How to Attract and Retain Great Exam Invigilators

In our last blog, we talked about what makes a great exam invigilator—and how to spot one when you see them. But even with that knowledge, many schools are still finding it tough to build and maintain a reliable invigilation team.

If you’re struggling to attract or retain invigilators this exam season, you’re not alone. The good news? With a few small changes, you can make a big difference.

Let’s break it down into two key areas: attraction and retention.

Attraction: How to Stand Out in a Crowded Market

1. Differentiate Yourself

Here’s a stat that might surprise you: 87% of all invigilator adverts offer minimum wage. So ask yourself—why would someone choose your role over another?

Offering just a little more pay can help you stand out. It doesn’t need to be much to make a real difference to the candidate, especially when travel costs and time are involved.

But it’s not just about pay. What else can you offer that would cost you very little but mean a lot to them?

• A free DBS check? (Many agencies charge for these)

• Training or classroom experience to help them move into education?

• A reference for future work?

• A sense of progression or inclusion in your school community?

You may already be offering some of these benefits—just make sure you’re shouting about them in your adverts.

2. Get Organised, Get Ahead

The earlier you start recruiting, the more choice you’ll have. Leaving things to the last minute limits your options and makes it harder to find quality candidates.

Plan ahead:

• Advertise early

• Confirm your internal availability

• Lock in your external team well in advance

Getting ahead of the game gives you the best chance of assembling a strong, reliable team—and reduces the risk of last-minute panic.

3. Be Practical with Shift Planning

Let’s be honest: offering someone 2.5 hours at minimum wage isn’t very appealing—especially when they may need to travel 30–60 minutes each way.

Where possible, try to:

• Combine short sessions into half-day or full-day shifts

• Offer longer blocks to your external invigilators

• Save the shorter, bitty shifts for internal staff

Being flexible and realistic with shift patterns shows you respect your invigilators’ time—and makes the role far more attractive.

Retention: Keeping Your Best Invigilators Coming Back

4. Stay in Touch

Retention isn’t just about how often you use someone—it’s also about how well you communicate.

Too many schools only contact invigilators when they need them. But if you want to keep the good ones, you need to build a relationship.

Here’s how:

• Keep a line of communication open throughout the year

• Let them know when mock exams are coming up

• Share potential dates or ask about their availability early

• Prioritise your best people when allocating shifts

The more connected your invigilators feel, the more likely they are to return—and the easier it becomes to build a consistent, dependable team.

5. Reduce Agency Spend by Building Internally

Everything above supports one major goal: reducing your reliance on external agency invigilators.

The more you invest in early recruitment, sensible shift planning, and strong communication, the more you’ll be able to rely on your own internal team. That means fewer emergency calls, fewer agency fees, and more consistency.

That said—know when to outsource. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, gaps happen. And when they do, it’s better to fill them with trained, experienced invigilators than to risk disruption during exam time.

That’s where we come in. We live and breathe this work. Whether you need one invigilator or a whole team, we’re here to support you with reliable people who know what they’re doing.

In Summary

Attracting and retaining great invigilators takes a bit of planning, but it’s completely doable.

Focus on three key things:

• Differentiate your offer (even a little goes a long way)

• Get organised early to have more choice and flexibility

• Make shifts realistic and respectful of people’s time

Then, keep the line of communication open all year round. The more you invest in your internal team, the less you’ll rely on agencies—and the smoother your exam seasons will be.

And if you do need support, you know where we are.