Superintending 2022

History Queen

I was called today at 11.30 and asked to superintend. I've never done it before and have no instructions. Apparently they'll be sent on. Where can i find the training video?

Edit: found it here in case anyone else looking https://www.examinations.ie/?l=en&mc=cs&sc=cs

Landers11

I wonder how many people have to cancel their post due to medical appointments or other events that come up last minute. Very awkward that they can't facilitate this without having to give up your entire post.

sandyxxx

Is there any truth to the rumours that Mileage will be taxed this year?! 😯

gaiscioch

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119155489#Comment_119155489

I had to attend an appointment over the course of the superintending and, while the woman on the phone said an exception can be made for a medical appointment, when I emailed them (as per her instruction), I was told clearly that if a person cannot make every single exam over the 3 weeks, they cannot do any of them.

Bananaleaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119158984#Comment_119158984

LOL. If that's true, they will be up to 90 on day 1, looking for A LOT of replacements!

SaigonRaider

Superintending for the first time, I've heard some people have had very helpful schools giving superintendents their timetable of what exams that they will have. While others get little or no information. Is this the same across the country?

Bananaleaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119166285#Comment_119166285

That makes no sense. You will know the minute you open your box tomorrow in the distribution centre what exams you will have.

You need very little information from the school at all.

spurious

Chaos at Castleknock hotel pickup. Between people arriving too early, shortage of parking and then people forgetting where they parked it's mental. Not drive through. Park wherever you can, queue on the grass for ages and then hope you remember where the car is. I pity the hotel staff and guests.

Bananaleaf

It's the exact same in Tallaght. I've been sitting outside the basketball arena for the last half hr. My pickup time is 11.30 and I had set out with the intention of being an hour early to get my run done. LOL.

spurious

I overheard hotel staff saying they are going to close access to the car park here for a bit. There seems to be some football team here too. No idea why they didn't use an industrial estate.

Bananaleaf

Just got out of the car in Tallaght and I am back behind all the same people, in person this time, in a queue to get into the building! This is beyond ridiculous. There will be some who definitely turn away today and say 'feck that'

gaiscioch

This is some massive scuaine in front of me in Tallaght. A fire brigade just arrived for the craic and the guys are getting out. The only question I have is do I have to arrange for my kids to be collected at 2pm by somebody else at this late stage. Why is something similar happening in other collection points like Castleknock?

PS: The queue is now starting far further back than it was when I was at the end.

History Queen

All very organised so far at the Talbot Hotel Clonmel

sitstill

My pick up was 9am in Tallaght and it was already chaos. I arrived at 8.30 but they didn’t let us into the building until about 930. Very disorganised inside then as well. As I was leaving about 10:30 the car park was full and cars were queuing all the way out to the main road to get in.

Bananaleaf

Absolute shambles from start to finish.

Queue to get to the basketball arena

Queue to get a carpark space

Queue to get inside

Queue to get white envelope

Queue to get examination boxes.

Lads helping with the carrying of the boxes were playing an absolute blinder though

Queue to leave the distribution centre

And then the unfortunate queue to leave the hellhole because of the ambulance. They are very very lucky that ambulance was even able to get in.

Get to my centre to discover that nobody except for one man was given any security seals. He didn't even have enough to share with us all and that was with only putting one tag on the boxes, which is pointless really.

Quality of stuff in boxes is poorer than in previous years (ink pads v cheap, stamps are raggedy) - it speaks volumes about how much importance the junior cert is regarded with.

Hontou

No seals or ink pad in my stationery box today. Can't leave advice slips, centre roll etc in it as a result. Got a text about it ......they are delivering seals later in the week. Parking problems in Athlone today too but all running smoothly inside. Mileage payment the same as last year, I think.

Leftwaffe

Hearing reports of a school that only got the Irish version of the day to day instructions. No tags either. Absolute nightmare being had.

chases0102

Complete shambles in Castleknock. If it was raining I would say there would have been a national crisis, as many would have just turned away!

some important bits missing in my envelope too, including the General Instructions

History Queen

Shortage of seals in our school too. It was flagged with us at training that we might be short and to make do with what other Superintendents had but we weren't expecting to have none when we opened the boxes.

Not a great start but hopefully all else will run smoothly.

Bobtheman

Seems according to press there is a shortage of people to correct? Any particular reason for this outside or how boring it is?

spurious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119172518#Comment_119172518

• Depending on what your own level of income is the tax makes it hardly worthwhile.
• Depending on how many re-works of the marking scheme happen you could be re-marking the same papers for no extra money.
• The late payment.
• In some cases the early deadlines are very tight.
• Some advising examiners take the piss and text/email instructions very late at night or early in the morning.
• People's previous experiences of examining are not always positive.
• In the past you were never really given any sense that the SEC valued you.

History Queen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119172518#Comment_119172518

It's 7days a week and depending on the subject can be very long days. LC English for example begins 27th June and doesn't finish until 25th July. That's a long enough commitment.

gaiscioch

SEC inspections - they exist! 😮

Treppen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119173864#Comment_119173864

And they are short staffed eh !

My experiences of Tallaght Arena was always military precision.

Its should be obvious to everyone now it's a setup so that teachers are going to be blamed and roll on teacher in house assessment.

Bobtheman

I applied once and backed out. Once it went online id never do it as in English you'd get a variety of different texts because as far as I know it's no longer exams from one school.

I think it takes a person who can handle those long days.

It's just a bit surprising with cost of living etc that the usual shortage has increased.

Though there are easier ways to make money in my opinion. They should pay you a good bit more after 2 years.

As to whether they are cynically running the system down i really doubt that.

Bananaleaf

Lads, this superintending is really starting to not be worth it.

Still no security seals in our place. Using cable ties from my car boot.

38 in my centre and an additional 5 separate centres, with 5 different sep. centre attendants to deal with.

SEC have made quite a few errors and there is contradictory instructions in gen instructions and day-to-day

With JC there are less days so less money.

I don't know if it's Covid or just the school I'm in, but they seem to need guidance on exam etiquette too

I know it's only day one, so we will see, but this is just not feeling worth the hassle this year. May be my final rodeo

Leftwaffe

Anyone have a PDF of the day to day instructions please?

Bananaleaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119175247#Comment_119175247

No, just the general ones

Starkystark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119175214#Comment_119175214

Near same here 36 in my JC centre - with 7 special centres - each with a special attendant. 2 students were down as higher - gave them the higher for the DP to come running in 3 mins into the exam with letters for them to take ordinary! Absolute madness.

Day -to-Day instructions contradict general instructions a lot.

Bananaleaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119175377#Comment_119175377

You'd swear the state exams had last been conducted a decade ago the way some are handling it