Education inspector

An inspector of education spends much of the job on site. The inspector observes lessons, reviews the school's records, and examines whether the administration, the buildings and the equipment meet the standards set in regulation. From that evidence comes an assessment of how the school functions, written up in a report for the school and submitted to senior officials. Quality audits are carried out as part of the same work, and the inspector checks compliance with the curriculum and with curriculum standards.

The role is not only inspection. The inspector gives feedback to teachers on what was seen in their classrooms, advises on teaching methodology and on what would improve results, and identifies organisational needs a school has not recognised in itself. Training courses and conferences for teachers are sometimes prepared and organised by the inspector as well.

The work requires pedagogy solid enough to judge a lesson fairly, the ability to write findings that a school can act on rather than resent, and independence, since the conclusions may be unwelcome to the people being inspected. Developments across the education sector are monitored continuously. Education inspector qualifications are set by the education authority of each country.