Choosing the Correct Driving Instructor

Why this is an important decision.

Your Driving Instructor will be teaching you a skill that will last your whole lifetime. Not only that, but it’s a skill that has life-changing consequences: Learn well and your life will open up in freedom, opportunity and independence; learn badly and you could cause a horrific accident. In addition, you’re going to be spending an average of around 45 hours sitting next to this person in a car, spending an average £20 per hour. It’s worth choosing carefully.

Options

You can be taught by anybody who is over the age of twenty-one and has held a full driving-licence for at least three years, and as long as you are covered by insurance for the vehicle you are driving. Only an Approved Driving Instructor (or trainee) who is registered with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is allowed to charge for driving lessons. They must have a badge in their car window, and will be graded by the DVSA between Grade 4 (competent) and Grade 6 (best). An Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) is the best option because they have experience and skill in teaching people to drive, know the driving test syllabus and have chosen their vehicle with learner drivers in mind, though it’s also helpful if you can get practice in between your lessons with a friend or family member.

How to choose

Going by personal recommendation is a good place to start. If you’ve a friend who has recently learned to drive and they are happy with the instruction they received, then find out who the instructor was. Ask around and get a few positive recommendations. Next, have a look at reviews on the internet, and look at the driving instructor’s website if they have one. Ignore “pass rates”. They aren’t that helpful because there is no consistency – a 100% pass rate might mean that all their learners passed their test but it took them four attempts; it might mean that 100% of the learners who took their test one week last June passed! Speak to the instructor and ask them questions. How do they teach? Do they specialise in nervous drivers? What kind of car do they use? Do they follow a plan? Do they record coverage of the syllabus on the Driver’s Record?

Having a trial lesson first.

Ask for a trial lesson before you commit to anything. You’ll soon see whether or not you and the instructor get on, and whether you’ll be happy with them. Look for a clean and uncluttered car interior, punctuality and professionalism. Ask about the Driver’s Record and if they will have a plan for what will be covered each lesson.

While you will often get a discount for block-booking lessons, don’t commit too far in advance. If you find out that you don’t get on with the driving instructor after all, or you are unhappy with their instruction for any reason, then you can change driving instructor at any time.

If you would like to learn to drive in Glasgow contact TX Driver Training now on 0141 764 1213.

Can I Change Driving School?

Why do you feel you want to change driving schools?

Hopefully you selected your instructor and driving school based on recommendation, and were able to book a taster lesson with your instructor before you settled on your instructor and school. It is possible though, that the instructor you thought was going to be a great fit for you has left you feeling dissatisfied because:

• They are often late for lessons;
• They often cancel lessons, meaning you have to re-book or don’t seem to be able to fit you in at times that are convenient to you;
• The car is messy, giving an unprofessional feel;
• You don’t get on, they shout at you or make you feel more stressed and nervous about your driving;
• You don’t feel as though you are making as much progress in your lessons as you should be;

Your first action, whatever the problem is, is to talk to your instructor. It might be that all they need is a timely reminder that they are supposed to be treating you professionally, or that their frustrations have no place when teaching a pupil to drive. If you don’t feel that you are making appropriate progress, then tell them this and ask them to talk through their plan for your lessons, what you will be covering each week and how many more lessons they think it might be until you are ready to take a test. If the instructor knows that you are unhappy with something, then they might be able to do something about it. This kind of conversation won’t be easy, but it is definitely the right first thing to do.

Secondly, if you are still unhappy with your instructor, then talk to the driving school. If the driving school has a good reputation, and wants to maintain it, then they will want to know about any problems as early as possible, and will want to do what they can to fix them. They may be able to offer an alternative instructor or some other course of action.

If you’ve followed both steps above, and you are still not happy with how your driving lessons are being conducted, then you can and should change driving schools. If you’ve paid in advance for a block of lessons, then you will either have to complete that block, or negotiate with the driving school to have the money refunded. If you haven’t made any financial commitment, then you can just tell the instructor and/or school that you are changing after the next lesson. It is important to tell them why you are changing, so that if there’s something that they can do better, they know about it and are able to make the change. It may not affect you now, but it could make a difference for future learners and for the driving school themselves. It might be easier to write down your reasons for changing in a letter or e-mail. A good driving school will be happy to receive feedback, positive or negative, and hopefully will act on it.

When you are choosing your new driving school, make sure that you go on personal recommendation, ask questions at the beginning to ensure that you don’t get a repeat of whatever caused the problem in the previous establishment, and ask for a taster lesson with the instructor before you commit to the school, so that you can check that you will get on with the new instructor.  

Why a good driving school will change your life

Learning to drive is often described as a “life skill” and it is certainly a set of skills that you will be able to use through the rest of your life, and which will change your life. Learning to drive allows you the freedom to travel wherever and whenever you like. You no longer have to wait in the rain with heavy bags of groceries for a bus that never turns up. You no longer have to rely on friends or family members for lifts, or to worry about how you’re going to get home. Even if you don’t intend to get a car of your own immediately, you can always hire a car for a short period if you are planning a journey. Being able to drive opens up job opportunities that either require a driving licence or become more accessible if you can drive yourself there.

What’s the difference between a good driving school and a bad one?

You may already have discovered that some driving schools aren’t as good as they should be. They may employ only trainee instructors so they can pay them less, yet still charge premium rates to the pupils. They may cut corners on car maintenance, or by getting pupils to act as taxi-drivers, starting the lesson by dropping off the previous pupil, and finishing by collecting the next pupil. These are not good driving schools. A driving school like this may end up costing you more because your driving lessons are not dedicated to teaching you to drive in the best possible way; while you are certainly practising driving while dropping off the previous pupil and driving towards the next pupil, you may not be driving optimal routes to allow you to develop important skills, to avoid congestion or to practice test routes. Worse, the other pupil in the car could be a distraction to you or the instructor.

A good driving school will be focused on you, the pupil. Every minute of every lesson will be tailored to ensure that you get the best possible tuition, and have the maximum high quality driving instruction. Your instructor will be experienced, or if you are happy to have a trainee driving instructor (with a pink triangle in the window instead of a green octagon) then they will charge you less for it. Your driver will be professional and punctual, turning up to your lessons ready to teach you.

A good driving school will help you to pass your test and to become a better driver. They will do it in a way that fits in with your life, making learning to drive as easy as possible for you. This means that where possible they will pick you up and drop you off at a location and time that suits you, and will be able to provide regular lessons with the same driving instructor. A good driving school takes your driving seriously, helping you not just to pass your test, but to become a safe and confident driver.

How do you find a good driving school?

The best way to find a good driving school is by personal recommendation. If somebody that you know has had a good experience and is happy to recommend their driving school, then the chances are they’re a good driving school. If you can’t go on recommendation, then read online reviews of the school, and ask lots of questions to ensure that you’re going to get the tuition you want.

Learning to drive really will change your life. Learn well with a good driving school and you’ll feel the benefit for the rest of your life. Learn badly, and it could be a disaster waiting to ruin your life, and potentially the lives of others.

Contact TX Driver Training on 0141 764 1213 to learn with one of the best driving schools in Glasgow.

How To Find A Good Driving School

While some driving instructors are independent, many belong to a Driving School. The School takes care of the business side of things, allowing the instructor to concentrate on teaching driving.

There are so many driving schools out there clamouring for attention with advertisements that it isn’t always easy to work out which are the best. Personal recommendation helps a lot, especially if you can select the particular instructor that you learn with. Looking at User Reviews also gives a good indication of how other learners have found the school and their reputation. If reviewers are commenting about instructors regularly turning up late, including grocery stops or not having the instructor’s full attention, then this probably isn’t a school you’ll want to use. Pass rates are not all that helpful, as they aren’t standardised and there are so many variables involved that they can’t really be compared.

Think about the type of learning you want to undertake – do you want to undertake one hour long lesson per week, a two hour lesson per week, or an intensive course? Check which driving schools offer what you want. Once you have a shortlist, don’t be afraid to ask them questions. You’re going to be giving them a lot of money, so you need to be sure that you’re getting what you need out of the arrangement. Some of the questions you should ask include:

• What cars do you use? (Model and age – most will use smaller cars under three years old)
• Are the cars dual control?
• Will I have the same instructor for all my lessons? This is helpful, as they will know you, will know what your skills are and what you need to work on.
• And the same car? Also helpful as you will gauge how much space you have when manoeuvring.
• Do you have female instructors? This may or may not be important to you.
• Do any of your instructors specialise in nervous drivers? A useful question if you are one.
• Are all your instructors fully qualified? Trainee instructors doesn’t mean poorer quality, but they do have less experience and should charge less.
• How much are your lessons? Price isn’t everything, but it is useful to know.
• Am I entirely 1:1 or does the instructor pick up the next pupil during my lesson? This can be distracting, and will also mean that you may be spending less time practising the test route, because some of your lesson time will be taken up travelling to the next pupil, but it saves the instructor/school money because they don’t have uncharged time between pupils.
• Do you offer a discount for booking a block of lessons in advance? If they do, then book a small block to begin with, to make sure that you’re happy with the instruction before you commit to a longer block.
• Which test centre do you use? Also find out whether practice on driving test routes used by that centre is included in lessons.
• What’s your pass rate for first attempts? This tells you if they try to put people through their tests too soon.
• Can I have lessons early morning / evening / weekend / weekdays (whatever your preference)?

Once you’ve gone through all these questions, you should have an idea which driving school will suit you best, and can make a decision. If you are unhappy with your instruction, you can ask for a different instructor, and if you’re still not happy, don’t be afraid to change driving school.

Contact TX Driver Training on 0141 764 1213 to find out why we think we are the best driving school in Glasgow.