It’s 5.45am and my morning alarm rings. Living in Scotland and this being November, I awake to a pitch-black sky and almost freezing temperatures. I groan, not quite silently, (unfortunately for my husband) and force myself out of bed. Today I am exam invigilator and my shift starts in just over an hour.

The monthly exam I invigilate is the Occupational English Test (OET); an English as a second language (ESL) exam for health professionals who wish to work in an English-speaking country. The ...