my schedule until 24-48 hours before classes begin so how in the world would I know if I can work M-F? Looks like a case of Chinese "management" styles taking over the BC.

I know examiners who constantly travel by plane. If we gross the same amount of money yet their travel time is many hours longer than mine, they are getting a terrible deal on a per hour basis. If you have to fly to a test site, you wind up making peanuts. Doing a few hours of side work each week would make you just as much money.

I have testing the next 4 days in a row and veteran examiners have warned me this is going to be pure hell. Can't wait.

V
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theoriginalprankster



Joined: 19 Mar 2012
Posts: 895

PostPosted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 11:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I have testing the next 4 days in a row and veteran examiners have warned me this is going to be pure hell. Can't wait.

V


A colleague just did 13 days in a row.
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vikeologist



Joined: 07 Sep 2009
Posts: 600

PostPosted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 11:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's like marathon running. After about 4 days you hit a wall. You develop a nervous eye twitch. You start asking the MP3 player questions in between candidates. You don't think that any of your fellow examiners are weird.

But you get through it. After 6 days you start to think that you could do this forever. In fact you're no longer certain that life was ever any different.
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fat_chris



Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing

PostPosted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 4:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

vikeologist wrote:
It's like marathon running. After about 4 days you hit a wall. You develop a nervous eye twitch. You start asking the MP3 player questions in between candidates. You don't think that any of your fellow examiners are weird.

But you get through it. After 6 days you start to think that you could do this forever. In fact you're no longer certain that life was ever any different.


YIKES.

Warm regards,
fat_chris
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