Approved Driving Instructor Training

Kevoh

I want to become a teacher. Well, I want to pass yet another series of exams. After getting Bachelors and Masters Degrees in software engineering, numerous certifications in software testing, java programming, project management, my mind is now searching for something new to add to my portfolio.

I love driving, I passed my tests on attempt in 2 different countries and recently, I coached a totally new driver to pass their driving test on first try.

I have seen adverts on becoming an ADI, train now pay later etc. The major issue would be the cost. I'm thinking of skipping the driving instructor schools and doing everything myself as I did with my driving test. I welcome any suggestions, comments etc on ADI training, minimising costs while still maintaining my 100% exam pass rate.

Thanks

Kevin

The_Undercover_ADI

Well done on your success Kevoh, and I wish you more in the future.

I used to train ADIs, so I know the process, but I don't anymore so I'll let you into the secrets!

There's 3 exams to pass:

1. The theory exam - get the questions, practice the hazard perception test with a dvd from the supermarket, get a copy of the highway code and Driving: The Essential Skills and you should get through this yourself.
2. The driving exam - join the local RoSPA or IAM group who will give you loads of free training. One warning though - their style of "advanced" driving differs slightly from the style the dsa require, so while you should pass the DSA ADI part 2 if you are capable of passing the RoSPA test with a "gold" standard, you may need to adjust this style for the final part of the exam so that it comes more in line with the methods outlined in Driving: The Essential Skills rather than those in "Roadcraft - The police driver's handbook" (also worth getting). Having session or 2 after your RoSPA test with a good ADI trainer may save you money.
3. The instructional exam - this is the hard bit:

Get a copy of The Driving Instructor's Handbook - worth it's weight in gold. Study this carefully. Other books worth trying include "Coaching for Performance" by John Whitmore, "Learning to Drive in 10 Easy Stages" and of course the Highway Code and Driving: The Essential Skills again.

It may be possible to pass the part 3 with no training, but again I would strongly recommend that you take at least a few sessions with a very good trainer (ORDIT registered as a minimum - good recommendations are worth looking for too).

If you reckon on spending a grand, you could do it, though I know people who've been taken in by the ads and been let down who've spent over £6k on training and not survived.

Do not take it lightly, getting one learner through their test is an acheivement, but the official stats from people who apply to start the process of becoming an ADI - only 7% of them pass the final exam.

Online resources:
www.adiforum.co.uk - for advice from people who have done it all already, instructors and trainers alike.
www.drivertrainingtoday.co.uk - another excellent forum (slightly less "heavy" than the other one).

....and of course - my own site - there's a couple of recommended ADI trainers on there who are worth their weight in gold and who have loads of resources on their own websites. There's also information on realistic earnings, traps to avoid and the odd rant.

If you need a hand, drop me a pm.

Hope this helps.

Kevoh

Thank you undercover ADI for your great advice, I'll visit those sites and send you a PM shortly.

I'm also wary of the so called big training schools, they love to ask for more lessons to make money. My student, a colleague at work, used one of them initially and was even told not to practice. I told her she was wasting her money and offered to get her the practice she needs, if she bought her own car of course

To start the whole process, I've ordered the CRB disclosure application form. I'll give myself one year and like all other tests I'll pass it on first try.

Lord_Sid

Everything you need to know about becoming a driving instructor.

The title of this lens says it all.

http://www.squidoo.com/driving_instructors#module8497205

squeaky

Lord_Sid wrote: »

Everything you need to know about becoming a driving instructor.

The title of this lens says it all.

http://www.squidoo.com/driving_instructors#module8497205

Hmm...

From what I've seen so far this guy has pretty comprehensively listed all the things you'd have to cover and the costs that you are likely to meet; but he doesn't seem to be too enthusiastic about the idea.

Given my own physical limitations I have started the route of considering this as a job and so have begun the process with the Red Driving School to see what all this means in real terms while I continue on line research to find out how realistic this all is. (Ain't MSE wonderful? You can always find info and good sources on anything you ever wanted to know...)

So... with Red the biggie is obviously the overall cost. At the time of writing the entire course to take you through all three sections is £3,745.

This includes the first time exam fees for each section, though if you fail that one you'll have to pay for repeats yourself.

They expect the training to take four to six months (though that obviously may extend if you're trying to fit this in around your current job).

(I think, 'cos I didn't memorise them) that all the books mentioned in that article are included and on complettion they set you up with all the paperwork you'd require to operate as an instructor - given that you will in fact be self employed.

The driving tuition (approx 40 hours) for part two is followed up by a mock test before you take the actual exam and if they don't think that you're ready they will give further instruction at no extra cost. Same applies to part three.

Instructors will pick you up from home so you don't even have travel costs to and from "work".

So as long as you pass each section first time it looks (as far as I know at this moment) as if that quoted cost is all in with no further or hidden expenditure required.

They guarantee in writing to provide you with a job and also with an initial pool of students.

Franchise cost in my area would be £175 weekly, and for that I get a car which is taxed, insured, and maintained; and is normally replaced every 12 - 15 months.

Petrol - you pay your own. Estimated at £100 per week (depending on student load) and in this case it's a diesel thingy that can do 57mpg.

Given that you have to cover your own tax and NI I reckon that you'd have to have more than 10 students (2hrs per lesson) to break even and 15-20 to start netting a reasonable but not high amount. 20 students @ 2hrs each plus driving time between pickups, plus any down time, plus your own paperwork looks like making it a long week - but at least you can adjust hours to suit your own needs. Hmm...

So I'm still kinda considering it but I've got one major problem. Since I'm on incapacity benefit, finding almost 4k (my annual "income"!) is a bit of a non-starter. They do offer help with securing an interest free loan with no repayment for the first twelve months - so if you qualify in six months you'd have time to build up a client list and a buffer before payments start.

All very well if you pass, but if anything fails and I don't complete I'm going to be stuck with a loan that in my circumstances I couldn't possibly pay back.
:eek:

So - they are going to provide me with a letter outlining all the costs plus a guarantee of a job and students which I can then tout round to the Job Centre and any other Retraining outfits to see if I can find myself a grant.

After all, if I can get myself off benefits and start contributing again you'd think that would be a good thing. Wouldn't you?


So anyway, while I'm waiting for my letter I'm off to do more reading; and if you like I'll drop back in and let you know how things go - good or bad, as things move along. Or don't...

Conor_3

If you decide to do this as a living, you'll lose your love of driving very quickly. Most people who decide to become "professional drivers" of any kind do.

The_Undercover_ADI

The squidoo lens is excellent (written by a lady, not a guy btw, and a very well informed one at that). It is realistic and comprehensive.

Please - don't fall for the TV ads. That £3745 is extremely expensive for what you get. If you weigh up the amount of hours you get in training (1:1, or divided if you are sharing), plus the materials, you will find that you are paying over £100/hour to be trained. Red are notorious for inviting newly qualified instructors (with less than 3 months doing the job!) to become ADI trainers. For that kind of money you could be trained by some of the real experts - the very best in their fields, and still have change left over.

Don't be taken in by the neverending training promises - you'll find it difficult to get training once you're up to your allotted amount, as appointments will become further and further away, and at times to suit them and not you.

As far as a guaranteed placement is concerned - this is a guarantee that they will rent you a £80/week car for £175/week. They do promise to supply you with customers, but when they do not stipulate how far you will have to travel to service these customers you may find it impossible to take them on - this will be your problem and not theirs.

Find one of the real experts (not me - I gave up training ADIs because the majority of the people who wanted training were completely unrealistic about what the job was about) who will train you to be a great instructor and get you through the exams for less than £3k, and show you how to run your own business successfully, without being tied in to an extremely expensive car hire contract.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do some serious research before entering this industry. Don't take an old cynic's word for it - ask hundreds of instructors yourself at one or other of the big ADI forums.

https://www.adiforum.co.uk and https://www.drivertrainingtoday.co.uk. I have no involvement in either of these forums other than as a lurker.

DO NOT BASE AN INVESTMENT OF SEVERAL THOUSAND POUNDS ON SALES MATERIAL.

Please guys - this is a money saving forum - I'm really trying to help, but when people want something, there is a tendency for hope to triumph over experience. I work in a great industry which has opened a lot of doors for me, but go into it with your eyes open.

zedyy

Kevoh wrote: »

I want to become a teacher. Well, I want to pass yet another series of exams. After getting Bachelors and Masters Degrees in software engineering, numerous certifications in software testing, java programming, project management, my mind is now searching for something new to add to my portfolio.

I love driving, I passed my tests on attempt in 2 different countries and recently, I coached a totally new driver to pass their driving test on first try.

I have seen adverts on becoming an ADI, train now pay later etc. The major issue would be the cost. I'm thinking of skipping the driving instructor schools and doing everything myself as I did with my driving test. I welcome any suggestions, comments etc on ADI training, minimising costs while still maintaining my 100% exam pass rate.

Thanks

Kevin

Kev, Have you learnt oracle? Im no software engineer but i heard it has alot of money in it.

squeaky

Conor wrote: »

If you decide to do this as a living, you'll lose your love of driving very quickly. Most people who decide to become "professional drivers" of any kind do.

I used to drive up to a thousand miles a week as a service engineer, and later spent a year as a cab driver. There must be something wrong with my brain 'cos I still enjoy driving

squeaky

The_Undercover_ADI wrote: »

Find one of the real experts (not me - I gave up training ADIs because the majority of the people who wanted training were completely unrealistic about what the job was about) who will train you to be a great instructor and get you through the exams for less than £3k, and show you how to run your own business successfully, without being tied in to an extremely expensive car hire contract.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do some serious research before entering this industry. Don't take an old cynic's word for it - ask hundreds of instructors yourself at one or other of the big ADI forums.

www.adiforum.co.uk and www.drivertrainingtoday.co.uk. I have no involvement in either of these forums other than as a lurker.

DO NOT BASE AN INVESTMENT OF SEVERAL THOUSAND POUNDS ON SALES MATERIAL.

Please guys - this is a money saving forum - I'm really trying to help, but when people want something, there is a tendency for hope to triumph over experience. I work in a great industry which has opened a lot of doors for me, but go into it with your eyes open.

Yep, I'm still reading. I fully realise that these firms are in it to make money and are not there as an employment or retraining service - so there is certainly a large sales element involved here; and so it becomes a question of whether people are prepared to pay (extra?) to have it all organised for them or if they want to track down and organise everything they need for themselves.

I'm certainly not going to take on a loan. This is even presuming that in the current economic climate a bank would consider a loan for training. Especially since my annual "income" is not much more than the loan total and I have zero collateral. If I can find a retraining scheme that provides grants I'd be more tempted to try this though, as you say, there are cheaper ways to go about it.

It's a big step, and while I feel that I have the basic requirements in terms of a lot (and varied) driving experience and have spent much of my career teaching (in an informal way) colleagues various bits and bobs on engineering with a good feedback - I'm only too aware that this is only basic and would need lots of work to bring me up to the standards and skill set required.

It's a shame, because given my limited physical capabilities this job would suit me well.

Most sites I've seen quote a completion rate of only 7% or so, and while I'd guess that many of the failures are people trying to do this alongside an existing job (which it must be very hard to do) it's clear that the whole process is certainly not a walk in the park.

Hmm...

..maybe I should just stick to making clocks

The_Undercover_ADI

Glad to hear you're still reading.

I tend to reckon that if I haven't put anyone off by this stage, they may actually make it.

Just a comment on big companies or individual trainers - think of it more like dealing with a big company or a specialist.

Big companies will supply you with a package, but if there are any problems at all, they become very hard to deal with.

Individuals will guide you through the whole process. They can tell you what resources to buy and from where to get the best deal. You will be dealing with them alone, so you won't have to make 15 phone calls to organise your next training session. Your trainer will tailor your training to you, rather than following the company "book".

Most importantly, if the trainer isn't right for you, you can walk away without worrying about the £3k or more you have already given them.

One thing that many people get confused about is the training/employment bit.

You can train with anyone and BSM, AA, Red and all of the others will gladly take you on as a franchisee. All that guaranteed placement stuff is rubbish, of course they'll guarantee to sell you something, why wouldn't they?

Train with the best you can find, then if you feel you need the backup while you are starting off, go with a franchise - they'll all be happy to take you once you qualify. Keep reading, and get involved with the forums.