Becoming a Driving Instructor.

carl310166

Has anybody got any advice etc for a career as a driving instructor? My son is thinking of changing his job, but there seems to be a couple of options for him to take, i.e work for himself, or for a company. Are there any instructors on this forum who can give advice on costs etc?

Any advice would be gratefully received !

loadsacash

My brother in law is a driving instructor and my husband is in the process of learning to be a driving instructor.

He got a loan and began to learn with The Instrucor College. Part 1 of the driving test is theory and a hazard perception test.

I think to pass this part of the test you need to be prepared to work at this on your own. There are cd-roms that you can practice the test at home, but you have to work at it at home and be prepared to be self motivating.

The second part is the driving test.

The instuctor college will give you about 5 or 6 lessons, but again you do need to practise on your own. My husband is also paying for private lessons.

The 3rd part is the coaching part.

You have 2 years to pass the lot before you would have to take parts again and you have up to 3 goes of taking 2 and 3.

I hope this helps

carl310166

Yes thanks,it does,but will he then work for the Instructor College, or do they just help with the training? has he decided to become self employed or work for a company?

My son has an appointment with them on Wednesday, but they wouldn't give any information over the phone.

dyfrigroberts

Have a look at the ADI Forum at http://www.adiforum.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl for more information on becoming a Driving Instructor

HTH

jay_snizzel

i went to a meeting with these last Friday, i nearly choked when they said the costs of the course is £3,445 and that doesnt include the test fees which total up to nearly £200. i thought that this was a little steep. trying to find some people who have used these and whether they're any good. seen one guy on another forum who wasnt pleased with them

any help

anewman

You'll see adverts claiming you can earn £30k as a driving instructor. (There are similar adverts for working with computers making outrageous claims about how much you can earn.) I doubt you could earn £30k unless you had serious conviction to the job working 7 days a week all the hours god sends without any holiday. Just something to consider really.

cajef

I am an ex driving instructor, the best training is actually BSM's own training school if you train with them they will guarantee you employment with them once you qualify. A word of warning though, the course is not cheap, whichever school you train with, and only about 25% of people that start the course actually pass all the three stages and qualify as an instructor, so be prepared to lose a fair sum of money if you cannot pass the exams.
I actually started my training after seeing an advert in the national press for one of these schools claiming 30k plus a year etc., they were rubbish though I did pass the part one exam, with no thanks to them. I then went to BSM and passed the second and third parts with them, and as you would expect they are very professional.

Most instructors that train with them stay with them when qualified for a couple of years to gain experience, then if they have any sense they leave and start there own driving school,(as I did) they are crap to work for and unless you are prepared to work all hours, sixty or seventy a week, you will never make any money with them, their franchise is very much geared up to making money for BSM and not the instructor.

Claims of 30k plus a year are way over the top, a good instructor working for himself can make about 20 to 25k, but it takes a long time to build up a good reputation, and nearly all your work is based on recommendations from past pupils. Also just look in your local paper at all the adverts for driving instruction and the cowboys offering 5 lessons for £20, you have got to compete with them, some are rubbish instructors but people go with them and think they are getting a bargin, you end up having to pick up the pieces.

Having said that I did enjoy the work, though be prepared to have a high stress level, but don't go into it with the idea you will make a fortune.

dnc1781

carl310166 wrote: »

Has anybody got any advice etc for a career as a driving instructor? My son is thinking of changing his job, but there seems to be a couple of options for him to take, i.e work for himself, or for a company. Are there any instructors on this forum who can give advice on costs etc?

Any advice would be gratefully received !

See:
http://www.drivertrainingtoday.co.uk/

Aliss

DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING WITHOUT DECENT RESEARCH!

http://www.drivertrainingtoday.co.uk/forum

Do some searches then ask questions if you want to. They're a lovely bunch. I know I keep recommending them on this forum and I am not affilated in any way but this research basically led to me and my other half (a driving instructor!) being able to afford a house! We live quite comfortably now.

If you really love driving, it is worth considering. You need a LOT of patience and common sense. Good luck.

ElkyElky

BSM isn't very good these days, it probably was back in 2007 though.

wealdroam

ElkyElky wrote: »

BSM isn't very good these days, it probably was back in 2007 though.

BSM doesn't even exist these days.

Why have you dragged up this old thread?