If you're training to become a driving instructor, there's a wide choice of books, DVDs and PC software available to help trainee driving instructors study for the ADI qualifying exams - but how can you tell which ones are the best?
This webpage offers reviews and recommendations of tried and tested commercially available driving instructor training materials - click the link for more details;
Driving Instructor Books & Software
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
Thursday, 21 May 2009
Petition Against Driving Instructors Being Forced To Sit In On Driving Tests
As announced in the DfT "Consultation To Drive Report", from October 2010 the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) will make it compulsory for the person presenting a candidate for a driving test to be present in the car for the whole of the test and the debrief.
An online petition has been started by the UK Driving Instructors Confederation protesting about this decision.
The wording of the petition is as follows;
If you would like to view and/or sign the petition, it can be seen at Petition to: prevent the Driving Standards Agency from introducing the rule to force observers to accompany driving test candidates on test. Number10.gov.uk
An online petition has been started by the UK Driving Instructors Confederation protesting about this decision.
The wording of the petition is as follows;
At present, a driving test candidate has the right to decide if they want an observer accompanying them on their driving test.
In our view, it is totally wrong for the Driving Standards Agency to impose a rule to force an accompanying driver or observer to accompany a driver on their test, as set out in the document issued by DfT "Consultation To Drive Report", quote "making it mandatory for the person presenting the candidate for test to sit in the car for the duration and debrief".
This is unworkable, and can in some circumstances affect the result of the test. For example, an extremely nervous candidate may make a serious or dangerous driving fault that they might not otherwise have done so, had an observer not been present in the vehicle.
If the driving test examiner is also accompanied by a senior examiner as well as the accompanying driver, this could impose a severe burden on the vehicles handling characteristics, as it would for the driving test candidate.
If you would like to view and/or sign the petition, it can be seen at Petition to: prevent the Driving Standards Agency from introducing the rule to force observers to accompany driving test candidates on test. Number10.gov.uk
Monday, 30 March 2009
Made Redundant? Should You Re-Train As A Driving Instructor?
On Friday 27 March 2009, ITV1 broadcast a programme entitled "How to Blow Your Redundancy" in which;
"presenter Fiona Foster meets people who have lost their redundancy cash in bids to start a business or retrain for a new career."
One of the cases featured was a man who had embarked on a driving instructor training course after seeing TV adverts from "Red Driving School".
The programme analysed claims made in the TV adverts and in promotional literature by "Red Driving School" including;
* You can expect to earn £600 per week.
* The job of a driving instructor is recession proof.
* There is a national shortage of driving instructors in the UK.
* It is usual to qualify within 20 weeks.
According to the programme, most of these claims were found to have little basis in reality.
The programme is available online for viewing until 26 April 2009 at ITV Player - How to Blow Your Redundancy
"presenter Fiona Foster meets people who have lost their redundancy cash in bids to start a business or retrain for a new career."
One of the cases featured was a man who had embarked on a driving instructor training course after seeing TV adverts from "Red Driving School".
The programme analysed claims made in the TV adverts and in promotional literature by "Red Driving School" including;
* You can expect to earn £600 per week.
* The job of a driving instructor is recession proof.
* There is a national shortage of driving instructors in the UK.
* It is usual to qualify within 20 weeks.
According to the programme, most of these claims were found to have little basis in reality.
The programme is available online for viewing until 26 April 2009 at ITV Player - How to Blow Your Redundancy
Friday, 27 March 2009
Increase in driving instructor test fees and cost of a PDI trainee licence from 24 April 2009
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) have announced an increase in ADI test fees and the cost of a PDI trainee licence from 24th April 2009 as follows;
ADI Part 1 Theory Test; £90.00
ADI Part 2 Test of Driving Ability; £111.00
ADI Part 3 Test of Instructional Ability; £111.00
PDI trainee licence fee; £140.00
The fee increases will apply to tests and licence applications booked on or after 24 April 2009.
DETAILS OF ALL TEST FEE INCREASES CAN BE SEEN AT DSA - Driving Standards Agency announces changes to test fees
The fees are currently;
ADI Part 1 Theory Test; £80.00
ADI Part 2 Test of Driving Ability; 99.00
ADI Part 3 Test of Instructional Ability; £99.00
PDI trainee licence fee; £125.00
The ADI registration fee remains at £300.00
Potential Driving Instructor starter packs remain at £5.00
ADI Part 1 Theory Test; £90.00
ADI Part 2 Test of Driving Ability; £111.00
ADI Part 3 Test of Instructional Ability; £111.00
PDI trainee licence fee; £140.00
The fee increases will apply to tests and licence applications booked on or after 24 April 2009.
DETAILS OF ALL TEST FEE INCREASES CAN BE SEEN AT DSA - Driving Standards Agency announces changes to test fees
The fees are currently;
ADI Part 1 Theory Test; £80.00
ADI Part 2 Test of Driving Ability; 99.00
ADI Part 3 Test of Instructional Ability; £99.00
PDI trainee licence fee; £125.00
The ADI registration fee remains at £300.00
Potential Driving Instructor starter packs remain at £5.00
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
Training As A Driving Instructor - Skills And Personal Qualities Required By Driving Instructors
Just because you know how to drive doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to teach others how to do it!
It's not as easy as sitting next to someone and telling them when to switch on their indicators, brake, change gear or turn left...there's a great deal more to it than that!
I often come across people who say "I want to be a driving instructor because I love driving and I like people"...that's a good start, but there's a lot more to consider!
"Loving driving" is great...but as a driving instructor, YOU won't be doing that much driving! - you'll be in the passenger seat concentrating very hard on someone else doing the driving.
Will you "love" doing the same sort of thing over and over again, day in and day out? Turns in the road, reversing round corners, spending most of a lesson trying to help a pupil get the hang of turning right, an hour spent going round and round all the roundabouts in the town centre from all the different approaches...there's not much "pedal to the metal" or freedom of the open road" in it for driving instructors!
"Liking people" is also great...but you won't be in a nice relaxed social situation, where you can do much chatting on a "getting to know you" basis. You'll be sitting next to a novice driver, who is in charge of a motorised metal killing machine travelling at speed.
It's often pretty hard to like people who seem to want to kill you!
Not every pupil you have will be "likeable" by any means...nor will they necessarily do what you ask them...nor will they always appreciate what you do!
Unlike the world of a driving instructor portrayed in the rosy-glow of the TV adverts, "real people" do not often rush out to the car, smiling in eager anticipation of their forthcoming wonderful driving lesson with their wonderful driving instructor which will ultimately lead to even bigger smiles and lots of hugs of gratitude at the driving test centre when they pass their driving test!
"Real people" don't always find learning to drive easy....real people get nervous and stressed and make mistakes....real people get emotional, lose their temper, don't always listen or do what they've been asked to do....real people scrape your tyres on the kerb or knock off other people's wing mirrors or go the wrong way round a roundabout...real people worry about the cost of their driving lessons...real people cancel driving lessons at short notice leaving you out of pocket....real people sometimes mess you around big time!
In other words, if you think the job is all smiles and charming, grateful pupils, then I'm afraid you're in for a bit of a shock!
"Loving driving and liking people" are "nice to haves", but there are far more important qualities needed by a driving instructor!
You may be able to drive pretty well, but do you possess the ability to TEACH others effectively?
Do you have the interpersonal, verbal, motor and cognitive skills required to be a driving instructor?
Can you, with complete confidence, know that that you would be able to remain patient, calm and professional, either in a dangerous situation while out on the road, or with a person who could not or would not do what you asked them?
Driving instruction is self-employment, so you also need to possess all the skills required to run your own business, such as;
There are numerous different skills and personal qualities that the TV adverts for driving instructor training and the sales patter don't bother to go into and which, for many people, seems to come as a surprise...often a nasty one.
The Transport Office is the Government department which, via it's executive agency "The Driving Standards Agency" (DSA) regulates and sets the standards for driver training in this country. The Transport Office website, states the following ...
In addition to the skills listed by The Transport Office, you'll need to possess all of the following personal qualities too;
This is one reason why the ADI Exam Pass Rates are so low - people drop out of training when they realise that there's more involved than they were led to believe, or they fail to meet the standards required, usually after a LOT of time, expense and heartache...
My advice is to be brutally honest with yourself - think long and hard about whether you possess the skills, knowledge, personal qualities and ability to firstly cope with driving instructor training and secondly to teach others and run a successful self-employed business.
If you're easily flustered, impatient, don't express yourself very well, lack confidence, find it hard to "think on your feet", find the thought of handling money, paperwork or running your own business daunting, don't like studying or taking exams, have restrictions on your free time, want a "quick fix career", or think that being a driving instructor is "easy", then you're going to struggle and possibly make an expensive mistake by training to become a driving instructor...
If you're thinking about becoming a driving instructor, please see Everything You Need To Know About Becoming A Driving Instructor...And The Real Truth Behind The TV Adverts for detailed information about what's involved in the driving instructor qualification process, training, potential earnings and what's it's really like to work as a driving instructor.
It's not as easy as sitting next to someone and telling them when to switch on their indicators, brake, change gear or turn left...there's a great deal more to it than that!
I often come across people who say "I want to be a driving instructor because I love driving and I like people"...that's a good start, but there's a lot more to consider!
"Loving driving" is great...but as a driving instructor, YOU won't be doing that much driving! - you'll be in the passenger seat concentrating very hard on someone else doing the driving.
Will you "love" doing the same sort of thing over and over again, day in and day out? Turns in the road, reversing round corners, spending most of a lesson trying to help a pupil get the hang of turning right, an hour spent going round and round all the roundabouts in the town centre from all the different approaches...there's not much "pedal to the metal" or freedom of the open road" in it for driving instructors!
"Liking people" is also great...but you won't be in a nice relaxed social situation, where you can do much chatting on a "getting to know you" basis. You'll be sitting next to a novice driver, who is in charge of a motorised metal killing machine travelling at speed.
It's often pretty hard to like people who seem to want to kill you!
Not every pupil you have will be "likeable" by any means...nor will they necessarily do what you ask them...nor will they always appreciate what you do!
Unlike the world of a driving instructor portrayed in the rosy-glow of the TV adverts, "real people" do not often rush out to the car, smiling in eager anticipation of their forthcoming wonderful driving lesson with their wonderful driving instructor which will ultimately lead to even bigger smiles and lots of hugs of gratitude at the driving test centre when they pass their driving test!
"Real people" don't always find learning to drive easy....real people get nervous and stressed and make mistakes....real people get emotional, lose their temper, don't always listen or do what they've been asked to do....real people scrape your tyres on the kerb or knock off other people's wing mirrors or go the wrong way round a roundabout...real people worry about the cost of their driving lessons...real people cancel driving lessons at short notice leaving you out of pocket....real people sometimes mess you around big time!
In other words, if you think the job is all smiles and charming, grateful pupils, then I'm afraid you're in for a bit of a shock!
"Loving driving and liking people" are "nice to haves", but there are far more important qualities needed by a driving instructor!
You may be able to drive pretty well, but do you possess the ability to TEACH others effectively?
Do you have the interpersonal, verbal, motor and cognitive skills required to be a driving instructor?
Can you, with complete confidence, know that that you would be able to remain patient, calm and professional, either in a dangerous situation while out on the road, or with a person who could not or would not do what you asked them?
Driving instruction is self-employment, so you also need to possess all the skills required to run your own business, such as;
* mathematical skills (you need to handle money, keep accounts, pay your own tax and national insurance, organise budgets for advertising and personal training etc),
* good communication skills, both verbally and in writing (you need to be able to communicate clearly and effectively on many different levels, with government departments such as the DSA and HM Revenue and Customs, professionals such as accountants and driving examiners, parents of younger pupils and pupils of varying ages from 17 to 70 and from all walks of life, face to face and by telephone, letter and email),
* organisational skills (you need to be able to manage your time by means of a diary system for pupil appointments and to control all the necessary "paperwork" that goes with running your own business),
* knowledge of self employment (you need to know about self-employed franchises if you are going to work as part of a driving school - or if you work as an independent solo driving instructor, you'll need to get your head around advertising and business administration. You'll also need to keep accurate self employed accounts and calculate your own tax return etc ).
There are numerous different skills and personal qualities that the TV adverts for driving instructor training and the sales patter don't bother to go into and which, for many people, seems to come as a surprise...often a nasty one.
The Transport Office is the Government department which, via it's executive agency "The Driving Standards Agency" (DSA) regulates and sets the standards for driver training in this country. The Transport Office website, states the following ...
Approved Driving Instructors require a high standard of driving ability and
a sound knowledge of the subjects related to teaching others to drive and must
be able to apply these abilities.
Teaching others to drive includes being knowledgeable about:
* how to teach
* how people learn
* how to assess the performance of others
* communication
* interpersonal skills
In addition to the skills listed by The Transport Office, you'll need to possess all of the following personal qualities too;
* be articulate - you MUST be able to express yourself verbally both clearly and concisely. You need to be able to give easily understandable instructions very quickly. Driving instruction is NOT a job for those who like to waffle or for those who cannot get their point across to others. Additionally, you must be able to speak English fluently - if someone cannot understand what you are saying, either because your command of English is poor or because they cannot understand your accent, it can lead to stressful and even dangerous situations...
* patience - not everyone "gets it" first time...or even second time...or even third time...or...
* understanding and empathy - you need to be able to understand the needs and feelings of your pupils - being able to interpret "body language" is important too...
* calmness and self-control - you will frequently find yourself in stressful and difficult situations, but you must be able to deal with this like an adult and like the Professional you should be. Driving instruction is NOT the right career for those prone to losing their temper or getting stressed...
* reliability - your pupils pay you to turn up on time and to give them your attention and professional expertise for the whole of their allotted lesson. There are lots of driving instructors out there and if you can't or won't be reliable, your pupils will soon find an instructor that will...
* diplomacy - tact and diplomacy will keep your pupil diary full...bluntly telling the pupil "That turn in the road was absolute rubbish..don't you listen to a word I say?" won't...
* a sense of humour - humour diffuses stress and helps pupils (and you) relax. Lessons that are enjoyable and fun are more effective too...
* an open mind - as a driving instructor you will know very little about any of your pupils before they get into your car for the first time. If you have a tendency to harbour prejudices or irrational dislikes about any sector of society, you should consider a different career before you offend someone...
* honesty - your pupils will be paying you large sums of money. Take care of it and keep proper accounts...
* business acumen - you will more than likely be self-employed, either on a franchise or working as a sole trader. You must have some grasp of what is involved in running your own business and be prepared to find out if you do not...
* be prepared to study (a lot) and self-motivate - both when you train and even after you qualify. Good driving instructors keep up to date with training methods, legislation and gain additional qualifications (the latter, also known as Continuous Professional Development or CPD, is likely to be made mandatory by the DSA for all ADI's as part of their 4 yearly re-registration process).
Don't make the mistake of thinking that any or all of these personal qualities and vital skills are going to be adequately assessed by companies that offer driving instructor training. Many of them are far more interested in you handing over your money, than whether you're really a suitable person to start training as a driving instructor. Even the companies that offer "induction days" or "candidate screening" often do this merely as a sales ploy to get you there in person to listen to their sales pitch and usually the "induction/screening tests" are little more than a formality. Nearly everyone manages to pass these so called "assessments" and for those that fall short, there are usually reassurances that whatever is lacking isn't really important and can be "sorted out" somehow.
This is one reason why the ADI Exam Pass Rates are so low - people drop out of training when they realise that there's more involved than they were led to believe, or they fail to meet the standards required, usually after a LOT of time, expense and heartache...
My advice is to be brutally honest with yourself - think long and hard about whether you possess the skills, knowledge, personal qualities and ability to firstly cope with driving instructor training and secondly to teach others and run a successful self-employed business.
If you're easily flustered, impatient, don't express yourself very well, lack confidence, find it hard to "think on your feet", find the thought of handling money, paperwork or running your own business daunting, don't like studying or taking exams, have restrictions on your free time, want a "quick fix career", or think that being a driving instructor is "easy", then you're going to struggle and possibly make an expensive mistake by training to become a driving instructor...
If you're thinking about becoming a driving instructor, please see Everything You Need To Know About Becoming A Driving Instructor...And The Real Truth Behind The TV Adverts for detailed information about what's involved in the driving instructor qualification process, training, potential earnings and what's it's really like to work as a driving instructor.
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