Last checked: 31 October 2026
Driving examiner jobs in Great Britain are run by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and advertised on Civil Service Jobs. DVSA’s latest advert paid £32,027 a year, plus a £4,000 London Weighting Allowance at some centres. To apply you must be 23 or over, have held a full manual UK or EU licence for 3 years and have no more than 3 penalty points. Successful applicants train for 6 weeks.
Searching for driving examiner jobs brings up job boards, old adverts and salary estimates that disagree with each other. This guide uses DVSA’s own recruitment pages and its latest advert to explain what the job pays, who can apply, how the selection process works and where to find vacancies, plus the separate routes for delegated examiners and Northern Ireland.
What does a driving examiner do?
A DVSA driving examiner decides whether learners have the skills to drive safely on their own. During each test you watch the candidate’s driving, decision-making and hazard awareness, make a fair judgement, then give clear feedback and complete a report explaining the result.
DVSA describes the job as rewarding but sometimes challenging: you will regularly give disappointing news, and you need to stay calm, patient and consistent with nervous candidates. Driving examiners are civil servants. DVSA employs around 4,900 people in total, across examiner, enforcement and support roles.
How much do driving examiners earn?
| Pay and benefits | DVSA’s latest advert |
|---|---|
| Salary | £32,027 a year |
| London Weighting Allowance | £4,000 a year at the Chingford, Enfield and Hendon clusters |
| Employer pension contribution | 28.97% of salary (Civil Service pension) |
| Annual leave | 25 days, rising by 1 day a year to 30 days |
| Public and privilege holidays | 9 days a year |
| Learning and development | 5 days a year |
The salary is the same across Great Britain, with the London allowance only at the named clusters, not at every London centre. Pay can change between recruitment rounds, so always check the figure in the advert you are applying for. If you are weighing up examining against teaching, our guide to driving instructor salaries sets out what instructors earn.
Who can apply?
The latest advert sets three essential requirements. You must:
- be 23 or over
- have held a full manual UK or EU driving licence continuously for the last 3 years
- have no more than 3 penalty points on your licence when you apply
You do not need to be a driving instructor or have formal qualifications. DVSA looks for people who are keen observers, communicate clearly and calmly, and give good customer service. Some careers websites still list older requirements, such as being 24 or holding a licence for 4 years, so go by the current advert. Our guide to how long points stay on your licence will help if you are close to the limit.
In Scotland, the careers service My World of Work says you also need to be accepted into the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme run by Disclosure Scotland.
The selection process
There are four stages, and you must pass each one to move on to the next:
- Application form
- Online assessment exercise
- Online interview
- Driving assessment
Driving examiner training
If you are successful, your training lasts 6 weeks, full time, Monday to Friday. The first week is at your local driving test centre. Weeks 2 to 6 are at a regional training centre, and DVSA covers your accommodation and expenses for that part.
Where to find driving examiner vacancies
DVSA advertises all its jobs on the Civil Service Jobs website. It recruits for specific test centres, and it asks you to apply only if you live near one of the centres listed.
Its most recent round, open until 11:55pm on 1 November 2026, covered 45 locations, including Barnsley, Birmingham, Doncaster, Dundee, Hull, Liverpool, Peterborough, Stirling, Sunderland and Wolverhampton, as well as a cluster of centres around north and east London. If your area is not listed, or that date has passed, check Civil Service Jobs regularly for the next round.
Is there a demand for driving examiners?
Yes. DVSA’s business plan for 2025 to 2026 says it will increase driving test capacity by recruiting and training driving examiners, and by doubling its number of permanent trainers so new examiners can start testing sooner. It also plans a recruitment campaign for examiners who carry out instructor qualifying tests and standards checks.
The same plan sets a target of a national car driving test waiting time of 7 weeks or fewer, which is why examiner recruitment is a priority. Learners waiting for a slot can read our guide to finding an earlier driving test.
Other examiner routes
Delegated driving examiners
Some organisations can test their own staff. GOV.UK says bus or haulage operating licence holders, police services, and fire and rescue services can apply to DVSA to provide driving tests. Their staff who carry out the tests are called delegated driving examiners.
Delegated examiners must complete an initial training course and pass DVSA’s delegated examiner theory and practical tests, and DVSA checks their licence and any convictions or penalty points. They can test their own organisation’s staff, but not anyone they have trained themselves. These are not public vacancies: you become one through your employer. Our guides to the class 2 licence and becoming a class 1 driver explain the lorry tests involved.
Northern Ireland
Driving tests in Northern Ireland are run by the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA), not DVSA, so examiner jobs there are recruited separately by the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
DVLA or DVSA?
The DVLA deals with driving licences and vehicle tax. Driving tests, and the examiners who carry them out, are DVSA’s responsibility, so search for DVSA vacancies rather than DVLA ones.
Is it difficult to become a driving examiner?
The entry requirements are open to most experienced drivers, but the selection process is thorough, with four stages including a driving assessment, and the 6-week training is intensive. Newly qualified examiners describe the training as challenging but well supported.
The skills that matter most are judgement and temperament: being objective, staying calm under pressure and putting nervous candidates at ease. Strong driving matters too, so brush up on The Highway Code before the driving assessment. Our guides to how long a driving test takes and how many minors you can have explain the test you would be conducting.
Frequently asked questions
How much do driving examiners get paid?
DVSA’s latest advert paid £32,027 a year, with a £4,000 London Weighting Allowance at the Chingford, Enfield and Hendon clusters, and an employer pension contribution of 28.97%.
What qualifications do I need to be a driving examiner?
No formal qualifications. You must be 23 or over, have held a full manual UK or EU licence for the last 3 years, and have no more than 3 penalty points.
Is there a demand for driving examiners?
Yes. DVSA’s 2025 to 2026 business plan includes recruiting and training more driving examiners to increase test capacity and cut waiting times.
Is it difficult to become a driving examiner?
You have to pass four stages: an application form, an online assessment, an online interview and a driving assessment. Training then lasts 6 weeks, full time.
Do I need to be a driving instructor to become an examiner?
No. DVSA’s requirements are about your age, licence and penalty points, not instructor experience. The National Careers Service does note that highly experienced instructors could move into examining.
How do I find driving examiner jobs near me?
Search Civil Service Jobs for DVSA driving examiner vacancies. Each round lists the test centres it covers, and DVSA asks you to apply only if you live near one of them.
Can I become a lorry or bus driving examiner?
Lorry and bus tests are carried out by DVSA examiners and, for some operators, by delegated examiners who test their own staff. If you work for a bus or haulage operator, ask whether it runs a delegated testing scheme.
How do I become a driving examiner in Northern Ireland?
Tests in Northern Ireland are run by the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA), so look for vacancies from the Northern Ireland Civil Service rather than DVSA.
Sources: Civil Service Careers Driving Examiner roles at DVSA; GOV.UK Working for DVSA; DVSA Driving Examiner advert closing 1 November 2026, as listed by Inclusive Jobs; DVSA business plan 2025 to 2026; GOV.UK Provide driving tests for your employees; My World of Work Driving examiner; National Careers Service Driving instructor.