My BSM driving school nightmare

robchap_2

i have to say i used bsm i had 3 lessons and then booked the car for 2 hours for my test
this was due to me driving on privart land for about 10 years
the guy showed me what my bad habbits were and how to do it the right way.
i can't talk for all bsm staff but for me it worked out well

*SmallFry*

My 1st instructor was from AA, I booked 20 lessons and after 3 I cancelled because the instructor spoke about what a hard man he was and bragging constantly while we were sat parked, I learned nowt and AA refunded all my money.

2nd instructor was from a local company and he was a perv, constantly making remarks about where's my kinky boots today. I complained to his boss and he couldn't care less so I left them.

3rd and final instructor was a one man band and a godsend. He was in the early stages of Multiple Scleroris but he never let it get in the way of his job. He was shocked when he took me out to see how my driving was, I drove straight through a roundabout without looking to see if other cars were going round the roundabout:eek::rotfl:

I'm happy to say with his patience I passed my test first time

basmic

I'm currently learning to drive with English School of Motoring (link), and have had 2x 2 hour lessons - but the current train of thought in this thread, seems to suggest I should take 1.5 hour lessons. Would somebody explain if I should continue, or reduce my hours?

I do enjoy learning at my current pace, but about 30 minutes of the lesson is spent picking me and dropping me off. I suppose I will be able to drive myself in their car before long, and I don't mind observing the driver!

My first 5 lessons cost me £40, and now I pay £17/hour or £34/lesson. Seems reasonable to me, but I wouldn't know otherwise in all honesty.

blindmouse

Check the windscreen to see if they have a full instuctor licence it would be green if they have qualified, pink if they haven't. I know BSM used unqualified instructors 4 years ago. AA boasted they didn't.

BIG_JIM_4

You get good and bad in all driving schools.
The worst practice is company's using trainee's and not telling you.
blindmouse is right in telling you to check if the person teaching you has a badge in the window and what colour it is. If its green then its a fully qualified person teaching you, if its a Red one they have not passed all the exams and are using you to practice on.

Mind you from the look of it, it may not make any difference how good your instructor is. It be all a case of if your driving examiner needs to have more fails than passes, if this is anything to go by.

This is a copy of a leaflet passed to pupils coming to take a test at Shieldhall in Glasgow. This examiner is a well respected examiner.

MY NAME IS JIM KERR, L.L.B., AND FOR 23 YEARS I WAS EMPLOYED BY THE DRIVING
STANDARDS AGENCY AS A DRIVING EXAMINER, MOST RECENTLY AT SHIELDHALL
MULTI-PURPOSE TEST CENTRE IN GLASGOW.
IN ALL THAT TIME, IN LINE WITH THE CHECK TEST SYSTEM OF QUALITY CONTROL,. I
HAD BEEN ACCOMPANIED ON HUNDREDS OF DRIVING TESTS BY MANY DIFFERENT
MANAGERS TO MAKE SURE THAT I WAS DOING MY JOB PROPERLY.
ON NOT ONE SINGLE OCCASION ON THOSE TESTS WAS MY DECISION TO PASS OR FAIL
THE CANDIDATE DISAGREED BY THE ACCOMPANYING MANAGER.
NOT ONCE IN MY ENTIRE CAREER!

YOU WOULD THINK THAT WOULD GIVE MY EMPLOYER CONFIDENCE IN MY ABILITY
TO ASSESS A DRIVING TEST CORRECTLY AND MAKE ME A VALUED EMPLOYEE.
YOU WOULD BE WRONG. I HAVE JUST BEEN SACKED BY THE D.S.A..
WHY? I HEAR YOU ASK.

BECAUSE, ACCORDING TO D.S.A.'S NEW "CHI" SYSTEM OF COLLECTING PASS RATES
FOR EXAMINERS AT EACH TEST CENTRE, MY PASS RATE WAS HIGHER THAN THE
OTHER EXAMINERS AT SHIELDHALL AND SO I MUST BE DOING IT WRONG.
I WAS AMAZED AND ASKED FOR SHIELDHALL TO BE BENCHMARKED. THIS MEANS
BRINGING IN A SENIOR EXAMINER TO DO TESTING AND TO ESTABLISH THE TRUE
PASS RATE. THIS REQUEST WAS REPEATEDLY REFUSED.
INSTEAD, I WAS TOLD I NEEDED “DEVELOPMENT” TO “IMPROVE MY PERFORMANCE”.
THE ACTUALLY MENT THAT THE ONLY WAY I COULD HAVE AVOIDED THE SACK
WAS TO DELIBERATELY FAIL CANDIDATES THAT I KNEW HAD PASSED.
THE VERY IDEA MADE ME ILL AND UNABLE TO WORK..
BY THE WAY, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT THESE OTHER EXAMINERS AT SHIELDHALL
HAVE HAD DISAGREED DECISIONS AND ALL OF THEM ARE MUCH LESS EXPERIENCED
AND HAVE ONLY DONE A FRACTION OF THE TESTS THAT I HAVE.

ALSO, THERE IS NO DOUBT D.S.A. TOP BRASS ARE FEARFUL THAT LEARNERS AND
DRIVING INSTRUCTORS WILL ASK FOR EACH EXAMINERS PASS RATE.
SINCE THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT WAS PASSED IN 2000 THIS HAS BEEN A
LEGAL RIGHT.
THE GOVERNMENT MINISTER IN CHARGE OF D.S.A. DOES NOT WANT TO ANSWER AN
EMBARRASSING QUESTION ABOUT WHY EXAMINERS AT THE SAME TEST CENTRE HAVE DIFFERENT PASS RATES. IF HE HAS TO, D.S.A. MANAGERS WILL SUFFER!

SO D.S.A. DON’T CARE WHETHER EXAMINERS CONSISTENTLY TEST TO THE CORRECT
STANDARD. ALL THAT MATTERS TO THEM IS THAT EXAMINERS
AT THE SAME TEST CENTRE PASS THE SAME AMOUNT.

SO, HOW DOES THIS AFFECT YOU AND YOUR CHANCE OF GETTING A PASS? WELL,
ACTUALLY QUITE A BIT.
EXAMINERS NATURALLY WORRY ABOUT PASS RATES AND WILL OFTEN ASK EACH
OTHER HOW MANY PASSES THEY HAVE SO FAR THIS WEEK.
THEY WANT TO BE SURE THAT THEIR “FIGURES” ARE MORE OR LESS THE SAME.
IF ONE EXAMINER HAS GIVEN OUT SEVERAL MORE PASSES IN A WEEK THAN THE
OTHERS YOU BETTER HOPE YOU’RE NOT HIS NEXT CANDIDATE.

YOU MIGHT BE THINKING NOW THAT YOU SHOULD SIT YOUR TEST SOMEWHERE ELSE
AND NOT AT SHIELDHALL, YOU COULD, BUT IN MY OPINION IT MAKES NO
DIFFERENCE.
I HAVE WORKED AT MANY DIFFERENT TEST CENTRES AND EXAMINERS ARE STILL
LIKELY TO COLLUDE WITH EACH OTHER.

TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF PASSING MY ADVICE TO YOU IS THIS,
IF YOU ARE CONFIDENT THAT YOU ARE AT TEST STANDARD, TAKE YOUR DRIVING
INSTRUCTOR ON TEST WITH YOU.
D.S.A. WERE ACTUALLY GOING TO MAKE THIS COMPULSORY ON EVERY TEST BUT
FOR NO GOOD REASON DECIDED NOT TO GO AHEAD.
DRIVING EXAMINERS WERE DELIGHTED BECAUSE THEY HATE INSTRUCTORS ON THE
TEST.
HOPEFULLY WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR PRESENT THE EXAMINER WILL PROBABLY
THINK TWICE BEFORE FAILING YOU FOR SOME TRIVIAL FAULT THAT IS THEN
MARKED AS SERIOUS.
AND I AM SORRY TO SAY THAT IT IS NOT UNUSUAL FOR THIS TO HAPPEN.
AS I SAID EARLIER, TOO MANY EXAMINERS WHEN NOT BEING CHECK TESTED APPLY
THE STANDARD THEY WANT RATHER THAN OBEYING THE TESTING RULES LAID
DOWN BY THE CHIEF DRIVING EXAMINER.
I HAVE SEEN THIS MANY TIMES.
HOWEVER, AS I SAY, YOU ARE IN A BETTER POSITION TO GET A PROPERLY ASSESSED
TEST WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR IN THE CAR.

IT HAS BEEN MY PUBLIC DUTY TO WRITE THIS LEAFLET AND I HOPE THE
INFORMATION WILL HELP YOU TO GET A PASS. I WISH YOU GOOD LUCK.