What does it take to be an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI)?

Posted on October 15th, 2009 by admin, under Driving Instructor.

Are you considering the career of driving instructor? Well, it’s a good choice because being a driving instructor generates a great deal of advantages. Once qualified, you can become self-employed and be your own boss, deciding on your working hours and making good money. Or you may want to consider the opportunity of becoming a franchised driving instructor. But before you can start learning how to drive, you first should get trained yourself.

Before looking for a driving instructor school, you will need essential requirements to apply successfully. First, you have to have held an unrestricted car driving licence for a minimum of four years. Second, your driving history during that period should be impeccable. And third, you should be ‘fit and proper person’ in the opinion of the DSA. In other words, this relates to convictions not spent under the ‘rehabilitation of offenders’ act.

The training consists of three parts: theory training, in-car driving training and instructional training. So you must pass three qualifying tests accordingly.

Part 1. Theory and Hazard Perception Tests

These are much like learner’s tests, but as a driving instructor you are going to be tested at a higher level. The theory test is 100 multiple choice questions with 90 minutes to complete them all. During Hazard Perception Test you will be shown 14 videos of developing hazards and you will need to demonstrate an adequate reaction.

Part 2. Driving Test

If you have chosen to teach others to drive, you should be brilliant at driving. No wonder the pass mark for driving instructors is greatly different from that of learner’s. Within the test, you must not have made more than six minor driving faults.

Part 3. Practical Test of Teaching Skills

This is the most challenging and the most important part of entire training process. You can be a great driver but it takes a whole new mix of skills to become a good teacher. So this test shows your instructional abilities. Supervising Examiner will role-play a leaner driver, doing it all wrong. You would need to display your core competencies as a driving instructor, identifying, analysing and rectifying the faults.

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Positive thoughts for a Driving Instructor

Posted on November 27th, 2008 by admin, under Driving Instructor.

Every day the news we hear suggests that the future for Driving Instructors is truly bleak. Lack of driving lessons, fewer learner drivers, driving lessons being canceled. One thing is certain, if you do believe it, the future for Driving Instructors will be bleak.

There is an alternative. If you change your thoughts, you can change your beliefs to see that there are opportunities to create more driving lesson enquiries and potential pupils, even in the bleakest times. You will discover what only the best leaders have discovered – that being positive opens you up to possibilities and can improve your outcomes.

Difficult times are when your business acumen skill is truly tested and your ability to maintain a positive attitude towards your driving lessons and learner drivers and use all your creative and caring qualities can make a real difference.

If you take these 9 actions today and repeat them every day, you’ll begin to see things differently.

1. Only think positive thoughts
2. Maintain an attitude towards your customers that exudes enthusiasm
3. Know your financial numbers and be realistic about cash, lesson prices (do you need to reduce the cost of your lessons?)
4. Do everything you know to book more lessons: contact pupils you’ve not heard from in a while, contact any pupils who owe you money, reduce some of your work areas and distances you might go for a new learner driver, reduce your lesson prices, make a special offer to your pupils.
5. Hold on to current pupils by adding value to your driving lessons – how long is it since you really looked at your teaching methods, are they up to date ?
6. Watch other driving instructors in your area, listen to what they tell you, work out their failings and ensure you are unique in your teachings and approach.
7. Take the opportunity to improve your teaching skills, when was the last time you read a driving book, or joined a course to help with your teaching skills
8. Are there any creative ideas that can get you noticed? Is your car branded? Do you have a web site?
9. Join a local Driving Instructor group that could bring some external wisdom to your challenges, visit on-line forums to exchange ideas.

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The discipline of a good Driving School business

Posted on November 5th, 2008 by admin, under Driving Instructor, Driving Schools.

Having clearly established the purpose of setting up a driving school business you then need to be clear about the “shape” of the business and set a market leading strategy. There are three basic principles for establishing a good strategy:

- Teaching excellence
- Exceptional value
- Complete customer satisfaction

Driving Instructors must aim to be an expert in at least one of the above fields – just one, but you need to be at least “industry average” in all three. If you are not then you are likely to have weakness that undermines your strengths in other areas. But first let’s discuss numbers.

What information do you need to get started in setting up your driving school.

• Start with what’s important – Profit (assuming you’re interested in making money)
• Keep a strict diary of what’s happening in your business, how many pupils you have and where they came from
• Keep a balance sheet so you can see at first hand how much is in the bank and how much is in your pocket!

The above information shown on a month by month basis should you give you a good idea what is going on in your driving school business. Next, you need to look at the big picture. This is more important with financial information than probably any other area in the business. Whether you are comparing year on year, or just checking a few months at a time, I would recommend you draw up a simple driving instructor profit and loss account.

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How a Driving Instructor can reduce stress

Posted on October 1st, 2008 by admin, under Driving Instructor.

There are literally dozens of techniques available for reducing stress in the work place but none that deal direct with Driving Instructors. While it would be impossible to cover all of them in detail, here are just a small sample that a Driving Instructor can utilise immediately :

- Don’t worry about a learner drivers progress; be concerned.
- Manage your diary more effectively.
- Improve your physical work environment

Don’t worry, be concerned

This technique for preventing stress is to learn how to convert worries into concerns. Many Driving Instructors spend a lot of time worrying about things connected with learner drivers, for example – When will I receive another pupil? What will happen if I have insufficient money to pay for my car and other expenses?

Did you know that:

- 40% of worries never actually happen.
- 58% will turn out better that you expected.
- 2% are actually worth worrying about.

A worry is something that you cannot do anything about; no action you take can resolve it. For example, suppose you are worried that you don’t have many driving lessons booked in your diary for next week. Ask yourself what can you do to attract more pupils. Have you telephoned pupils you haven’t heard from recently? Can you encourage any pupils to have an extra lesson? Do you park your driving school vehicle in a prominent position when taking breaks between driving lessons?

Concerns, on the other hand, are things that you can do something about; you can take action, no matter how small, to help resolve the situation. For example, if you are concerned that you are running late to collect a pupil for his/her driving lesson, then you can call and let the pupil know you are running a few minutes behind.

If you are worried about something that you can do nothing about, let it go. If you are worried about something that you can do something about, learn to turn the worry into a concern by taking some action.

More information to follow.

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Dealing with difficult learner drivers

Posted on August 11th, 2008 by admin, under Driving Instructor, Driving Tips.

Driving Instructors who don’t learn how to work well with difficult learner drivers
will lose their confidence as well as the learner driver (the customer).

The nature of driving instruction requires that driving instructors work with
customers who may drive you up the wall (not literally!). regardless of whether your
customer is offhand, rude, frustrated, confused or irate, most minor problems do not
have to escalate into bad feelings.

The six steps in helping a customer are:

1. Let the pupil have their say
2. Avoid getting trapped with their negative feelings
3. Express empathy with the pupil
4. Begin to solve problems actively
5. Agree on solutions
6. Continue to check they are satisfied with progress so far.

When a learner driver is upset, they want two things: First, they want to let you
know how they feel, and then they want you to help them. It’s that simple. Some
driving instructors view learners becoming tense and frustrated as an indication of
the pupils inability to understand basic facts. However trying to resolve a
situation without listening to your pupils thoughts and feelings never works. Only
after the pupil has let you know their thoughts can they begin to hear what you have
to say.

Try it and see!

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Understanding the role of an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI)

Posted on July 30th, 2008 by admin, under Driving Instructor, Driving Tips.

Approved Driving Instructors are professionally qualified to give advice and have the correct knowledge regarding driving procedures and driving test requirements. They have received Driving Instructor training in order to teach driving skills to learner drivers and have received tuition relating to the driving test. When you become a Driving Instructor you will be trained to teach driving skills in a structured manner to suit differing abilities.

Formal tuition can only be given by a trainee Instructor, or a qualified Driving Standards Agency, Approved Driving Instructor (DSA ADI), who can also help structure the private practice.

Many learner drivers only have driving lessons for one or two hours per week and their driving experience is limited to driving at the same time of day and over the same roads. Accompanying a learner driver is a good way of helping your friends or relatives become safe drivers. It’s a team effort involving you, the learner driver and the Driving Instructor.

Working together is the best way of ensuring everyone’s aim of safe driving for life.

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Do you like driving? Would you like to earn money teaching people to drive?

Posted on June 30th, 2008 by admin, under Driving Schools, Driving Tips.

“The roads would be much safer if everyone drove how they were taught.”

Surepass Driving School offers Driving Instructor Training Courses, once you have qualified as a Driving Instructor, you can take out a franchise and start your own business.

If somebody wants to learn to drive safely it is important they learn from a highly trained driving instructor, someone who is teaching people to drive on a daily basis and is used to seeing all the mistakes a pupil can make. As a driving instructor you give the pupil confidence by being patient when mistakes are being made. Over a period of time the pupil will stop relying on you telling them what to do and start to drive with less and less instruction.

When the pupil can drive for 30 minutes without any help from you – they are ready for the driving test. Some people say driving instructors are happy when a pupil fails the driving test, because pupil will have to pay more money for more driving lessons and as a result it is more money for the driving instructor. This is Nonsense! The driving instructor builds a bond with a pupil and they are just as upset as the pupil. Most driving instructors feel if the pupil fails – then they have failed also. The joy a driving instructor feels when the pupil passes is very rewarding and stays with him for a long time afterwards.

Passing the driving test is a life changing experience for most pupils, everyone remembers their driving instructor. Many pupils still remain in contact with their instructor long after passing the test.

So if you become a driving instructor, you will not only have a well-paid rewarding job, but your circle of friends will increase. Think about it!!!

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