The Job

The Job

A driving instructor provides guidance on how to drive a vehicle safely on the roads, enabling students to gain a full understanding of all aspects of driving in order to increase their skills in a specific area or to gain a full driving licence.

The fundamental role of the driving instructor is to provide tuition to students who either want to pass their driving test, or who want to improve their level of driving.

Everyone who wants to drive a vehicle of any description will need to acquire a licence, and the vast majority of the average driving instructor’s workload will involve students wishing to pass their exam in a car.

The biggest cost when running a business is the car. Fuel, upkeep and repairs all have to be accounted for, and they can be very expensive. However, some franchises will provide the instructor with a car, especially if the franchise fee is high.

Responsibilities

The obvious goal of the driving instructor is to develop the driving ability of their student in order to make them more confident on the road, or to gain their licence. The responsibilities involved can include:

  • Preparing students for emergency situations.
  • Informing them about the maintenance of the vehicle.
  • Being a guide to the student, answering questions and reacting to situations that will arise on the road.
  • Increasing the student’s Highway Code awareness.
  • Ensuring that the student is gaining an increased awareness of using the road and the responsibilities that that entails.

However, outside the lessons, other responsibilities will include:

  • Maintaining the car and making sure that it is safe.
  • Organising lessons and rearranging times.
  • Attracting new business, perhaps through local advertising.
  • Dealing with tax and insurance issues.

Skills

A driving instructor will need to combine teaching skills with those of driving a car to perfection. The most important skills will include:

  • An excellent driving ability.
  • A calm and level head.
  • Being able to inspire and create enthusiasm, and to give instructions clearly.
  • The ability to react to potentially dangerous situations.
  • A system of planning lessons that will provide a steady progression to qualification.
  • A high degree of patience for dealing with difficult students and other road users.
  • Enthusiasm for the job.

Working conditions

In most cases, the hours will be long and demanding. Early starts and late finishes are common, as the instructor has to accommodate the needs of the student.

In all cases a lot of travelling can be expected, both during and in between lessons. As the instructor will want to keep time between lessons to a minimum, drop-off and pick-up points should also be appropriate.

Driving instructors are subject to all of the hazards that driving on the road presents, with the added pressure of being responsible for a novice driver. At times, students will become distressed and agitated, and it will be the instructor’s job to calm them down and wait until they are ready before going back on the road.

The hours of work will vary depending on a number of factors, such as how much they are charging and how many students are booked in for a certain week. The goal is to have a steady stream of lessons, but the reality means that certain weeks will have fewer hours of paid work.

Instructors will have to plan ahead for such weeks, especially seasonal variations, which can see a significant drop or rise in the amount of work available.

Experience

Although no experience is necessary to apply for the ADI exam, apart from the conditions already mentioned, it may be useful to consider:

  • Experience in teaching, training or working with people.
  • Significant driving experience.

Applicants should ideally be over 21. Although not compulsory.

Career Progression

Having qualified as a driving instructor, there are other options to consider.

Instructors can move into specific areas of instruction, such as bus driver instruction, LGV (Larger Goods Vehicles) instruction and PCV (Passenger Carrying Vehicle) instruction.

The DIA (Driving Instructors Association) also offers CPD (Continuing Professional Development) schemes, in order to increase qualifications and experience. These include the Advanced Instructor and Examiner qualifications through DIAmond, and an NVQ in Driving Instruction.

All such qualifications will mean that the instructor can demand higher fees.

Other options can include progressing to a Senior Instructor or a Driving School Manager, possibly through the DSA.

Although a few instructors manage to find work as Road Safety Officers for their local council, these positions are very limited.