i'd like to be a driving instructor, whats it pay and cost to learn?

chrisdonny

To become a driving instructor I am sure you have to have your advanced driving (level 7 if I remember correct) I got to level two at advanced driving a few years ago and got the lessons for free my local A.D.I used to meet every other Sunday on a car park in the town centre my old driving instructor told me to go down because he could do it with me but would have to charge where as they didn't coz I used my own car having done my level two I got better deals with the car insurance companies regarding my car insurance so that might be worth looking at to see if you have a local A.D.I group, but on a downside a guy I used to work with trained to become an instructor got told all the usual bumf about good earnings own area own car etc etc they kept there word but his working area was Leeds city Centre an hours drive from were he lived so he didn't know the area and the driving school wouldn't move him to an area nearer to him that was familiar to him needless to say he wasn't an instructor for long looked into setting up on his own but the competition now is unreal.

The_Undercover_ADI

As a driving instructor and previously an instructor trainer I can probably help here a little.

The process is in 3 parts:

• The theory examination (with hazard perception test)
• The driving examination
• The instructional techniques examination

The theory is passable with no help (but it's a little easier with it).
The driving exam is quite stringent (haven't a clue what a level 7 advanced driver is - sorry, and I've done most of the recognised advanced driving qualifications). If you are already a trained driver you shouldn't find this hard (maybe 10 hours to brush up) - otherwise it will probably take around 20 hours.
The instructional exam is very hard. The minimum training recommended is usually 40 hours, though most instructors need 60-80 hours. Average cost from an independent trainer will be around 100 hours at about £25/hour. Average cost with the big boys will be around £3000 and many people find they need to supplement this training with hours from independent trainers. I know instructors who have believed the ads and wound up paying £6k to train.

Realistic earnings working full time, 5 days per week (with 1 weekend day - usually the most lucrative) are around £20k/year before car costs and insurance. Working part-time around children can be achieved if you are VERY organised but will only realistically bring in around £10k a year. If you aren't a real self-starter with a business head you could wind up spending more than you make quite easily - hence the amount of driving school cars that appear and disappear in every town every month.

I have more information on my own site and the best way to get independent advice for free is to join the instructors forums and ask the people who actually know what the job is about (www.adiforum.co.uk and www.drivertrainingtoday.co.uk).

One final piece of advice - if you don't want to start your own business - don't do this. The vast majority (around 97%) of instructors are self-employed. Some of these pay the big franchises to help them, but they are still self-employed.

It can be a great business, but it's not a simple option.
Good luck with whatever you decide. If you need any more advice, feel free to pm me.

palexik

I would like to recommend you Surepass Ltd. It is from my own experience http://www.surepassinstructortraining.com/

The_Undercover_ADI

I'd like to recommend that you do a little research before following a recommendation from someone who has never posted before.

Surepass have a mixed reputation.

Please check the instructor forums (www.adiforum.co.uk and www.drivertrainingtoday.co.uk) and do some serious research before paying any money to any of the large training organisations.

There are currently loads of threads about instructors struggling in an environment where people are expecting to pay £99 for 10 lessons (less than a tenner an hour, from which you need to cover all of your costs - profit? Nil).

You CAN earn a living as a driving instructor, but do not go into the business with your eyes closed or you will lose cash hand over fist.

The research costs nothing.

The_Haggis_2

Just thought I would throw my tuppence worth into this debate.
I started my training in August last year, took a while to get to where I am now but I am enjoying what I am doing.
It is not as cheap as some people may think, It has cost me the best part of £4000 (and my girlfriends patience), and I have had to work 2 jobs recently just to cover all my costs.
I started teaching in May on a PDI License (Provisional Driving Instructor), but only had a couple of students, so had to carry on driving wagons to keep the money coming in.Things are a little different now as I have a few students doing several hours a week so that helps. To keep the costs down a bit I LEASED a car so I only have the fuel costs to worry about.
I take my part 3 test on Friday 5th so fingers crossed.
I only hope I have made the right choice, if not it has been an expensive lesson.
Take your time and think hard about it, its expensive, its hard work, but you get a great buzz when your students pass their test. I have had 2 go through their test so far with another 2 next week.

punkypickle

My best friend is a driving instructor. It's true that it costs about £4-5k to train and that doesn't guarentee that you can actually get through your exams.

There are 3 exams to pass, and the 3rd is notoriously difficult (apparently only 1 in 300 pass first time and I think you only get 3 tries at it) Also there is a time limit in which to do your training before your PDI badge runs out, my friend only just passed in time..otherwise he would've had to start from scratch again.

He started with Red driving school who have a lot more going for them than the other schools. Some charge a fortune and charge for extra pupils, and then if you decided to leave for another school, they'll charge you per pupil and rip you off. Red don't do this, but I would advise if you've done the training, make sure you find out EVERYTHING before you start with a driving school, particularly if you intend to leave to start up your own when you become an ADI

As for those ads claiming you'll earn £30K+.....depends whether you want a life! My friend works from 9 til 9 most days and works nearly every weekend. Remember, you have to travel in between pupils so if you did four lessons a day you have to add on the travel time to that.

I think it's impossible to make it worth your while doing it part time. You need to do 20 hrs at least a week to make a profit, and you'd need to be doing over 40hrs to make £30k (physically impossible especially in London traffic)

And it is not an easy job. Some people don't think about all the studying and training that they have to do, and the situations that they need to remain calm in!

Also it takes at least a year to get enough pupils on your books to actually get anywhere....then if you're good, you'll get more and more pupils via word of mouth..

Anyway if you decide to go for it, it really is a very rewarding job..Good Luck!

steveflower

Try http://www.keyinstructortraining.co.uk mention this site and we wil arange a special discount for you on our driving instructor training courses!

lookoutapiano_2

Keep in mind less and less people can afford to take lessons right now due to the credit crunch as well.

moonrakerz

If it paid that well, wouldn't all these schools that are training driving instructors be giving ordinary driving lessons instead ????