Driving instruction can be a highly fulfilling career for those individuals who have a passion for driving, talking, and helping students become confident drivers. Professional Driving Instructors are key to ensuring that new drivers get into safe driving practices, get familiar with the rules of the road, and prepare for their road test. If you love interacting with people and would like to embark on a flexible career path, becoming a driving instructor is a good way to go. At Confident Pass Driving School, we realize that being a good instructor is not enough – our driving instructors also need to be patient, teachable, confident and road safety-oriented.
What Does a Driving Instructor Do?
However, a driving instructor’s job goes far beyond sitting next to a student and telling him or her how to drive a vehicle. It is all about helping students become safe, reliable, and competent drivers. It means telling the rules of the road, showing proper ways to do things, finding weaknesses, dealing with risks, and adjusting instruction according to specific needs of learners.
All the learners are different from one another. Some of them can be nervous at first when they start to drive, while others might become confident fast, but they need some more help with maneuvers, traffic situations, or decision-making. It is what a good instructor should understand, which means that besides knowing about driving itself, he or she also needs to know how to communicate.
Who Can Become a Driving Instructor?
Prior to embarking on your journey to be an instructor, it is vital that you know the fundamental requirements for the job. In the UK, individuals looking to obtain the status of being an Approved Driving Instructor, also referred to as ADI, will be required to meet certain requirements, according to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
In most cases, the minimum age requirement is 21 years, and one should possess a driving license for the stipulated time. You should meet the eyesight and criminal records requirements. The satisfaction of these basic requirements will enable you to start the qualification process; however, to become a great instructor will require far much more beyond just fulfilling the legal requirements.
Driving should be something that you love and have knowledge about the rules of the road. You should also be able to communicate information effectively, stay calm under pressure, and be able to work with people of various personality types. Effective time management skills are essential due to the numerous tasks done within a day.
Do You Have the Right Skills?
Driving skills are just one facet of what makes someone a good instructor. Teaching involves an entirely different skill set. It might take repeated attempts on the part of the learner before they realize what they are doing wrong; thus, patience is vital.
Communicating with the learners is especially crucial. The teacher must be able to give simple instructions without confusing the learner with too much information. They must also be able to offer constructive criticism, instead of simply pointing out the mistake. Effective instructors go further and tell the learner why things went wrong and show them how to correct the mistakes.
A third important characteristic is confidence. It’s important for the learner to feel that the instructor knows what they are doing and will keep them safe. On the other hand, instructors should maintain a certain level of friendliness so that the learners do not feel too hesitant to ask questions.
Understand the Qualification Process
The journey of becoming an authorized driving instructor entails a number of steps. Having fulfilled the eligibility criteria, candidates for this position have to take all necessary exams and evaluations.
The first step includes a theoretical test which is designed to evaluate the candidate’s level of understanding of road safety, driving laws and other related issues. Hazard perception is also a crucial element since it enables instructors to detect possible danger and train learners to be prepared for various threats.
The second step evaluates a candidate’s ability to drive. The driving instructor must prove his or her ability to demonstrate high-level driving and cope with any road and traffic situations.
The third step evaluates instructional ability. This is the point when one has to prove the ability to work with a learner, develop and conduct an effective training session.
Since there are changes in the requirements, testing procedures, and fees charged from time to time, one should consult the appropriate authorities for the most updated information.
Prepare Thoroughly for Your Tests
Being well prepared is probably one of the key steps to becoming a driving instructor. Even though having lots of experience on the road does not necessarily make you ready to teach.
Firstly, it is recommended to go back to the basics of driving and road safety issues. In this case, you should use The Highway Code as a main source, but theory and hazard perception materials could also be useful in terms of knowing how to pass relevant tests. Instructor-specific training materials may be useful for learning some training techniques.
Secondly, practical training is no less important than theoretical knowledge. Working with an experienced trainer can help you find some gaps in your driving and training knowledge.
Gain Experience as a Teacher
One of the biggest changes for new instructors is learning to think like a teacher and not just a driver. In the driver’s seat, there are several tasks performed almost on autopilot. Being an instructor, one needs to know how to perform them so that they can explain them to someone who may have never driven a car in his life.
For instance, instructing a learner to check his mirrors may not be sufficient. One may need to clarify which mirrors he should check, when he should do it, what exactly he should be looking for, and how that will affect his further actions.
This skill requires practice, and the more practical experience one gets while working with different learners, the better.
Decide How You Want to Work
There are a number of ways you can go about your future career after qualifying. You can decide to work with an existing driving school, work as an associate, join a franchise, or eventually open up your own driving business.
Joining a franchise can mean joining an already existing brand with marketing, administration, and a ready source of learners. The downside is that you will need to pay franchise fees and adhere to some business policies as dictated by the franchise.
Associating with an independent driving school means that there is a balance of having some degree of independence and yet having a ready-made brand name and reputation to draw customers from. According to the agreement, you will be required to provide the driving vehicle as well as some operational expenses.
Opening up your own driving school can be very rewarding in terms of total independence. You can determine the charges, working hours, and marketing strategies, among other aspects of running the business.
Choose the Right Instructor Vehicle
The car you drive is one of the most vital purchases that you can make as an instructor. The reason why you need a dependable car is because you have to give lessons and you earn from those lessons.
A good car for an instructor must be comfortable, practical, economical, and roadworthy. The dual controls are very crucial because they help the instructor in case of any intervention to prevent risks in the lessons.
There are other factors that you can consider as an instructor. These include visibility, comfort of passengers, fuel economy, maintenance cost, and mileage. There are some instructors who buy cars, while others prefer to lease cars, which are ideal for driving lessons.
When selecting a car, you need to consider your budget and operating cost. You can choose a cheap car only to realize that it is not economical at all in the future.
Get the Right Insurance
Insurance is yet another important issue to take into consideration. Regular personal insurance coverage may not necessarily offer the required coverage for driving lessons for hire. The insurance needs to be tailored for the specific intended use of the car.
In certain situations, the required insurance coverage would include coverage for driving the car by the learners, as well as covering any specific modifications that an instructor might make to the car, including dual controls, mirrors, signs, and other accessories. It is also wise to consider having replacement coverage since failure to teach due to repair work on the car could cost you.
Always talk to the insurance agent regarding your exact needs.
Conclusion- Start Your Journey with Confidence
In order to become a driving instructor, there is a need to dedicate oneself to the process, to plan well, be good at driving, and also be capable of teaching the learners. This involves several issues, from being able to meet the required initial qualifications through the qualifying process to selecting your vehicle, securing appropriate insurance cover, looking for learners and running your business.
Most successful driving instructors not only ensure that their learners qualify for passing the test, but also help them to develop into responsible drivers in the future. If you have the patience to teach, the self-confidence to communicate, and the motivation to have a fruitful career, then driving instruction might be just the best option for you.
At Confident Pass Driving School, we are convinced that quality education should start with having instructors who are competent, patient, and dedicated. Whether you want to become an instructor yourself or want to understand better what it means to be a driving instructor, planning well in advance is the best way to secure yourself a bright future ahead. Great Driving Lessons should start from great teaching, and great teaching from a good instructor.