I will preface this by saying that I have never left a 1 star review of an employer before. I worked just a few shifts with MTS and my experience has been generally negative.
- Some colleagues are just on power trips. In training, invigilators are told to remain "polite but firm" but in practice, this becomes "rude and condescending" instead. I witnessed several instances of staff being unnecessarily disagreeable with candiates over checking ID documents; turning people away is part of the job, but being reasonable and polite about it should not be optional. Staff refused to let a young girl sit in reception whilst her mum took a test. She instead waited outside in the rain and -2°c for 45 minutes. This isn't professional, it's draconian.
- Training was minimal. I was called in at short notice and without any on-the-job training due to staff shortages. Although usually polite, senior staff still had an expectation that I should know the job inside out already and took no time to explain anything.
- Embarrassingly poor customer service is the norm. In my most recent shift, candidates were waiting at least 2 hours to start a test because no member of staff could figure out how to log on to the computers. Incompetence is on a systemic level rather than an individual one.
- Admin is appalling. Candidates complained of emailing and calling customer services numerous times with no response. HR make errors all the time. When planning shifts, scheduling team rarely give you the amount of notice they say they will; they're also supposed to tell you what days you're not working (as well as the ones you are), after you submit your availability but apparently they've given up doing this and leave you to guess. I was scheduled a shift for the morning and when I arrived I was expected to stay the afternoon too (which I did not). Referencing took far too long.
- Interior of exam centre looks and feels like a prison. No effort made to make the centre presentable or comfortable. Noisy alarms going off all the time, doors that don't close and slam in the wind. Temperamental heating.
