Job Discussion Forums

[Hatcher]

Its a boring job for sure. And if there's any doubt, the money makes it attractive.

The issue for me is no how mundane it is but rather my health.

I missed a lot of days at work over the last two years. What would they tolerate for time off? Do they run a tight ship?

[nomad soul]

Who's "they?"

[Non Sequitur]

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=111328&highlight=british+council

I think you actually have to enquire before a lot of the detail is made available.
The big change over recent times is to employ fulltime examiners only.
That said, the workload is such that you can make a living.
Travel is quite a factor to give you those paid hours.

[Volver]

Be very careful and analyze your numbers carefully before you accept a job with the British Council. Yes, you can make a living with them, but you can do just as well and even better through other means. I examined with them for several years and finally came to the conclusion that it is not a really good gig. You take that big paycheck and divide it by the number of hours examining plus travel time. All of a sudden, the job doesn't look very good. I net just as much, and expect to earn much more, working at an "international" school and doing side work. No housing or flight cost plus lots of paid vacation. Best of all, I actually work fewer hours doing what I do now vs. working for them part-time on the week-ends.

Two other things to consider:

1. The job adds an entirely new dimension to the concept of "boring". Nothing in my life has compared to what I experienced with them. Think of the movie "Ground Hog Day" only every 20 minutes.

2. The management of the BC in China is not to be trusted. Either they have gone native, or just have their heads so far up their behinds they can see daylight. Trusting absolutely nothing they tell you would be a good starting position.

V

[theoriginalprankster]

Spot on Volver. Traumatically, mind numbing job.

I also found a lot of the examiners to be quite nefarious.

[shawadywady]

well said Volver, particularly on management. wise to highlight the boredom factor too but plenty of examiners are more than happy to grab the easy money if it means they never have to prepare a class/mark homework etc. Also a lot of examiners get a buzz out of the whole travel/5 star hotel thing but you'd never guess from all the moaning you hear.

In terms of the OPs original query i think they have tightened up since the full time examiner model started but it probably depends how you define 'a lot of days' - let's be honest no employer is going to be too happy if you're constantly off work, someone on the new contract could probably tell you how many paid sick days you're assigned.

[Non Sequitur]

[thechangling]

[shawadywady]

basically impossible for examiners to fudge overall results, management however could do it. They've had a big reshuffle with the clerical markers recently (who mark Reading & Listening) and have installed a large number of BC staff in clerical marking positions. A conflict of interest? Not according to the BC.

I'd say nefarious is a bit strong but if you've been teaching in China you've met the types before.... just that some examiners get a bit above themselves & see themselves as superior to the 'riff-raff' teaching for 6 grand a month but they definitely aint!

[bograt]

Not a full time examiner and I don't work in a china but there does seem to be a lot of b...ocks being spouted here. Original-prankster do you know what nefarious actually means? Why would this random group of people who happened to decide to do examining for a living come across in this way? it's a bizarre thing to say.

Shawadywady, why would BC staff marking IELTS papers be a conflict of interests?

thechangling, do you just assume any management of a big organization are involved in corruption just as a matter of course, without any evidence? It's a bit of a sixth form marxist way of thinking.

Shawadywady, full time examiners are definitely superior to people on 6 grand a month in terms of how much money they make and probably in terms of qualifications and experience to get the job in the first place. What criteria are you using to say they're not superior?

IMO The only true thing people have said so far is that the job would be mind-numbingly tedious.

[thechangling]

[theoriginalprankster]

[shawadywady]

[shawadywady]