Driving Examiner

Job summary

Do you drive safely and know the Highway Code?

Do you enjoy working with others and helping customers?

Can you do more than one task at a time and stay calm?

Can you notice key details and record them accurately?

Can you give feedback clearly and sensitively?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at Working for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency , Civil Service Careers

Job description

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is looking for people to join our team as Driving Examiners. This vital public service role plays an important part in keeping Britain’s roads safe, as well as connecting people and their communities.

As a Driving Examiner, you will be part of a team at a DVSA driving test centre, working with colleagues to provide a professional service to customers. You will spend your day conducting driving tests; each test is approximately 57 minutes long and Examiners working full-time are expected to complete 7 tests a day. During the tests you will need to observe carefully, recall key details accurately and report your findings clearly. You will need to be able to:

• Communicate clearly with customers, giving clear instructions.
• Put nervous customers at ease.
• Keep yourself, the customer, and other members of the public safe.
• Have a strong awareness of your surroundings both within and outside of the car.
• Observe driving behaviours, recall key details and record outcomes accurately using a digital tablet.
• Assess whether customers meet the standard to drive safely and responsibly.
• Hold difficult conversations with the customer and deliver driving test outcomes sensitively, clearly, and professionally.

As well as carrying out driving tests, you will work with colleagues to plan the day, discuss local traffic conditions and agree alternative routes when needed. You will also help improve the service for customers by sharing ideas, responding to queries and completing light administrative tasks, such as recording candidate feedback and checking your schedule.

At all times, our Driving Examiners uphold impartiality, professionalism, and integrity, and act as a role model for the DVSA and Civil Service.

For further information on the role, please read the attached role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Want to know more? Check out our careers site: DVSA – Driving Examiner , Civil Service Careers

Person specification

We are looking for individuals who:

• Are aged 23 or over (a requirement of the 3rd EU Driving Licence Directive - Directive 006/126)
• Have held a full manual UK or EU driving licence continuously for the last 3 years
• Have no more than 3 penalty points on their licence at time of application
• Understand and can demonstrate what safe driving looks like (you don't need a background in driver training or a driving-related profession)
• Are resilient and remain calm and composed in stressful situations
• Can efficiently manage multiple tasks simultaneously
• Have strong observation, recall and reporting skills, with excellent attention to detail
• Have excellent communication skills, with the ability to give clear instructions, hold difficult conversations, and deliver messages sensitively
• Can adapt their style to a diverse range of customers to ensure that every driver feels respected
• Make fair, impartial, evidence-based decisions
• Uphold high standards of professionalism and integrity
• Are willing to travel to various test centres as required

Training

After the recruitment process is complete successful candidates will start a 6-week Driving Examiner training programme. This will equip you with everything that you need to know for the role.

All Driving Examiners must pass this training programme. It is comprehensive and fast-paced so before you apply, please ensure that you are ready and willing to undertake the 6-week full-time training programme. Driving Examiners can work a range of work patterns but the training is delivered on a full-time basis to allow you the necessary time to learn the skills for the role.

Week 1: At your designated test centre.

Weeks 2 - 6: Driving test control & assessment training at a regional training facility. This may be residential, with expenses covered by DVSA.

For external candidates please note If you do not successfully complete the training programme, your employment with DVSA will be terminated.

Existing Civil Servants can be appointed on inward loan subject to the terms of a short-term loan agreement for which your home department will be liable for salary costs for the duration of the training course. If you successfully complete the training, you will be transferred permanently to DVSA, but if you are unsuccessful, you will not be able to take up employment with DVSA and will return to your previous department. Please ensure that you discuss and agree this with your current department before accepting a post.

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full-time Driving Examiners work 37 hours a week over seven days. One weekend day is required to be worked each month, but you’ll get a weekday off each time one is scheduled.

This role is not suitable for hybrid working and will require the successful candidate to work solely from a DVSA driving test centre.

If you have a question about working patterns, part time hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder (DVSA email address at the bottom of the advert) during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Licence sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. Candidates must ensure they have the appropriate rights to work in the UK before application.

Licences

You must have held a full manual UK or EU driving licence continuously for the last 3 years.
You’ll also need to have no more than 3 penalty points on your licence at time of application.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,027, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency contributes £9,278 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.
• Access to the staff discount portal.
• Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
• Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies (opens in a new window).

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

You will be assessed against the following behaviours that have been tailored to directly reflect the role requirement:

Communicating and Influencing

You have excellent interpersonal skills, establishing mutual trust and respect quickly with a wide range of people. You communicate clearly and respectfully, verbally and in writing, adapting your style to suit the audience and the situation. You deliver difficult messages sensitively and compassionately. You remain composed in challenging situations, using your approach to maintain a calm and safe environment.

Managing a Quality Service

You have strong work ethic and take personal responsibility for your work. You adapt your approach in a measured way to meet diverse customer needs or changing circumstances. You are proactive, managing your time, recognising opportunities to take action to support the smooth running and quality standards of your team.

Making Effective Decisions

You can accurately observe and process multiple streams of information at once to build a full picture of a situation. You show excellent judgement and remain objective and consistent, including in high-pressure or rapidly developing situations. You have the confidence to make and stand by decisions, informed by rules or processes and the evidence.

How to apply:

We know that starting a new career is a big decision, so we want to make the process as clear as possible. From submitting your application to starting in the role, the recruitment process can take several months. This is because we take time to make sure every new Driving Examiner is fully prepared for the role and meets the high standards needed to help keep Britain’s roads safe. Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's skills and potential fit within our organisation.

Stage 1: Application Form

As part of the application form, you will be asked to provide a CV with brief career history. Please note that this is not a mandatory requirement of the application process and will not be scored or contribute to your overall result within the process. Therefore, an N/A will be sufficient in this box.

Stage 2:Driving Examiner Online Assessment tool.

You will be invited to undertake two self-directed online assessments, which you will complete in your own time within a given timeframe.

The first will be a Customer Service exercise, designed to measure how you interact with others, provide excellent customer service and maintain professional standards.

The second will be an observation and reporting exercise that test your ability to notice relevant details, remember key information, apply criteria accurately and produce a clear, evidence-based record of your findings. This reflects an important part of the Driving Examiner role: observing what happens during a test, recalling relevant details and reporting outcomes clearly and fairly.

You will be assessed against the three Success Profile behaviours - Communicating and Influencing, Managing a Quality Service and Making Effective Decisions.

Your scores from both assessments will be combined to determine whether you progress to the next stage.

The sift results are anticipated to be released by 19 November 2026.

You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.

Stage 3 : Interview

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviours – (Communicating & Influencing, Managing a Quality Service, Making Effective Decisions)
• Strengths

The interviews are scheduled to start on 30th November and to finish on 22nd December 2026, If these dates are subject to change you will be given sufficient notice of the revised timeframes.

If you cannot attend on the dates outlined, we may not be able to reschedule.

This interview will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. Further details will be provided if you are selected for interview.

Stage 4 –Driving Assessment

If you progress to this stage, you will be contacted separately and invited to a regional location for a driving assessment. The driving assessment checks that you can drive safely and confidently to the standard expected of a Driving Examiner.

The driving assessment will be in a manual car provided by DVSA. You will be expected to drive on various types of roads and in different traffic conditions.

The drive assessment centres are currently scheduled to commence in January 2027. If you are unable to agree a date to attend when we contact you, we may not be able to reschedule.

More detailed guidance will be provided if you are invited to assessment.

You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site (opens in a new window).

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.

Further information on the selection process

During your application, tell us which cluster you wish to be considered for. If successful, you will be placed on a success list of candidates for that cluster and offers will be made in merit order. We advise you to carefully consider your cluster choice. If you decline an offer for your preferred cluster your application will be withdrawn. If your preferred cluster is already filled, we may offer you an alternative cluster within a reasonable travelling distance. If you decline an alternative cluster, you will not be removed from the reserve list. You will not be offered locations outside a reasonable travelling distance.

Where we cannot make an immediate offer to all successful candidates in each cluster we will also hold a 12 month reserve list for this role in each of the clusters , which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for.

Please note - As part of the pre-employment checks all potential new entrant driving examiners will be required to undergo a DBS check initiated by DVSA that is processed by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). This check is a full enhanced check, which shows the same as a standard check plus any information held by local police that’s considered relevant to the role. This is because the Driving Examiner role is part of the notifiable occupation scheme.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit theHow We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

Pre-employment Checking

If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

All external applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:

• Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour
• Threats or acts of violence
• Illegal activity or substance misuse
• Sexually explicit material
• Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public. Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle - it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture. If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : DVSA Frontline Recruitment Team
• Email : frontline.recruitment@dvsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here

Attachments

Cluster Locations Opens in new window (pdf, 65kB)DE Role Profile Opens in new window (pdf, 294kB)DVSA candidate pack Opens in new window (pdf, 7318kB)