What are the Requirements for a Job as an Assessor?
If you’re thinking about becoming or already are an Assessor, one thing is for sure: you need an Assessor qualification. But what are the other requirements for a job as an Assessor?
We’ve been looking on a number of job sites recently to find out what exactly employers are looking for. Something that became apparent was the three requirements that we were finding over and over again…
The Assessor Qualification
ALL assessing jobs will ask for an Assessor Qualification. It is an absolute necessity.
They may call it the ‘TAQA’, ‘A1’, or ‘D32’ – but the current and official name is the ‘CAVA’. This stands for the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement. This is a universal qualification; meaning that whatever sector you wish to assess in, CAVA qualifies you to do just that.
But apart from this, what else do you need?
Sector-Specific Qualifications
Another requirement for a job as an Assessor is to be Occupationally Competent in the sector you wish to assess in. To prove this, some employers require their Assessors to have a relevant accredited qualification within that sector.
More often than not, this is in areas such as Health & Social Care, Childcare, Hair & Beauty, and Sport/Fitness. However, this isn’t the case for all sectors or employers; for example in Trades such as Construction, some will simply require that the candidate has a number of years of relevant work experience!
But, normally without any accredited qualifications, the maximum level an assessor can assess at is 3.
Our flow-chart on Occupational Competence should give you an idea of whether you are Occupationally Competent or not!
Teaching Qualifications
As we were looking at the job sites to find the requirements for a job as an Assessor, we discovered something. A lot of employers were expressing the need for their candidate to have a teaching qualification alongside their Assessor qualification. This teaching qualification being the PTLLs – currently known as the Level 3 Award in Education and Training (AET). We found evidence of this within:
- Childcare;
- Health and Social Care;
- Trades – Plumbing, Construction, Joinery, and Electrical;
- Sport and Fitness;
- Hair and Beauty;
- Hospitality;
- Engineering;
and many others.
In some job adverts, it was ‘desirable‘ or ‘an advantage‘ –
In others, it was ‘essential‘ or ‘required‘ –
We’ve known for a long time that it’s an advantage to have this qualification; that’s why we designed our courses so that the two overlap. As a matter of fact, 58% of tasks in the Level 3 Award in Education and Training cross-over to the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement!
So they’re the requirements for a job as an Assessor!
If you need helping with writing your CV, check out our Guide to a Killer CV for Further Education Jobs. Alternatively, if you’ve already sorted your CV and have an interview coming up, don’t forget to take a look at our Tips to Ace Your NVQ Assessor Job Interview!