Driving instructor
Discussion
Good evening PH,
After a little bit of advice. I'm currently in a job I don't enjoy, and my dream job of a police officer is just getting harder and harder to get into (talks of degrees and what not).
I've often thought about becoming a driving instructor and decided to have a look into it.
Is anyone on here one? From what I understand from looking quickly this evening I need to do some tests and some driving schools can help with that, RED and the AA have popped up on my searches. Are there any to avoid or can anyone recommend any? I'm in Dorset but closeish to Hampshire if needed.
Any advice would be fantastic.
After a little bit of advice. I'm currently in a job I don't enjoy, and my dream job of a police officer is just getting harder and harder to get into (talks of degrees and what not).
I've often thought about becoming a driving instructor and decided to have a look into it.
Is anyone on here one? From what I understand from looking quickly this evening I need to do some tests and some driving schools can help with that, RED and the AA have popped up on my searches. Are there any to avoid or can anyone recommend any? I'm in Dorset but closeish to Hampshire if needed.
Any advice would be fantastic.
I've not been an ADI but have been a qualified motorcycle instructor which I did in my spare time for fun. I have been around the ADI industry however and you do have to go in with your eyes open re potential wage and working pattern (low and mainly evenings & weekends and usually nowt over Christmas!).
Plus: 'You could start work with a franchised driving school and eventually move into self-employment. Competition can be very strong as there are no restrictions on how many instructors can operate in a local area.' So do your homework on the size of the potential market in your chosen area. Get that wrong and you could be disappointed.
See more at: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advic...
Plus: 'You could start work with a franchised driving school and eventually move into self-employment. Competition can be very strong as there are no restrictions on how many instructors can operate in a local area.' So do your homework on the size of the potential market in your chosen area. Get that wrong and you could be disappointed.
See more at: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advic...
My position was made redundant at the end of 2014 and with no desire to find an alternative job with the company, I started thinking about what I could do. Didn't really want to stay within IT and becoming a driving instructor was high on my list - and is something I'd thought about doing before, but no real reason to move out of my career at that time.
I first approached a local driving school about training and joining in January 2015 and fully qualified as an ADI in October 2015.
January - March - CRB check, initial application to be added to the Register
April - Part 1 (Theory and Hazard Perception)
May - Part 2 (Driving test - 1 hour, maximum of 6 driving faults and marked at higher standard than the L test)
then the fun part.
I opted to go down the route of a trainee (pink) licence for which you have to have 40 hours training signed off. Doesn't need to be an ORDIT trainer, just someone that can get you through the syllabus. I did this between end of June and start of August, could have been faster but wanted to learn rather than just going through the motions. Got my trainee licence started mid-August and then took Part 3 mid-October and passed first time. If you don't want to use the trainee licence, then there's no minimum amount of training, you just have to pass Part 3 (and you have three attempts at each of Part 2 and Part 3).
I stayed with the local company throughout as they had put through a previous ADI and didn't want to go down the route of the large nationals like the AA or RED. I am under a franchise now but it's relatively relaxed (no franchise agreement signed for example) compared to being tied in with the big companies, and also relatively cheap. Have had to buy my own car but they had a deal with the brand which was reasonable discount, but there are clearly advantages of using RED, AA, LDC etc. where you can lease the car as part of the franchise. Each to their own.
Be aware of the pass rates - only about 30% of people who start the qualification people pass Part 3, so even if you're the best driver in the world that means nothing if you can't teach.
As you're in Hampshire, I would recommend getting in touch with Blaine Walsh - he runs driving-instructor.tv who I subscribed to and has a load of videos going through each of the pre-set tests and phases so that you can get an idea of what is involved and how to supplement your own briefings and style. He's expensive if you want training with him, but he'd be a good start to give you an idea of what to expect.
As someone else asked, the rates vary depending on where you are. We're charging £31/hour for standard lessons, but in other parts of Scotland it's £25/£26 per hour depending on the area. So yes you can make a decent living out of it, but not immediately when you are first qualifying and then also depends which route you go once qualified - franchised/independent etc.
I first approached a local driving school about training and joining in January 2015 and fully qualified as an ADI in October 2015.
January - March - CRB check, initial application to be added to the Register
April - Part 1 (Theory and Hazard Perception)
May - Part 2 (Driving test - 1 hour, maximum of 6 driving faults and marked at higher standard than the L test)
then the fun part.
I opted to go down the route of a trainee (pink) licence for which you have to have 40 hours training signed off. Doesn't need to be an ORDIT trainer, just someone that can get you through the syllabus. I did this between end of June and start of August, could have been faster but wanted to learn rather than just going through the motions. Got my trainee licence started mid-August and then took Part 3 mid-October and passed first time. If you don't want to use the trainee licence, then there's no minimum amount of training, you just have to pass Part 3 (and you have three attempts at each of Part 2 and Part 3).
I stayed with the local company throughout as they had put through a previous ADI and didn't want to go down the route of the large nationals like the AA or RED. I am under a franchise now but it's relatively relaxed (no franchise agreement signed for example) compared to being tied in with the big companies, and also relatively cheap. Have had to buy my own car but they had a deal with the brand which was reasonable discount, but there are clearly advantages of using RED, AA, LDC etc. where you can lease the car as part of the franchise. Each to their own.
Be aware of the pass rates - only about 30% of people who start the qualification people pass Part 3, so even if you're the best driver in the world that means nothing if you can't teach.
As you're in Hampshire, I would recommend getting in touch with Blaine Walsh - he runs driving-instructor.tv who I subscribed to and has a load of videos going through each of the pre-set tests and phases so that you can get an idea of what is involved and how to supplement your own briefings and style. He's expensive if you want training with him, but he'd be a good start to give you an idea of what to expect.
As someone else asked, the rates vary depending on where you are. We're charging £31/hour for standard lessons, but in other parts of Scotland it's £25/£26 per hour depending on the area. So yes you can make a decent living out of it, but not immediately when you are first qualifying and then also depends which route you go once qualified - franchised/independent etc.
So at say £30/h, how many hours can you expect a week in reality? There'll be a lot of weekend work I expect?
What are the direct costs? Vehicle, fuel, insurance etc? Franchise fee?
Just interested how the numbers stack up compared to similar work, like a taxi driver for instance?
What are the direct costs? Vehicle, fuel, insurance etc? Franchise fee?
Just interested how the numbers stack up compared to similar work, like a taxi driver for instance?
Edited by megaphone on Tuesday 29th December 09:31
Don't do it. It is extremely hard to pass the qualifying exams and if you do pass there is a mountain to climb to establish a business which is profitable. Working in a franchise is not profitable enough for most ADI's.
Unless you have a passion for teaching and are very good at business this is not the career path to choose.
Long unsociable hours and modest income and in the future perhaps self driving cars making you obsolete.
I write as an ADI of 13 years experience and a former ADI trainer.
Unless you have a passion for teaching and are very good at business this is not the career path to choose.
Long unsociable hours and modest income and in the future perhaps self driving cars making you obsolete.
I write as an ADI of 13 years experience and a former ADI trainer.
stevensdrs said:
Don't do it. It is extremely hard to pass the qualifying exams and if you do pass there is a mountain to climb to establish a business which is profitable. Working in a franchise is not profitable enough for most ADI's.
Unless you have a passion for teaching and are very good at business this is not the career path to choose.
Long unsociable hours and modest income and in the future perhaps self driving cars making you obsolete.
I write as an ADI of 13 years experience and a former ADI trainer.
Yes it's hard to pass the qualifying exams.Unless you have a passion for teaching and are very good at business this is not the career path to choose.
Long unsociable hours and modest income and in the future perhaps self driving cars making you obsolete.
I write as an ADI of 13 years experience and a former ADI trainer.
Yes it can be long and unsociable hours - evenings and weekends are obviously most popular times requested and you have to cater to your customers' needs.
Franchise not profitable enough? Well surely that depends on which company, if any, you go with for a franchise. So far I'm finding it pretty profitable and exceeding my forecasts that I put together when looking into this.
OP - I think if you take a good look into it and don't believe the "earn £30K per year" from some of the national companies, carry out thorough research for the area you will be working in and be realistic in the hours you work then you can determine whether it's going to be right for you or not. Rather than just listening to "Don't do it".
It's very rewarding when your first pupil goes to test and comes back out with their pass certificate - for me, that certainly beats managing an IT team. As mentioned though, you need to be able to teach and that's what will help you be successful in this industry.
ayeaye said:
It's very rewarding when your first pupil goes to test and comes back out with their pass certificate
I'm sure that's true but how will it feel when they fail? Will the shine have gone off it when it's your 10th pupil going for their test, how about your 100th?I'm struggling to see how it doesn't start to feel like a production line at some point and I gather it doesn't pay nearly enough to justify that
.OP, try out New Driver - they're based in Poole. They were offering ADI training for £995, covering Pt2 and Pt3 coaching (20hrs and 40hrs respectively).
I'm currently training and will be taking my Pt3 in Feb. I started back in April so you can see that the first thing you need to do is factor in the time. I had the benefit of being able to train full-time but it's still taken 8 months. If you've got to keep the day job whilst you train then expect it to take longer.
I also opted for a trainee licence and have been teaching since November. So far 100% pass result (2 students
). I currently have 11 regulars and expect after new year for that to increase to what I consider an optimal 15 students.
As for the money I'm fortunate that I'm not dependent on the income and took up driving instruction out of interest and am thoroughly enjoying it. My projections based on about 80hrs per month suggest a net profit of about £11k in year 1 (takes in to account all the start up costs plus the franchise) so hardly a fortune.
I'm currently training and will be taking my Pt3 in Feb. I started back in April so you can see that the first thing you need to do is factor in the time. I had the benefit of being able to train full-time but it's still taken 8 months. If you've got to keep the day job whilst you train then expect it to take longer.
I also opted for a trainee licence and have been teaching since November. So far 100% pass result (2 students
). I currently have 11 regulars and expect after new year for that to increase to what I consider an optimal 15 students.As for the money I'm fortunate that I'm not dependent on the income and took up driving instruction out of interest and am thoroughly enjoying it. My projections based on about 80hrs per month suggest a net profit of about £11k in year 1 (takes in to account all the start up costs plus the franchise) so hardly a fortune.
Do you know the Highway Code 100%?
Early 1990s I was given £500 grant to retrain as a driving instructor following redundancy. The Highway code had changed slightly since I'd passed my driving test many years earlier, and was a lot thicker book too! My parking skills were in need of improvement, and I quickly realised I wasn't going to make it as a driving instructor.
A client spent over 2 years trying to trying to become a driving instructor and couldn't pass the last qualification he needed, he might have given up in the end.
Early 1990s I was given £500 grant to retrain as a driving instructor following redundancy. The Highway code had changed slightly since I'd passed my driving test many years earlier, and was a lot thicker book too! My parking skills were in need of improvement, and I quickly realised I wasn't going to make it as a driving instructor.
A client spent over 2 years trying to trying to become a driving instructor and couldn't pass the last qualification he needed, he might have given up in the end.
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