Full-time IELTS Examiner

Responsibilities:

Conducting IELTS Speaking interviews. (An examiner is expected to conduct around 20 interviews per day, but the amount of work is variable and subject to availability)

Marking IELTS Speaking tests

Second marking for the speaking module.

Conducting other IELTS and British Council exams as per business needs.

Adhering to the IELTS Professional Support Network and British Council policies.

Other duties relevant to British Council English Language and assessment services.

Participating in Examiner meetings and other relevant meetings as required.

Maintaining the reputation and integrity of IELTS and the British Council at all times.

Professional Academic support for the China Exams Teams where necessary.

Ensuring all duties are delivered in line with the British Council’s policy on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and to ensure that policy is taken into account when planning and delivering activities.

Managing information created and received in compliance with the British Council’s information management standards, policies, the UK data protection principles and local legislation.

Participating in required British Council training and applying relevant principles in carrying out duties, including Safeguarding and Health and Safety.

Qualifications:

Core Skills required: 

•    Communicating and influencing

•    Planning and organizing

•    Using technology

•    Managing risk



Role-Specific Knowledge & Experience Requirements: 

Essential

•    A minimum of 3 years’ full-time (or equivalent part-time) teaching experience to adults (age 16 and above).

•    If an applicant’s EFL/ESOL qualification is at certificate level (or equivalent), one of the three years of full-time teaching must be post-EFL/ESOL certificate qualification. If the EFL/ESOL qualification is at diploma level or higher, the teaching experience can have been completed before the qualification. (Note: “full-time teaching” is classified as a minimum of 14 hours of face-face teaching per week. Freelance and volunteer teaching are not included.)

•    Familiarity with one or more high-stakes examination formats



Desirable

•    2+ years’ experience as an IELTS examiner

•    Experience in an operational or educational management position



Languages: 

Essential

•    English 

IELTS Examiners must be the equivalent of an IELTS Band 9 in Speaking and a minimum of Band 8 in Reading, Listening and Writing. An IELTS Band 9 is defined as an ‘Expert User’ on the IELTS Band Scales and is described as follows: 

•    Has full operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent with complete understanding. 

•    A Band 9 in the module an Examiner is examining is an essential requirement for all Examiners to be able to examine effectively. Examiners can be identified at any time to sit the IELTS test including once employed, as per PSN guidance. 



On the basis of your application, performance in the interview and in the training workshop, you may be required to take the full IELTS test. The recruitment process cannot continue until the results of the IELTS test have been released. All applicants who are required to take the IELTS test must sit the Academic module and are required to pay the full test fee.



Certification and Professional Qualifications:

Essential

•    CELTA or equivalent TEFL/TESOL qualification from a recognized institution (at minimum certificate level)

OR

•    EFL/ESOL-related studies completed as part of an undergraduate or postgraduate course from a recognized institution (minimum certificate level)

OR

•    A degree in Education (if supported by an undergraduate degree that includes studies focused on the English Language)



All qualifications must be validated by a reputable institution and accredited by a professional certification board. If requested, applicants are required to provide additional information.



Desirable

•    DELTA or other Diploma level qualification with a TEFL/TESOL focus

•    Recognised Young Learners’ Teaching qualification (e.g. CELTA YL or TYLEC)

•    For existing examiners, most recent 2 PSN Monitoring results to ‘standard’



Education: 

Essential

•    Bachelor’s degree

Benefit:

Benefits:  

Work from home in one of China’s cosmopolitan metropolises: Beijing; Shanghai; Guangzhou; Chongqing



Flexible working:

In addition to 6 fixed ‘core’ days each month, examiners are able to choose which days they would like to make themselves available for work, with availability at weekends and in peak months expected. 



Salary:

The IELTS examiner package in China is based on a ‘core + top-up’ model. There are two components to the package: a core number of days’ work in exchange for a basic salary and a ‘top-up’ component that allows for flexibility in terms of schedule and the opportunity to increase earnings further. The top-up component is paid on a piece-rate basis, allowing examiners to have more control over their time and income. Across most months in the year, top-up earnings represent the bulk of examiner income. Core days are scheduled in advance and are based on operational requirements. Examiners are then able to make themselves available for top-up work on other days during that month.



There is seasonal fluctuation, and examiners are usually busy during months where demand is high while having more free time at other times. Generally, there are more income opportunities on particular days such as Saturday and Sunday, and in busier months such as April, July, August and December. Examiners are expected to provide a high level of availability around these months and days. The Examiner Administration teams provide information about likely fluctuations in work opportunities so that examiners can plan annual leave accordingly and smoothen their annual income.



New examiners will not be able to do full days of testing until fully PSN certified and after they have passed initial monitoring assessments. As a result, they may not receive any top up income in the first 2 months and should plan accordingly (top up income is paid in the month after the work is conducted).





Top-up day Piece Rates 

Speaking Exam interviews CNY 129 per interview (usually an examiner conducts around 20 interviews per day) (amounts of work are variable and subject to availability)

Speaking Exam second marking CNY 88 per interview (amounts of work are variable and subject to availability)





Leave entitlements:

6 core days paid annual leave per year

2 paid professional development core days per year

Paid sick leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, marriage leave and compassionate leave. Details can be found in the Examiners TACOS that will be provided when you sign the contract of employment.





Insurance:

A comprehensive private medical insurance package

Social insurance and pension contributions





Professional Development:

Access to a wide range of learning and development resources, including opportunities for support with funding.

 



Transferrable Skills:

IELTS Speaking Examiners are employed in the majority of countries globally.

 



Right to work in country:

This role is open to all applicants including those who need to relocate to undertake the role. Candidates who do not have a natural right to work in the country will be provided with immigration clearance and visa support. Please note visa approvals are beyond the British Council’s control so any job offer will be subject to securing the required right to work. Relocation support as set out in the British Council international relocation policy is available.



Visa Support: Support in applying for a visa (work permit and residence permit) will be provided to you as required. You will be responsible for the initial costs incurred by the application and will be reimbursed once on-board. If you require a work permit to work in China, please be aware that you will need your current employer’s co-operation in cancelling your current work permit before joining the British Council. The process of cancelling your current work permit and applying for a new one takes around 6 weeks, but can take longer. 

 



Additional Information:

Due to the Chinese government retirement policy and visa regulations, visa applications of successful applicants beyond the statutory retirement age may be rejected by the Chinese authorities.



Over a period of 15 years, the statutory retirement age for male employees in China will gradually be extended from the current 60 years to 63 years. For female employees in China, the retirement age will increase from 55 to 58 for those in white-collar jobs.



Male applicants over the age of 59 and female applicants over the age of 54, as well as those who would pass their 59th and 54th birthday respectively before their official start date, may not be considered due to the above restrictions. 



If these Chinese government retirement policies and work visa restrictions might affect you or your application, please get in touch so that we can provide more details for your individual circumstances. Applicants are also asked to bear in mind that the entire onboarding process can take an average of 5-6 months or more.



If you are currently working in China under a Z visa (work permit), please be prepared for a gap of around 6 weeks before commencing work with the British Council. Once your work permit expires or is cancelled by your current employer, you will end that employment. A new work permit will be applied for, and you will be able to commence work with the British Council only after that new permit is issued and you then complete some administrative on-boarding steps.



Vacancies are limited. Applicants currently resident in China will be prioritised. Only vacancies not filled by people currently resident in China can be offered to other applicants.





On-boarding: Please be aware that the on-boarding process can be lengthy and after accepting an offer, you are likely to be asked to complete a number of administrative tasks.