All Change

I don’t often post about my personal circumstances. However, I did about eighteen months ago. Then, my plan was to regain my ADI qualification. I hinted some while after that, that things weren’t exactly going smoothly. There were a number of factors in this; I seriously underestimated the changes that had occurred in the intervening years. The quality of training that I received – which, incidentally was a consequence of the quality of training my trainer had received and I only found out rather too late for it to be dealt with effectively – and my own changing motivations saw this course of action grind to a halt. I discovered that the reasons I left the industry still remained; a saturated market and ruthless franchise operators flooding that market with little concern for their franchisees attempting to make a living. Did I really want to go back to this? Also, did I want to spend each day sitting beside learner drivers having left it all behind some fifteen years previously? As an aside, during that period I taught my nephew to drive and his first time test pass validated my belief that I could still do it. Getting through the part three was another matter…

The answer, over a period of months exposure to the industry became a resounding “no”.

There was a lesson I learned from this and to anyone contemplating becoming a driving instructor for the first time, I would urge you to ask questions of both yourself and the training organisation you plan to use; this will hopefully save you wasting around £3,000.

Firstly, do you really want this, more than anything else? If you are not fully motivated then you will, sooner or later, falter. The examinations are increasingly difficult and the part three is probably the most difficult and unfair form of exam I have ever encountered either as an assessor or as a candidate. Unless you have received adequate training and are absolutely focussed and prepared, you will find this a hurdle too many. The first time I did this, I sailed through it, not only because I wanted it more than anything else but because I was properly trained and prepared, so there were no nasty surprises. More recently, it was a disaster as the examiner picked up faults that had gone either unnoticed or ignored during my training. I still have one more attempt open to me, but have decided not to pursue it. To do so will mean paying for another provider to retrain me to the relevant standard. I have neither the money nor the inclination.

Which brings me to your choice of school. I made a serious error of judgement here. Glossy adverts, slick web pages and a national name are not necessarily all they are cracked up to be. If you phone for information, before you hand over your credit card details ask some searching questions;

If they are not ORDIT registered, they damn well should be and excuses that it is voluntary are not acceptable answers. Ask, too, about their pass rates. If you are told that they cannot tell you or that they are meaningless because each instructor operates separately as a franchisee and therefore the school doesn’t know, that is not good enough. They are selling an expensive product and they should know; indeed, they have a duty to know exactly how each instructor is performing and to manage the quality of that performance. Ask, too, what their quality control regime is – I expect you will get some interesting responses to that one… You might want to ask about their syllabus – and does it match the ORDIT one?

Do they use the pink training licence? If so, do they go for the training option or the observation option? If you are told “we don’t do that because we do things better” then you are only getting half the answer. For some people, the “pink” is a useful tool – providing that it is properly supported by your training provider. For many, though, it is not helpful because an examiner on part three is nothing like real live learner drivers. Also, the DSA claim that a pink licence makes no overall difference to their pass/fail statistics. If all the school wants to do is get you out on a franchise on a pink without adequate support, walk away. On balance, I would generally avoid this option, unless you are really struggling with the concepts of teaching on the move, in which case, you may benefit from it. Expect the school to be flexible enough to meet your needs.

Don’t be persuaded by slick sales techniques – take your time, explore as many options as you can – and, importantly, don’t fall for fancy television advertising that suggests £30,000 per annum earnings. Very few instructors will achieve that. Yes, you can make a decent living teaching people to drive, but it is hard work and takes a lot of time building up your clientele. This process takes years – and that, in part, was why I decided not to continue. I don’t have years. I am planning to leave the country sometime during the next year. The UK ADI qualification is not transferable, so I cut my losses and walked away. Driving instruction was destined to remain firmly in my past. If you want independent advice about this matter, then I am happy enough to discuss it with you before you part with any money. Just use the contact form. I would rather you did that than waste huge amounts of money on an incompetent training provider.

I have recently been made an offer of ongoing regular freelance work in the rail industry – back in my specialisation of training. As this will be something that I can continue to do while domiciled in France, I have accepted. Going back to being a driving instructor was a decision driven by desperation rather than a desire to teach people to drive. Going back to the rail industry is something I am passionate about. The training and development field of this industry is where I want to be. That, above all else, is the difference that makes the difference. Finally, after eighteen lean months, my career is back upon its chosen track.