diff --git a/tests/qemu-iotests/030 b/tests/qemu-iotests/030
index b5f88959aa..640a6dfd10 100755
--- a/tests/qemu-iotests/030
+++ b/tests/qemu-iotests/030
@@ -86,11 +86,9 @@ class TestSingleDrive(iotests.QMPTestCase):
         result = self.vm.qmp('block-stream', device='drive0')
         self.assert_qmp(result, 'return', {})
 
-        result = self.vm.qmp('block-job-pause', device='drive0')
-        self.assert_qmp(result, 'return', {})
-
+        self.pause_job('drive0', wait=False)
         self.vm.resume_drive('drive0')
-        self.pause_job('drive0')
+        self.pause_wait('drive0')
 
         result = self.vm.qmp('query-block-jobs')
         offset = self.dictpath(result, 'return[0]/offset')
diff --git a/tests/qemu-iotests/055 b/tests/qemu-iotests/055
index 8a5d9fd269..3437c11507 100755
--- a/tests/qemu-iotests/055
+++ b/tests/qemu-iotests/055
@@ -86,11 +86,9 @@ class TestSingleDrive(iotests.QMPTestCase):
                              target=target, sync='full')
         self.assert_qmp(result, 'return', {})
 
-        result = self.vm.qmp('block-job-pause', device='drive0')
-        self.assert_qmp(result, 'return', {})
-
+        self.pause_job('drive0', wait=False)
         self.vm.resume_drive('drive0')
-        self.pause_job('drive0')
+        self.pause_wait('drive0')
 
         result = self.vm.qmp('query-block-jobs')
         offset = self.dictpath(result, 'return[0]/offset')
@@ -303,13 +301,12 @@ class TestSingleTransaction(iotests.QMPTestCase):
         ])
         self.assert_qmp(result, 'return', {})
 
-        result = self.vm.qmp('block-job-pause', device='drive0')
-        self.assert_qmp(result, 'return', {})
+        self.pause_job('drive0', wait=False)
 
         result = self.vm.qmp('block-job-set-speed', device='drive0', speed=0)
         self.assert_qmp(result, 'return', {})
 
-        self.pause_job('drive0')
+        self.pause_wait('drive0')
 
         result = self.vm.qmp('query-block-jobs')
         offset = self.dictpath(result, 'return[0]/offset')
@@ -534,11 +531,9 @@ class TestDriveCompression(iotests.QMPTestCase):
         result = self.vm.qmp(cmd, device='drive0', sync='full', compress=True, **args)
         self.assert_qmp(result, 'return', {})
 
-        result = self.vm.qmp('block-job-pause', device='drive0')
-        self.assert_qmp(result, 'return', {})
-
+        self.pause_job('drive0', wait=False)
         self.vm.resume_drive('drive0')
-        self.pause_job('drive0')
+        self.pause_wait('drive0')
 
         result = self.vm.qmp('query-block-jobs')
         offset = self.dictpath(result, 'return[0]/offset')
diff --git a/tests/qemu-iotests/iotests.py b/tests/qemu-iotests/iotests.py
index 845be3ad01..b5d7945af8 100644
--- a/tests/qemu-iotests/iotests.py
+++ b/tests/qemu-iotests/iotests.py
@@ -506,10 +506,7 @@ class QMPTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
         event = self.wait_until_completed(drive=drive)
         self.assert_qmp(event, 'data/type', 'mirror')
 
-    def pause_job(self, job_id='job0'):
-        result = self.vm.qmp('block-job-pause', device=job_id)
-        self.assert_qmp(result, 'return', {})
-
+    def pause_wait(self, job_id='job0'):
         with Timeout(1, "Timeout waiting for job to pause"):
             while True:
                 result = self.vm.qmp('query-block-jobs')
@@ -517,6 +514,13 @@ class QMPTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
                     if job['device'] == job_id and job['paused'] == True and job['busy'] == False:
                         return job
 
+    def pause_job(self, job_id='job0', wait=True):
+        result = self.vm.qmp('block-job-pause', device=job_id)
+        self.assert_qmp(result, 'return', {})
+        if wait:
+            return self.pause_wait(job_id)
+        return result
+
 
 def notrun(reason):
     '''Skip this test suite'''