Become a Driving Instructor
Minimum requirements:
Age at least 21
Held a full licence for at least 3 years.
The type of person we are looking for:
Patient, I mean extremely patient. If this isn’t you – then the job isn’t for you.
Good time management.
Excellent customer service. Our learners will be paying you very well so they need the best service you can offer them.
Friendly, approachable, honest and reliable.
A strong desire to help, motivate and support your pupils.
Sympathetic. This job isn’t all smiles, sometimes people get emotional learning to drive, especially if things don’t go well on test. They need a calming reassuring presence in the car.
Offer feedback in a friendly way. Under no circumstances should you raise your voice to a learner. We hear a lot of feedback from our learners about horrible experiences they had with other driving schools – this is not what we do.
Step 1
Apply to become a Driving Instructor via gov.uk
You must get a new Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to start your application, even if you already have one (this is done by the DVSA at a cost of £6
Step 2
Revise, study and practice for taking your theory test (ADI PART 1). This is the first test of 3 required to become a driving instructor. You wouldn’t need any training from an instructor for this, spend a little money on some training materials and sit the test when you are ready. It’s basically the same theory test as learners sit although there’s 100 questions rather than 50 and some are related to teaching techniques.
Step 3
Take driving lessons in preparation for the driving test (ADI PART 2). This is essentially the same test that learners take although it’s slightly longer and the overall standard needs to be much much higher. Depending on the level of your driving ability this can take 10-15 hours of practice with your trainer although there is no minimum requirement.
Step 4
You must have at least 40 hours of training in preparation of sitting the final teaching test (ADI PART 3) signed off by you and your trainer. Once you’ve completed these lessons you can apply for a trainee badge. Providing you have a company willing to take you on as a trainee (Potential Driving Instructor – PDI) then you can start teaching real people up to a maximum of 6 months, after this you must sit the final test. An additional 20 hours of training is required when working on a trainee licence. Working with a trainee badge will gain you real world experience and allows you to earn as you learn and be far more prepared for the final exam.
Step 5
Pass the final exam to become an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI)
Notes
Training to become a driving instructor can be done within our own school. All our driving instructors are qualified to provide this however you may wish to learn with another trainer and still join us as a trainee when you’re ready. ADI lessons are £40/hr (day rate) or £50/hr (out of hours) and can be paid as you go rather than paying a large sum upfront.
You will need to arrange your tuition car, you can buy / lease / hp pcp finance whichever options suits you best. There are some companies that lease you a new car complete with instructor pedal fitted. If you buy or lease a (normal) car then it’s usually around £400 to have the pedal supplied and fitted.
Most of the enquires we get are based around the Dunfermline and surrounding areas. We mostly use Dunfermline test centre and sometimes Kirkcaldy. If you live out with these areas but would be willing to work here that’s fine.
You may sit the ADI PART 1 theory test as many times as you need to pass it.
You only get 3 chances at passing both the ADI PART 2 and ADI PART 3 tests.
You have to retake and pass the ADI part 1 test again if you fail the ADI PART 2 or ADI PART 3 test 3 times.
You have to wait 2 years from when you first passed the ADI part 1 test before you can take it again.
Joining the team
Once you have passed the first 2 tests and completed 40 hours training towards the part 3 test you can join our team as a trainee instructor (PDI). All instructors are self employed meaning you will take care of your own tax returns. You will be part of our franchise which means you pay a weekly franchise fee and you keep 100% of your earnings. Work/earn as little or as much as you like. Learners pay minimum of £40 an hour meaning this will be your wage, even as a trainee. Your franchise payment entitles you to work on your trainee licence, you cannot do this on your own by law, this is similar to how a hairdresser pays to ‘rent’ a chair within an established salon.
Your franchise also gives you the following;
Branded clothing, business cards, umbrella etc
Branded car livery (these are the stickers on your car matching all our vehicles)
Unlimited customers – be as busy or as quiet as you want to be. You decide what days and times you want to work. You will use a diary management system which allows you to set your own hours and provide your learners with an online link in which they can browse, book and even amend their own lessons without you needing to spend any admin time on it.
Outgoings to expect
Training costs (before you qualify)
Car running costs
Franchise costs
Earnings to expect
This depends on how busy you want to be. For example if you wish to do 5 lessons per day, that’s 5 x £40 = £200 per day, that’s £1,000 per week if you decide to work 5 days and take 2 days off. Most of our instructors bring in over £1,000 per week. You could decide to do 10 lessons per day and bring in £400 but my advice would be that’s too much – the job can be pretty intense at times, the roads are crazy out there and getting worse year on year! Every learner requires your full attention so early starts and late finishes can eventually wear you out.
Getting Started
If you think you would suit this role or to discuss it further please call or text Gary on 07491102008. Further details can be found here