Shifting gears

Think before changing your career!

A driving school instructor needs to work very hard if they are to survive in this cut throat business of teaching learners how to drive a car. Contrary to what a particular driving school advert currently running on UK TV might want you to believe, there are no instructor shortages in any parts of the country, in fact competition is so fierce, that just being a good instructor is not enough to keep your business afloat especially if you are new or recently qualified.
Being a driving instructor means saying goodbye to a regular working hour of 9-5pm, learning how to run a business, understanding tax requirements, customer satisfaction and care skills but more importantly than anything else driving school marketing techniques.
An established instructor might be able to leave off 15 years of recommendations, but a PDI in training or a newly start up driving school will have to go out there and fight tooth an nail to get new learner drivers on a daily basis in order to pay for the weekly school car leasing fees, bearing in bind that there will be those looking for cheap driving lesson deals not willing to pay for a high quality tuition, some only looking for someone to take them for a test, not to talk of the risks involved in running a driving school business like loss of income due to accidents, short notice lesson cancellations, sickness, etc.

So if you are thinking of starting a career as a driving instructor, you need to consider all these factors including having to work at un-social hours (6.30am start and 9pm finishing) to cover driving tests and working clients only available at late hours after work. You do get your rewards though, but money or earnings is not usually one of them. Job satisfaction is one, and once established, then you might be able to dictate more the hours worked and spend time with family members.

Don't for get it costs a lot of money to train as an approved DSA instructor, and time as well so make sure you do all the complete research before embarking on the journey including what the local market conditions, you can't survive on family/friends promises of taking tuition with you when you qualify!