Driving Examiner Vacancies – another DVSA recruitment drive
This will be the first of three campaigns to be advertised for driving examiner vacancies by the DVSA this year. It’s another desperate attempt to address the problem of long waiting times for driving tests.
To apply, all you need is to hold a full manual car licence and be over 23 years old. That’s a pretty basic set of requirements right? So why do they find it so hard to recruit and keep examiners?
What you can expect?
A quick visit to the DVSA recruitment website shows a description of ‘an outstanding benefits package.’ This apparently includes:
- Generous annual leave
- One of the best pensions in the country
- A huge range of career development opportunities
Strange how they fail to mention a salary here? They know it isn’t a selling point for the job. The truth is, you can easily earn the same wage and more by working for the major supermarket chains. So why would you want to take on a very stressful, and at times, potentially dangerous job?
So, these driving examiner vacancies bring a huge range of career development opportunities? The vast majority of DVSA staff work in management and administration. There are twice as many support staff as there are examiners. Examiners actually have very little scope for advancement. Promotion is very limited, and according to insider information, it’s on a very ‘selective basis.’ In other words, the most capable people are often overlooked in order to tick boxes and ensure that diversity and inclusion can be advertised as a top priority.
Enjoy weekend working?
Driving test candidates have to pay extra if they want it on a weekend, currently £75 as opposed to £62 for a midweek test. So that means the examiner gets extra pay on a weekend right? No… weekend working is compulsory in the examiner role and there is no pay incentive for this.
Thinking about filling one of these driving examiner vacancies? Here are ten reasons why you shouldn’t.
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Pay
The pay is very poor and it is unlikely to get any better. The salary for a basic civil servant has steadily fallen behind over the years so that it is now barely above the UK National Living Wage.
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Time
An examiner’s working day is one of clock-watching. There is no flexibility. Every test must go out at the appointed time, and you must spend a minimum of thirty minutes on the road. You must get back into the office in time to write your report, whilst still watching the clock to make sure you’re ready for the next test. Often, you will get no break in between.
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Traffic
Do you enjoy sitting in traffic jams? Unless you’re lucky enough to get a job in one of the more remote locations, then that’s just what you will be doing all day. Still watching the clock.
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Danger
The number of ‘foreign nationals’ attending for driving test is increasing at an alarming rate. A big problem with this, is a difference in approach to road safety. Whereas most native Britons opt to use a professional driving instructor, many immigrants look for a cheaper option. They teach each other and often turn up poorly prepared to take a test in their own cars with no dual brake to stop them, should they try to emerge in front of a truck!
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Abuse
There is unfortunately a rising level of verbal and physical abuse that comes with the job. Much of it from young men who come to the UK with previous driving experience in their own countries. They often drive illegally and dangerously, and eventually turn to violence and intimidation when things don’t go their way on a driving test.
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Promotion prospects
The chance are, that if you join as a driving examiner, that is exactly where you will stay. Unless you manage to tick a few of those ‘inclusion’ boxes and already have some other skill.
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Staff morale
The DVSA like to promote the organisation as ‘A Great Place to Work.’ It probably is if you’re a senior manager on high pay. They deny that there is an ‘us and them’ mentality between operational staff and the management chain. But many of those working at the coal face heartily disagree.
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Customer focus
Driving examiners used to be seen as robotic. They used very formal wordings, acted with aloofness, and struck fear into candidates. Things have changed over the years however. Examiners are now encouraged to be friendly and outgoing towards customers (formerly known as candidates.) But for many, this has gone much too far. Senior managers are now so hell bent on customer satisfaction that the welfare of their own staff is overlooked. For many, it is a very long way off being a great place to work.
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Working away from home
As part of its future strategy, the DVSA is looking at ‘sending the test out to the customer.’ Test centres may close, and staff will have to go out to meet candidates at various locations. They are already insisting that examiners wear body cams for security. Perhaps in preparation for this step they want to take? They are clearly already aware of the risks.
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Stress
A combination of all the above can make the work of a driving examiner extremely stressful. Not only are the DVSA struggling to recruit new examiners, but those who have taken the step to sign up don’t last very long. As part of the recruitment strategy the agency states that ‘you will be supported at every stage.’ Speaking to DVSA staff past and present however, that support only comes as long you rigidly toe the company line. They don’t want you to act like a robot, but they certainly want you to work like one!