Intensive Driving Courses

[Pia]

I've been asking people about these and i've heard very mixed views on it...

I don't know anything about them, but i know i want to pass my test pretty quickly. I've goggled some local firms but tbh the websites are pretty poor and don't tell much.

What do they involve? What sort of price would i be looking at?

How do these differ from doing, say 3 or 4 lessons a week or even 2?

How much money am i going to be needing to get together roughly, for say, 10-15 lessons + theory + test + license? Are we talking more into the thousands or hundreds?

I want to be driving before christmas, but everyone i talk to seems to have different ideas on how to go about getting it done pretty quick and as cheap as possible.
Getting someone i know to teach me beforehand isn't an option here either, i want to do this on my own and most of my friends who drive work full time and plus i'd have to be insured on their car etc and that's too much hassle, so i just want to start out with some lessons.

I'm sure it wouldn't take me too long to pass, but i guess i won't know til i start taking the lessons obviously.
I know people have probably started topics about this in the past but i wanted my own

Thanks for any wisdom you might pass on

[iain_herts]

hi PIA wen i done my lesson's+test 3-4 years ago. i done 32 lesson's at around £17 per 1 hour lesson. i would say adding it all up lessons+theory+license cost me no more that £700

the only reason y i did 32 lesson's was because there was a 3 month wait for the test.

also wen i passed i done pass plus which saved me almost £600 on my car insurence and cost me £150 for 6 two hour long lesson's

[TheDaddy]

I am really not sure about intensive course's, if it were one of my children I would not be happy. The reason being that the longer you spend learning, the more experience you will gain with things like hazards awareness and different driving/ traffic conditions.
You are right to be taught by a professional, as other people may teach you bad habits.
As for cost it should be hundreds as opposed to thousands and I would surgest that whatever route you choose avoid the big companies like the AA or BSM their instructors are usually quite inexperienced, ask for their ADI's number it's best if it is a five or six.

[Chimaera]

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

I am really not sure about intensive course's, if it were one of my children I would not be happy. The reason being that the longer you spend learning, the more experience you will gain with things like hazards awareness and different driving/ traffic conditions.
You are right to be taught by a professional, as other people may teach you bad habits.
As for cost it should be hundreds as opposed to thousands and I would surgest that whatever route you choose avoid the big companies like the AA or BSM their instructors are usually quite inexperienced, ask for their ADI's number it's best if it is a five or six.

Yep - what he said!
I work with the local Chief Examiner (of driving tests ) on occasions, I asked him the same question when my daughters were learning to drive, and he said experience is the most important thing - you can't get that on a week's intensive course.
Ring round a few independent instructors and ask them what they offer, some of them help you with the theory test more than others, and you need someone that you can get on with. Also would you prefer a male or female instructor, and do you want to learn to drive a manual or automatic car?
And above all, be patient, you might not be ready to take your test when you would like - but it's best to have a few extra lessons and pass first time, than rush it and fail, and dent your confidence! Be guided by your instructor - they usually know best!
And good luck - driving is lovely! You'd be surprised how many employers like you to have a clean, current driving license - so it might help you in your search for another job too.

[Halcyon]

The money quickly adds up.
First you need to pay to get your provisional licence.
They say on average the typical person has about 20 lessons and they cost about £18 each.
Then you have to pay for the theory test (About £35) and then the car practical test which is about £48 now.
You then need to apply for your actual license if you pass and that costs as well.
It really is way too expensive !

Remember the Intensive courses don't work for everyone....it depends on your rate of learning. I know I like to take my time and absorb things, not take everything in at once. I guess some people are better at intense work than others so bare that in mind when choosing.

Good luck.

[Smilie]

well i just passed my test a few months back
and it cost me about £750
that includes provision license (£30-40??)
theory test (£20-30?)
pratical test (£40-50??)x2 (failed once :P)
and it was £19 hours per hour from my instructor
u should learn everything around 20 hours and start booking a pratical test
and just need get everything right afterwards

just make sure u study the theory so u dont need waste money on a 2nd try
and in the pratical test dont worry if the examiner writes something on the test sheet
thats how i failed my 1st test
after i did a reverse parking maneuver
the examiner put something on the test sheet
and i thought i failed it so i was abit down during the rest of the test
but it was only a tick to say i did the maneuver

and it is better to take 2hour lessons as u might take 15mins or so
to get back into driving

[Matthew]

I have been learing to drive since September and think I have had 50 to 60 hours of lessons, but I have failed 2 tests already, 3rd and hopefully final on Friday morning. I pay £16.95 a lesson but some do discount.

For the theory its about £21 and a test costs near to £50 and most instructors recommend a lesson before just to get used to the car and calm down if your nervous.

I have been having 2 lessons of a week plus I have been driving during the week in my car so all I am really doing now is passing time and keep in touch with it all. Was having a discussion about this last night with him and my other instructor who left said I would be ready at Christmas but I'm glad I left it and waited till now, 1 you get more experience and secondly you get used to everything.

What I say is take your time and dont rush, take it at a pace you feel you are taking everything in and you are confident in doing it all.

I have got 2 books which may be of some use if you want to PM, just sold the theory disc on eBay.

[Angua]

Neighbours lad passed first time after only 8 lessons.

I would get a trial lesson first to see how you get on before committing to too much.

[Pia]

I guess it is the best option to take the lessons over a few months, it's only June and my target of before Christmas is 6 months!

I'm really suprised to hear that a lot of you have paid £18-19 for lessons, the local instructors around here that nmost of my friends went with range from £13-£18.
My friend went with a company she recommends: http://www.clearwaydrivingschool.co.uk/ Not a good website though...
She said they do your first 5 lessons for £50 then it's £13 an hour after that, and she said they don't muck about and teach you too slow so you'd have to take more lessons.

I might give them a ring tomorrow. I had originally planned to pay off all my debts before thinking about driving, but i have them under control and i'm doing overtime every week aswell so i could be using that extra money for this otherwise i'll never get it done.
I'm a bit of a bugger for saying i'll do things and not completing the task, as some of you may know by reading some of my threads

It annoys me sooo much that some of the 17 year old at work had their mummy and daddy buy them a nice car and lessons for their birthdays and then brag that they have a car and look down their noses at people like me who haven't got around to it yet, that's not the reason i'm doing it though.
Actually, apart from it being brill to have a car, i'd be quite proud of myself for what i'd managed to acheive since my sticky stereotype of being a young single mother is always there and people expect me to be a benefits scrounging fishwife that doesn't have any goals!

I'm scared of failing, because most people i know pass first time, and i'd feel pretty stupid if i failed!

[greencreeper]

I tried to learn to drive but never managed to pass my test. My parents must have spent about £1000 in total. I'm a hamster. Safer for everyone if I stick to foot and bus.

[Angua]

Took me 4 attempts but I got there in the end same miserable examiner every time (perhaps the fact he had a stinking cold made hime feel guilty enough to pass me finally).

[Matthew]

This is who I am currently with. Never had any problems with my current instructor or my previous one.

[Moox]

The best thing you can do is drive as much as possible, it's been quite a while since I took my test, but it only took me 3 Double Lessons & an hour prior to my test to pass.
Thankfully I was living at home & got insured on my mum's "hotrod" of a 998cc Mini Metro, everytime we were going anywhere I got to drive, shopping, visiting friends, any chance I got I drove. My dad even took me out for a few hours a week to practice reversing & 3 point turns etc in a quiet Industrial Estate.
This taught me roadsense and the basics of driving, I had the lessons to tidy up inherited bad habits & learn to drive in a manner appropriate for my driving test.
20 plus years later and my licence has remained as clean as the day I got it.

P.s. Pia take your test in Northallerton, it's far easier than Darlington. Less traffic & the test elements are a lot simpler.

[Scarlett]

Originally Posted by Pia

I might give them a ring tomorrow. I had originally planned to pay off all my debts before thinking about driving, but i have them under control and i'm doing overtime every week aswell so i could be using that extra money for this otherwise i'll never get it done.
I'm a bit of a bugger for saying i'll do things and not completing the task, as some of you may know by reading some of my threads

Paying off the debts would be useful but nowhere near as useful as having a full UK driving licence. You don't need to rush out and buy a car when you pass your test (so the debts can still come down) but having a licence will help you in the future (a number of jobs require it!).

Don't worry too much if you fail first time. It took me 3 attempts and neither of my brother's passed first time either.

[Jules]

Have a look here Pia it gives you all the info you need about driving and the prices for tests etc http://www.dsa.gov.uk/ it also has interesting info like how long the waiting time is at the test centres and what the pass rate is (the one I took mine at has only a 28% pass rate one of the lowest in the country)

Oh and in Leeds the average price of a lesson is £20-£25 a hour