YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Instructors

You will obviously be spending a lot of time with your instructor during your training, so it is very important you find an instructor you are happy with. At Golden Driving School we are confident you will be very happy.

All Golden Driving School instructors are registered with the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) and have been CRB checked.

A fully qualified Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) must display a valid green licence on the windscreen. Trainee Instructors (PDI) must display a valid pink licence. (At Golden Driving School we only use fully qualified driving instructors, ADI'S, unlike many other driving schools).

Only a DSA registered ADI or PDI is legally allowed to receive payment for lessons given.

All Driving Instructors must complete a rigourous three part DSA training course with a qualifying test to be taken at the end of each part. Once the final part three training has been undertaken and the first two parts have successfully been passed, the DSA offer a choice:- 1) take the part three test to become an ADI or; 2) apply for a trainee license.

The trainee license scheme was introduced by the DSA to allow trainee instructors to legally give paid instruction while either awaiting their part three test date, or to help them gain extra experience and possibly achieve a higher grade. A trainee license is only valid for six months and the instructor must take their final test during this time.



DSA registered Driving Instructors must:

• have held a full driving licence for at least four years
• be over 21 years of age.
• pass a much tougher theory test than the one you will take.
• pass a strict driving test.
• reach and keep up a high standard of instruction.
• be registered with the DSA and display an identification certificate on the windscreen of the tuition vehicle

Choosing Your Instructor

Unlike your relatives, your Driving Instructor is someone that you can choose yourself. So, what will make you decide on who is going to prepare you best for the test? After all, if you make the wrong choice you will end up not looking forward to the next lesson. If you stop enjoying the lesson learning will soon take a back seat!

So what will affect your choice? All Approved Driving Instructors are qualified to give instruction so they should all be the same. Yes or No? Well, only time will tell if you have made the right choice, but here are some reasons that could well make up your mind:

Does the car suit you, is it too big or too small?
Already known to you or recommended by a friend.
Instructor conducts themselves in a professional manner.
A clean, tidy car and well presented instructor.
Above all, you need to feel comfortable with your instructor. A course of, for example 20 lessons means a lot of time spent working with and learning from the instructor in the close confines of the car. A lot depends, therefore, on both of you being able to get on well. Don't make the mistake of paying beforehand for a
course of lessons without firstly having an assessment lesson.


Another good way is to ask the instructor to visit you at your home in order to meet them and hear what they have to offer. This can also give parents or friends the opportunity of making a judgement. If the instructor shies away from this suggestion then you need to ask yourself "Why?"

..........AND NOW A FEW WARNINGS:
Always be aware of 'Marketing Hype'. There is no such thing as a 'Guaranteed Pass'.

You are looking for 'Value for Money' and not just the cheapest lesson rate that you can find. Having 10 lessons with a good instructor could be a lot better than having 20 with one that, to be honest, you shouldn't have gone with in the first place.

Make sure that they teach the full syllabus as approved by the Driving Standards Agency. They should also work with some form of Logbook into which details of each lesson given are entered. Will your instructor do this?

CLICK HERE: TO RETURN TO HOME PAGE

Copyright © 2003 GoldenDrivingSchool Quinton. All rights reserved.