Types of Driving Instructors

Independent Driving Instructors

Driving School Instructors

Continued Professional Development

How to Choose Your Driving Instructor

Driving Instructors are the people that are actually qualified to teach you to drive. A driving instructor will sit at the side of you on your driving lessons & teach you everything you need to know to pass your driving test. A driving instructor will teach you the right way.

Some driving instructors operate as a sole trader meaning they are one man or woman with their own car & they do not answer to anyone else within their business nor do they have anyone else to answer to them. Other driving instructors operate within a driving school. This means they answer to the driving school itself & they have to abide by the schools internal procedures & work to their mission statements. Driving Instructors are able to focus fully on teaching people to drive if they operate through a school whereas individual instructors also need to focus on other areas of their business such as marketing. Either way there are currently around 40,000 driving instructors approved by & registered within the UK through governing body, DVSA.

Types of Driving Instructors

There are two types of licensed driving instructor approved by the DVSA, the Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) & the Provisional Driving Instructor (PDI). An ADI will be fully qualified & will have gone through a tough program before being approved.  Once authorised they have to display a green badge in the window of the vehicle they will be providing driving lessons in. They also need to go through a Criminal Record Check carried out by the Police to demonstrate they are fit to provide driving lessons.

The second type of driving instructor, the PDI, is a driving instructor trainee. They are licensed to carry out paid driving lessons but they haven’t completed the full course yet & still need to sit final exams. They are required by law to display a pink badge in the window of the vehicle they will be providing lessons in.

Never pay for any driving lessons with an instructor who cannot display a green or pink badge in their vehicle as they will not have been authorised to provide driving lessons & are likely to be unqualified.

Independent Driving Instructors

Independent Driving Instructors are not governed by any policies operated by a Driving School. They answer to nobody but themselves. Driving Instructors differ in many ways despite some people thinking they are all the same. Customer Service & the way instructors speak to their students & carry out their tutoring can differ particularly if they are independent as they are a law unto themselves.

The level of service provided or the quality of service provided as far as driving is concerned can also differ. It is not a requirement for a driving instructor to further develop his or her own learning beyond the basic instructor training therefore this can demonstrate the difference in the levels of training provided. About 50% of driving instructors do not continue their training which can lead to current procedures & developments never being met by half of all instructors.

Driving School Instructors

Things are somewhat different for Driving School Instructors. A typical formula is the instructor will work under the Driving School as a franchise. This frees the instructor to concentrate on solely teaching the student. All administration of the business is covered by the Driving School so the instructor does not have to worry about promotion of services, collecting payments & taking bookings. The school ensures the instructor has constant supply of bookings & also ensures the instructor receives up to date training.

Continued Professional Development

Those driving instructors who opt to further develop their skills through advanced programs are more confident in their business & their tutoring. Some might say it also demonstrates a greater commitment to their business and subsequently their students. Continued training ensures the instructor has all the latest techniques & procedures to hand when carrying out driving lessons meaning the student too learns up to date methods.

Main area served: Basildon.