Job Discussion Forums

mitsui · Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 1562 Location: Kawasaki

I want to be an examiner for IELTS. I have to take the test and even have to pay for it. It costs over 200 dollars. Does this seem normal?
This is through JSAF in Tokyo.

suphanburi · Joined: 20 Mar 2014 Posts: 916

mitsui · Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 1562 Location: Kawasaki

And I have to pay for the checking of my documents. I guess they want to know my diplomas are not fake. Not sure how much that will cost.
I can't believe I would need to take the test since I am a native speaker.

I guess I need the interview anyway. They seem really strict. I guess some people pretend to be better at English than they really are.

santi84 · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 1317 Location: under da sea

Unless you are desperate, I'd tell them to pound sand.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I became an IELTS Examiner after doing the course at British Council Bahrain some years ago, There was a fee for the course but I did not have to take the IELTS Exam. I think they accepted that I was a native speaker. I did have a telephone interview with someone at BC who asked a lot of questions. maybe they were satisfied that this Scoto-Bulgar had "native-level competence in English" ? (They asked questions about bilingualism in my family and what language I used at home with wife and bairns)

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Does 'bairns' fit under the umbrella of standard English;-)?

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I put it in there for literary effect - to emphasise my attitude to the BC Commissars who believe in such nonsense as "Standard English"

Right, lassie ? Ye ken hwit I mean noo ?

mitsui · Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 1562 Location: Kawasaki

Maybe it is just the wording on the form -

"We may ask you to take the test at any time" - doesn't say who would have to take the test.

possible translation - if we find that you are in fact a non-native speaker of English, you will take the test.

"We may require you to pay for the verification of your documents"

I guess they may interview people from countries like the Philippines, since they seem to have a need for teachers. All teachers need to get the highest score of 9.

There are two interviews. One is on the telephone and the other is in person.
Training lasts for a day and a half. Maybe it is two consecutive Saturdays.

MuscatGary · Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 8:19 am Post subject: 9 is tough

Even native speakers would struggle to get a 9 sometimes. I know an experienced native speaker teacher who only scored 7 when he did it for fun.

Shanghai Noon · Joined: 18 Aug 2013 Posts: 589 Location: Shanghai, China

Listening and reading are fairly simple for any native speaker. The tasks are very methodical. You just need to stay focused. Writing task 1 is the killer, unless you're lucky enough to get a flow chart.

BenE · Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Posts: 321

'May' and 'will' are very different words. If they are demanding fees for individual documents and also demanding by default that you take a test then I'd say it's probably not worth it to be an examiner there. I've never heard of this being the case.

Normally you just have to pay for the course and pass the standardisation test. After that you get paid to do tests and don't need to pay for re certification (unless it expires or you fail monitoring)