• Most 17 year olds want to learn to drive. About 75% of our pupils are 17 to 19 years old.
• Passing the L test has become more difficult. Driving tests are longer, there is more to learn, the roads have more traffic and the rules and regulations are more complex.

Therefore most, if not all people recognise that only a Driving Instructor these days will have the necessary expertise, knowledge and training to teach a learner to drive safely and pass the L test. There is, and will be for the foreseeable future a continuous demand for good, qualified Driving Instructors.

This demand can of course present you with the opportunity to begin a new career as an A.D.I. - an Approved Driving Instructor. You could start your own business or work on a franchise basis for an already established driving school.

Being a self employed Driving Instructor offers you:

• The freedom to choose the days and hours you want to work - full time or part time, (e.g. so that you can pick your children up from school).
  
• The independence of being your own boss - being in charge of your own destiny.
  
• Real, personal job satisfaction when your pupils pass their driving test, due largely to your teaching. You can rightly feel proud when weeks, months and even years later, you see one of your pupils who has passed their driving test with you, driving their own car through town.
  
• The chance to get to know all sorts of people with different personalities and backgrounds. They become your friends and a big part of your working life while you are teaching them.

The start up costs of a Driving School business are relatively low, compared to those of other businesses. Within about six months of qualifying, you can expect to have a full diary and be earning a living.

£ Income Warning - When you look in the local newspaper, you will see job adverts inviting you to train to become a driving instructor and earn £30,000 a year. Please be warned that this figure is exaggerated and does not take into account the overheads incurred.

My report will give you a more realistic financial breakdown of your potential income, less expenditure = earnings.

To qualify as an ADI, you have to meet certain legal requirements:

• Be 21 year old or over.
  
• Have held a full, unrestricted licence for at least 3 ½ years.
• Have no more than 5 penalty points on your licence.
  
• Be a 'fit and proper' person to have your name entered on the ADI Register. All convictions (including motoring) are taken into account.
  
• You also have to pass a three part qualifying examination - which I will explain on this page.

Only you or a close friend will know at the moment whether you have the right temperament. It should go without saying that you need to be a calm, relaxed person with an outgoing and chatty personality, have a good sense of humour, be reliable, tidy and always be on time.

Previous experience teaching others (anything) can be an advantage, although not absolutely necessary. Being an organised person with paper work is also an important part of the job.

On the down-side, it's not much fun having to wash your car in the cold and dark in the evenings after work, ready for a pupil's driving test the next morning.

Training course and fees:
The course I provide is part time, and tailored to your needs, with plenty of flexibility built in so that you can train to be an ADI around your current commitments and work at your own pace.

Training is best carried out at regular intervals for short periods of time (1½ to 2 hours). This keeps you in frequent contact with me as your trainer, up-to-date and motivated and allows you time for home study and private practice between training sessions.

Training is carried out on a 1:1 basis.

I aim to provide (just as I do with my L pupils) a personal service. I will be with you every step of the way and remain on hand with career guidance and business advice once you have qualified.

The fee for the course is £2,000 payable in five instalments as you go through the training. It covers 54 hours of direct training and includes all the learning resource material (books, manuals etc.) to help you through each of the three exams. Additional training hours required above the 54 hours are charged as extra. These prices are subject to change without notice.

Exam fees to the Driving Standards Agency are also payable.

I can and will go through all of the fine details with you about what is involved if we have the opportunity to meet face-to-face.

All the above details, prices etc, are subject to change without notice.

If, after reading this, you are still serious about wanting to become a Driving Instructor, please phone me on 01205 367004 to order your free report. It is also usually a good idea to arrange to meet up somewhere for an informal chat.

Stephen Brown
Driving Standards Agency Approved Driving Instructor (Car)