Why now is a great time to become a driving instructor

Now is the best time to become a driving instructor.  The backlog of people wanting to learn how to drive could take years to get through, so guaranteed work and high earnings are available for those who want it.

This blog is for anyone considering a career change interested in becoming a driving instructor.  There is a lot to consider and numerous pitfalls to avoid.  This article explains how to become a driving instructor without too much jargon.

What do you need to do to become a driving instructor?

Training to become a driving instructor starts when you register with the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). You must be over 21 and have held a clean driving licence for over three years. You also need an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

You’ll need to pass three exams:

• ADI 1 – The theory test - 100 multiple choice questions and hazard perception test (£81).
• ADI 2 – A practical driving test with a maximum of 6 minors, 0 majors (£111).
• ADI 3 – A practical teaching test.  You can become a PDI (Potential Driving Instructor) and earn and learn on the job before taking this final, challenging test.   You are also allowed to take the part 3 with 40 hours minimum professional training.  The pass rate is only around 30% (£111).

If you fail the part 2 or 3 three times, you have to wait two years from when you passed the part 1 before you can sit it again.

What are the costs?

A quick Google search shows there are many companies with questionable morals. Read this article before signing up to anything and handing over your money.

Don't pay anyone for part 1 training.  This can all be done at home with a book and CD ROM/DVD.  I've seen some companies charging hundreds of pounds to attend and learn in their classrooms.  Avoid this. 

Personally, I'd find a highly rated individual to teach me the part 2 and part 3 section of the course.   Read testimonials of who you'll be learning from/paying. Don't sign up with a big company as you cannot be sure of the quality of instructor you could be paired with.  Google and instructor forums would be a good place to start finding the right person for you.

Some driving schools charge from £1000 to £2000 in total for the training, with tie-ins, small print and asterisks all over the place to cover themselves legally.  These prices assume you'll complete training in the time frame they've set out. 

If you need extra hours, what are the charges?  Make sure you look into this first.  One of the biggest schools offers 36 contact hours for part 3, that's already 4 short of the mandatory teaching hours you legally need before you take the part 3 test!

A less risky training program could be with an independent driving instructor or smaller driving school.  It could be cheaper and more personable, which would definitely be a good thing.  Paying by the hour could also save you money. 

How much do driving instructors earn?

Not as much as some ADI training schools tell you.  One well-known schools claims you can earn up to £40K a year.  They charge £28 per lesson.  That's £796 a week or £158 a day.  You'd need to teach 6 lessons a day with no vacation, sick days or time off on bank holidays.

Burnout is common among driving instructors with many leaving the industry.  £40K a year after tax is closer to £30K.

Independent or franchise?

Going it alone at the start of your career would be tough.  With no internet presence, you'd struggle.  Forget about advertising in the yellow pages or leaving a flyer in the post office window.  You need a website.  These take at least 6 months to get traction and be picked up by search engines. 

A franchise is a simple concept.  Each week you'd pay a small fee for their advertising and marketing.  They supply the leads/students for you to take.  Usually you pick and choose which clients you want.  Only teach people that you can realistically get to from one lesson to the next.  I leave myself 30 minutes between classes to get to my next student, write up my notes, and then plan for the next class. 

I've seen combined training and franchise deals where you're guaranteed to earn £39K in your first year and guaranteed cash back on the training fee. This sounds amazing.  In reality you'd need to you teach 36 hours a week, every week for an entire year.  I couldn't do that. 

With the time it takes between lessons, your working days would be at least 12 hours long with no break!  This is unsustainable over prolonged periods.

The moral of the story is - be careful. Don't be seduced by the too-good-to-be-true offers.  Be realistic. 

For me, 5 hours of teaching a day is enough (plus I have the school run several days a week and 11 hour days are my limit).  I charge £33 a hour.  That's £165 a day/ £825 a week/£3300 a month.  I take 36 days off per year without pay which includes holidays, bank holidays and sick days.  This takes earnings to around £34,500K per year.  Sounds good.  Let's not forget Mr Tax Man takes his share, so it's more like £27,122 per year.

A-Class Driving School's franchise is £50 a week,  4 weeks holiday a year and the use of a school roof box.  Did I mention we're hiring driving instructors?  We could fill your diary instantly with the lengthy waiting lists we currently have and are receiving hundreds of inquiries a week.

What are the running costs?

You'll need a car.  If you have one already, great.  If not you have the option of either buying or leasing. 

Leasing can cost from £320p/m to £500 or more.  You'll sign up for about 3 years and you're limited to 20,000 miles for the lower end deals.  Another problem if you're chasing the 40K , 36 hours a week 'money back for your training' guarantee dream.  If you do over 20,000 miles you'll be hit with a fine.  More small print for you to read before signing anything.

Some instructors like leasing as you get a new car every few years.  Servicing and maintenance is free (within reason, more small print to read) and you get a replacement vehicle within 24 hours if something goes horribly wrong with your vehicle.

Buying a car means it's yours to do with as you choose.  No limit on miles.  You can change it when you want.  However, you'll need to pay for all the servicing and maintenance yourself. 

If you bought a £6000 car to teach in, over 3 years you could pay it off with £166 a month payments.  Basic driving instructor insurance provides a replacement car within 24 hours.  Last year my car maintenance was around £400 and it's now 5 years old.  That totals around £200 a month over a 36 month period.  So, cheaper than the leasing, but no guarantee that engine failure could happen pushing that figure up. 

In my experience, the split between ownership v leasing in the industry is around 50/50.  At A-Class Driving School, three fifths own their own car.  I like to replace mine after every 4 to 5 years and get £2000 part exchange on a £8000 to £10,000 vehicle.  Then take a small business loan out with a bank to make up the difference and make installments of £150 a month to pay it off.

You also have to pay the DVSA £300 every 4 years for the privilege of working. Sorry, I meant to renew your badge!

Automatic electric revolution

It's here! New driving instructors can get in from day dot and potentially make a financial killing.  Fuel is the obvious big overhead for driving instructors.  £60 to £100 a week depending on how many hours you work, what level your students are at, and ,of course, the size your engine.  Per mile, electric cars make huge savings. 

Again, lots of variables, but perhaps 2p compared to 12p per mile.  There's no road tax to pay at all.   Servicing and parts have been estimated on some websites to be 50% less than their combustion engine companions, already making the financial savings very appealing.  Then add the cost of automatic lessons being charged more per hour, and it's an extremely attractive option.

The only downside is that electric cars are obviously more expensive to buy at the moment. 

As you can see there are lots of options and no right or wrong way to go on how to become a driving instructor.  Just make sure you don't rush into anything, and there are lots of friendly and helpful instructors who would be glad to offer advice if you have questions.  There's one right here. 

By Will Dracott

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