IELTS Examiner

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Job Title: English Language Assessment Consultant (IELTS Examiner - 43749)

Pay Band: c. 300,000-350,000RMB p/a* | Locations: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing | Start date: 03 November 2025** | Department: Exams China | Contract type: Full Time | Duration: 1-year Fixed Term (Renewable)

Due to Chinese visa regulations, female candidates aged 53-63 and male candidates aged 60-63 can only be considered for employment in Shanghai. Visa applications from successful applicants within these age brackets may not be approved by Chinese authorities. Additionally, applicants who will be over the age of 64 before the official start date may not be considered due to Chinese labor law restrictions.

*predicted based on historical data

** To be considered in this round of recruitment, applicants should submit their application by 22 June 2025.

We are only accepting applications from candidates who are currently living in China. Applicants with the right to work in China without a work permit/visa (i.e. Chinese nationals or foreign permanent residents of China), may be resident outside mainland China at the time of the application. However, please note that if successful, all relocation costs back to China would be borne by the applicant.

Role Purpose:
To conduct interviews and carry out assessments for the IELTS Speaking module, second marking speaking and writing modules as per business needs, maintaining the standards required by the IELTS Professional Support Network (PSN) and the British Council.

Role context:
The British Council delivers IELTS tests to candidates in more than 40 cities throughout China. Our exams work is managed in China through our subsidiary, BC Education Consulting (Beijing) Company Limited.

IELTS examiners in China are based in one of our four regional offices and reside in either Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Chongqing. Examiners work from their home to deliver interviews and may occasionally be required to work in the regional office.

Examiners are part of the wider British Council network and, as demand for high-quality language assessment grows in the region, the role provides an opportunity for those interested in building a career in language assessment.

Examiners deliver IELTS Speaking tests to candidates from around China and from overseas (if required). An examiner’s principal duties are to deliver speaking tests but there may be other tasks as per business needs such as second marking tasks. A high standard of professionalism and reliability is required; to this end, examiners are managed under the British Council Performance Management framework and the IELTS Professional Support Network (PSN) framework. There may be opportunities for suitably qualified and experienced examiners to apply for other senior positions as vacancies arise.

Main Accountabilities:
Service delivery 
Post holders work closely with the exams support teams and report directly to their line manager/Team Leader in one of our 4 Centres.

Examining Responsibilities 
•    Conducting IELTS Speaking interviews.

•    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.

Core Skills required:
•    Communicating and influencing

•    Planning and organizing
•    Using technology
•    Managing risk

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, 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:

• 1 month (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

 
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:
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 1 month. 
 
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

*To APPLY, please attach the required documents in the ''Additional Attachments'' section at the end of the application form: 

1. Scan/photo of both the front and back of your degree certificate (Bachelor's and/or Master Degree)

2. If your TEFL qualification is not your BA or MA, please provide a scan/photo of both the front and back of your TEFL qualification certificate/s. Note that you may be asked to provide the transcript of study for the qualification and the website of the awarding institution. 

3. If you are a current examiner, please provide your most recent appendix 19a monitoring tracker.

4. If you are a former examiner, please provide your 3 most recent speaking monitoring reports, or all reports if you have received fewer than 3. If you have not saved the reports, please state so here. We will source the information from the UK in this case. Please note this may result in a delay in processing your application.

  
Enquiries about the post can be sent to ChinaExaminerRecruitment@britishcouncil.org.cn     
  
On-boarding: 
Successful applicants will be offered tentative start dates of 03 November 2025. 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.  

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Equality , Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Statement

The British Council is committed to policies and practices of equality, diversity and inclusion across everything we do. We support all staff to make sure their behaviour is consistent with this commitment.  We want to address under representation and encourage applicants from under-represented groups, in particular, but not exclusively, on grounds of ethnicity and disability.  All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria are guaranteed an interview and we have Disability Confident Employer Status. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.

The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with.

We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989.

Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed; these will include qualification checks, reference checks, identity & criminal record checks in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.

If you have any problems with your application please email askhr@britishcouncil.org

Please note: Applications to this role can only be considered when made through the Apply section of our careers website. Our ‘ASK HR’ email is only to be used in case of a technical issue encountered when applying through the careers website. Emails with supporting statements and CV/Resumes sent to this email address will not be reviewed and will be deleted.