Becoming a driving instructor...?

[jimboozer]

Hey everyone,

I have done I.T for about 6 years and I am truely ****ed off with it. It bores me to tears helping people with their PC problems now and I am looking for a lifestyle change. How convenient ... a lifestyle forum !!!
Anyway I am looking into becoming a driving instructor - "no 9-5, become your own boss, work as much or as little as you want" blah blah blah - sounds pretty good until you find out it costs about £2500 to do the course!!!
What I am worred about is being ripped off - with all that money, then not earning any back! (see MCSE) I contacted a few driving schools and if they sense a hint of interest in them they pursue you like a k9 on heat.
Also I reckon there is so many driving schools about now it look as if its becoming more saturated than the IT industry and I would be worried about not getting any pupils (see £ÃÆ ’‚£Ãà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚£). Does anyone have any experience of this industry ie. the pitfalls to avoid and whether it is actually worth that huge initial outlay?

[paulyoung666]

have a think about becoming a driving examiner instead

[Maggy J]

The very first question that crossed my mind was how good a driver are you already?

[Chris W]

My dad became a driving instructor about 2 years ago, having spent over 20 years working for Burrows/Wellcome/Glaxo Wellcome/etc and then Oracle as a software consultant.

There are two important qualities- 1. being able to drive well (and having less than 6 points on your license) and 2. being able to teach people.

The training for a driving instructor involves three sections-
1. Theory test- 100 questions in 10 sections, pass mark is 85% and you must get a certain number right in each section, but i can't remember what it is.
2. Test of your own driving- An hour long advanced driving test, in which you are allowed a maximum of 6 minor mistakes.
3. A test of your ability to teach- An examiner will pose as an absolute beginner, and a more advanced learner and test how you deal with each.

You are allowed to retake each section upto 3 times, and if you do not pass you have to wait 2 years and then try all three sections again.

Some companies (eg BSM and the AA) will employ you as a PDI (provisional driving instructor) when you have passed parts 1 & 2, and then allow you to teach to help you pass part 3. I know BSM charge for the training for part 1 & 2.

My dad is currently employed by BSM on a variable franchise fee. They provide him a new car every 6 months/ 14000 miles, insure him, organise his lessons and do the admin. They also offer fixed fee franchises, but these are not advantageous if you are not going to work over about 40 hours every week (and also you lose money if you have a week off on holiday).

He is thinking about setting up his own driving school, but the problems are:
- What happens if his car is off the road for some reason?
- He would need someone to take lesson bookings while he is teaching
- He has to pay for the insurance/ maintenance etc

If you want more information then send me some contact details and i am sure my Dad will be happy to oblige

hth
MB

[greencreeper]

I would also take into account your health too - not just the stress but the increased probability of being in a collision.

[Escapee]

Originally Posted by jimboozer

Hey everyone,

I have done I.T for about 6 years and I am truely ****ed off with it. It bores me to tears helping people with their PC problems now and I am looking for a lifestyle change. How convenient ... a lifestyle forum !!!
Anyway I am looking into becoming a driving instructor - "no 9-5, become your own boss, work as much or as little as you want" blah blah blah - sounds pretty good until you find out it costs about £2500 to do the course!!!
What I am worred about is being ripped off - with all that money, then not earning any back! (see MCSE) I contacted a few driving schools and if they sense a hint of interest in them they pursue you like a k9 on heat.
Also I reckon there is so many driving schools about now it look as if its becoming more saturated than the IT industry and I would be worried about not getting any pupils (see £ÃÆ ’‚£Ãà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚£). Does anyone have any experience of this industry ie. the pitfalls to avoid and whether it is actually worth that huge initial outlay?

I know 2 people that have been driving instructors, one a former work collegue who would gave up before he went bankrupt, and the other a friend from a club is also in financial difficulty and has been for a long time.

In their view it isn't easy to make a good living from being a driving instructor for a school of motoring company, the only people I know of that have been in the game long term, are the ones who are running their own company and have lots of work due to their good name.

Perhaps I have just met the few with a bad experience, but I have noticed how much these driving schools appear to be spending on recruitment campaigns recently. The adverts are run often on local radio around here, so I guess they must have a large turnover of employees.

Originally Posted by monkeybreath

important qualities- 1. being able to drive well (and having less than 6 points on your license)

"Important"? I would have thought having a completely clean licence was a sine qua non of becoming an instructor!!

[paulyoung666]

Originally Posted by Graham

"Important"? I would have thought having a completely clean licence was a sine qua non of becoming an instructor!!

nope 6 points it is , not sure about a driving examiner though

[Chris W]

My dad had 3 points on his license when he started... and he had a nasty letter from the DSA warning him that if he got any more then they could withdraw his license