Assessing in Retirement

Ahh, retirement. Endless days of lounging seems heavenly… Or, it could sound like hell on earth. Some folks find themselves missing the pace of working life and the sense of satisfaction they get from a hard day at work. Others might find they don’t seem to have enough going on to fill their days. And, for some, they think how nice it would be to just have a little extra in the bank. So how about taking up freelance assessing in retirement?

What does an Assessor do?

An Assessor assesses learners undergoing training to achieve their NVQ qualifications. They may also assess in apprenticeships and End-Point Assessment (EPA). The EPA route is particularly common for those who want to work freelance. Training providers tend to use freelance assessors as Independent End-Point Assessors. Their responsibility is to ensure the learner is competent to carry out their job and has all the required skills and knowledge come the end of their Apprenticeship.

• What is End-Point Assessment?
• Roles & Responsibilities of an Assessor

How much does a Freelance Assessor earn?

This varies! As a Freelance Assessor, you would largely be able to charge your own rate. However, the industry standard is around £20-25 p/h. Then of course it depends on how many of your hours of retirement you’re going to put in to – well – not being retired.

• Average Salary of an Assessor

Am I eligible to become an assessor?

If you can answer ‘yes’ to the following questions, then you are very likely eligible to train as a Assessor:

• Do you have a minimum of two years’ working experience in a vocational field?
• Do you have vocational qualifications in your field? E.g. An NVQ?
• Do you want to work with future generations aspiring to work in your previous career field?

If you meet all the above criteria, then congratulations! You’re eligible to train as a Assessor.

Do I have to have an NVQ to become a freelance assessor in retirement?

In the above criteria, we’ve listed having an NVQ as a mandatory requirement. However, there are some training providers who will accept a significant amount of relevant work experience in the necessary field in place of a formal qualification.

How do I become a Freelance Assessor?

If you answered ‘yes’ to all our eligibility questions, then all that’s left to do is enrol onto the Assessor course that’s right for you.

There are 3 different courses to choose from; each of which differs slightly from the others:

• ACWE – Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence in the Work Environment – This qualifies you to assess in the workplace This means you would not be able to assess in the classroom.
• AVRA – Level 3 Award in Assessing Vocationally Related Achievement – This qualifies you to assess in the classroom only. This means you would not be able to assess in the workplace.
• CAVA – Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement – This is the only qualification that will make you a fully-qualified Assessor who is able to assess in both workplace and classroom environments. It is our most comprehensive (and most popular!) course.

So, if you want to become a fully-qualified Assessor who can work in both the classroom and the workplace, you’ll need to complete the CAVA course.

Assessing in Multiple Sectors

Most of us will move through several careers over our working life. If this applies to you, then you may find you’re eligible to assess in more than one vocational field! The great news is that the Assessor qualifications are not industry-specific; which means if you meet the eligibility criteria for more than one vocational field, you’ll be qualified to assess in all of them after completing a the CAVA course.

Finding work as a qualified Freelance Assessor

You may be wondering how you’d find work after all this is done. If you’re not employed, how are you getting clients?

Well, there are a few ways to promote your services as a Freelance Assessor.

• Apply through a job site – Many institutions will advertise their need for Freelance Assessors on classic job sites such as Indeed and Reed. However, in these cases, they’ll usually stipulate how much they’re willing to pay.
• Search through a relevant community network – As well as traditional job sites, you’ll also find there are sites advertising IEPA work specifically, such as EPAHub.
• Sign up to specialist recruitment agencies – Some recruitment agencies specialise in training and assessment. Getting yourself on these agencies’ books can mean they do the work for you, putting you forward for relevant roles.
• Self-promotion – Then, of course, you could bypass the above and promote yourself. You can create a website to advertise your services, reach out to local training providers, and attend relevant conferences to make connections in your industry.

Is there an upper age limit?

Not at all! Anyone who’s still got that spring in their step is more than welcome to enrol. As a matter of fact, our oldest student so far (I’m sure they won’t mind us saying) is 78!

Ready to learn more?

If after reading this, you’re thinking this might be the perfect retirement earner for you, then we recommend getting in touch today. We at Brooks and Kirk can guide you through the application process to enrol on to the CAVA course and help you prepare for the next steps.