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Your road to becoming a driving instructor

YOUR GUIDE TO BECOMING A DRIVING INSTRUCTOR

Congratulations! You have taken your first step towards your new career as a Driving Instructor.

This information booklet explains all that you will need to know about the
qualification process to become an ADI (Approved Driving Instructor).

The process to get this qualification usually takes 6-12 months and involves a
lot of hard work and commitment, but the benefits of being self-employed
with an earning potential of in excess of £700/per week surely make it
worthwhile.
We always encourage enquirers to contact other training establishments and
compare what they have to offer; to decide which one best suits your needs.
We are confident that after doing this you will realise that our courses offer
the best value for money and flexibility as well as the personal one-to-one
training no one else can match.
The course can fit in around any current job or commitments, with training
available at weekends and in the evenings.
Training is available throughout the Dorset area
Please read on to find out exactly what the course entails.
THE REGISTER OF APPROVED DRIVING INSTRUCTORS
The Register was set up in the interests of road safety in order to maintain
and improve the standard of driving instruction available to the general public.
It also ensures that the public can rely upon an acceptable minimum
standard of tuition from registered driving instructors. It is administered by
the Driving Standards Agency on behalf of the DETR under the provisions of
the Road Traffic Act 1988. Under the rules of this Act it is illegal for anyone
to charge (either money or money’s worth) for instruction in driving a motor
car unless:-
1 their name is on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors; or
2 they hold a trainee’s “Licence to give instruction” issued by the Registrar.
To be an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) you must;
2 hold a full British or Northern Ireland car driving licence;
3 have held it for a total of at least four out of the past six years prior
to entering the Register after qualifying, but a foreign driving licence,
an automatic car driving licence, or a provisional licence held after
passing the driving test, all count towards the four years;
4 not have been disqualified from driving at any time in the four years
prior to being entered in the Register;
5 be a fit and proper person to have your name entered in the Register.
All convictions, including motoring offences, still in force (i.e. not `spent’
under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974) will be taken into account
when your suitability is assessed to be entered in the Register; and pass the
Register qualifying exam which is in three parts:-
6 a theory test Part 1
7 a practical test of your driving ability Part 2
8 a practical test of your ability to instruct Part 3
You must take and pass all three parts of the exam in this order and must
complete the whole exam within two years of passing the written test. If you
are unable to complete the exam within this time you must start again from
the beginning and pass each part once again.
You are only allowed three attempts at each of the practical tests. If you do
not pass in the three attempts you must wait until the end of your two year
period before you can requalify, starting with the theory exam.
THE THEORY EXAMINATION (Part 1)
The Part 1 test can be taken at any theory test centre in Great Britain.
The test calls for a high standard of knowledge. It is a single test of 100
questions to be completed in one and a half hours. For every question a
choice of four answers is given. Only one of these answers is correct. The
questions are based on all or any of the following:-
9 principals of road safety generally and their application in particular
circumstances;
10 techniques of driving a car correctly, courteously and safely including
control of the vehicle, road procedure, recognising hazards and taking
proper action, dealing properly with pedestrians and other road users,
the use of safety equipment;
11 the theory and practice of learning, teaching and assessment;
12 tuition required to instruct a pupil in driving a car, including the
items set out above, the correction of pupils’ errors, the manner of the
instructor, the relationship between the instructor and pupil, and simple
vehicle adaptations for disabled drivers;
13 “The Highway Code”
14 the booklet “The Official Driving Test”
15 interpretation of the reasons for failure given in form DL25A the
“Statement of Failure” to pass the driving test;
16 knowledge of the mechanism and design of a car;
17 the official DSA book “Driving – the Essential Skills”
The overall pass mark for the Part 1 is 85%. However you must reach a minimum
mark of 80% in each of the four areas the test is split into. In addition,
candidates are required to score at least 57 out of 75 at the hazard perception
test. Both parts of the exam must be passed together to pass the Part 1
test. The result of the test will be given at the end of the test.
Study for this section may be mixture of the following;
18 Home study
19 Classroom based study
20 In-car training
You can have as many attempts at this part of the exam as you need to pass.
Once Part 1 has been passed you can immediately start the second part of
your qualification “the practical test of your driving ability” (Part 2).
THE TEST OF DRIVING ABILITY (Part 2)
The practical test of driving ability consists of both eyesight and driving
technique. The test lasts for about one hour. You must pass both parts of the
test at the same time.
You must be able to read a car number plate at a distance of 27.5m in good
daylight, with the help of glasses or contact lenses if worn.
The test of driving technique is not just a slightly more difficult “L” test. It
is of an advanced nature and a very high standard of competence is required.
You must show that you have a thorough knowledge of the principals
of good driving and road safety and that you can apply them in practice.
The routes used for the test will include roads which may carry heavy traffic
or fast moving traffic, for example motorways or fast dual carriageways. The
routes will be both inside and outside built up areas.
No more than six minor errors may be committed on this test, with any serious
or dangerous faults committed resulting in an automatic failure of the
test.
You must drive in a brisk business-like way, but you must drive safely and
within the legal limits.
You must provide a car for the test which is properly taxed and insured. It
must be a saloon, hatchback or estate car in proper working condition and
with seatbelts in working order. It must be capable of the normal performance
of vehicles of its type with manual transmission, right hand steering
and a readily adjustable seat for a forward facing front passenger. The car
must not be displaying “L” plates. (Vehicles can be hired for the purpose of
this test from ourselves)
The examiner will give a decision at the end of the test.
Training for this section will comprise of the following:-
21 In car training
22 Practice in-between sessions
You are only allowed 3 attempts at this part of the exam. If you fail all three
attempts you must wait two years from the date of passing Part 1, until you
start to re-qualify from the beginning.
Once Part 2 has been passed you can immediately start the last part of your
qualification “the practical test of your ability to instruct” (Part 3).
THE TEST OF YOUR ABILITY TO INSTRUCT (Part 3)
The test of instructional ability lasts for about one hour. It consists of two
“phases”, where the Supervising Examiner who conducts the test, role-plays
a pupil at a certain level of competence that the candidate has to teach.
You must pass both parts on the same test. For each of the two roles the
examiner will choose one of the exercises given below as the basis of the
instruction.
23 Safety precautions on entering the car and explanation of the controls.
24 Moving off and making normal stops.
25 Reversing and when doing so entering limited openings to the left
and the right.
26 Turning the vehicle round in the road to face the opposite direction,
using forward and reverse gears.
27 Parking close to the kerb, using forward and reverse gears.
28 Explaining how to make an emergency stop, and practical instruction
in the use of mirrors.
29 Approaching and turning corners.
30 Judgement of speed, making progress and general road positioning.
31 Dealing with road junctions.
32 Dealing with crossroads.
33 Dealing with pedestrian crossings, and giving correct signals in a
clear and unmistakable manner.
34 Overtaking, meeting, crossing the path of, allowing adequate clearance
for other road users and anticipation.
The instruction you should give should be tailored to the time available (30
min’s each part) and to the standard of the pupil being role-played by the
examiner.
You must provide a car for the test to the same regulations as described in
the Part 2 section of this booklet, but in addition you must also display two
“L” plates for the test (As with Part 2 such vehicles can be hired from ourselves
for the purpose of the test).
The examiner will give the decision at the end of the test.
You are only allowed 3 attempts at this part of the exam. If you fail all three
attempts you must wait two years from the date of passing Part 1, until you
start to re-qualify from the beginning.
TRAINEE LICENCE
If you have passed the driving ability test you can apply for a “trainee licence”.
If granted, this will allow you to instruct for payment although you
are not registered as an Approved Driving Instructor. Many people pass the
Part 3 exam without needing a trainee licence; however the experience
gained from the licence is often invaluable in gaining the necessary experience
to pass the exam, and is the most popular choice.
A licence is only valid for 6 months and apart from very exceptional circumstances
you will only be granted one licence.
One of the conditions of the trainee licence is that you receive at least 40
hours practical training from an ADI. You must receive some training in every
one of the subjects listed.
This is the training that we provide whether or not you decide to apply for a
trainee licence.
If the trainee licence is granted, for the first 3 months that your licence is in
force, you must be under the direct personal supervision of an ADI for at
least 20% of the time for which you give instruction or receive 20 hours of
additional training plus a further 5 hours if Part 3 is failed.
Again this training is provided with the courses we offer.
If the trainee licence is the preferred option, we can usually organise this
with a local driving school, if not with ourselves (CALM DRIVING Driving).
However, doing this course does not tie you in to working for any driving
school, including our own, which is unlike many other courses available.