DSA Registered Professional & Patient Instructors
How Do I Find A Good Driving Instructor:
The best way of finding a good Driving Instructor
is to get recommendations from other people who are learning, or have just passed
the driving test.
If you do not have any recommendations, make sure you know their terms and conditions especially as far as cancellation of lessons.
Most instructors will normally still charge all or a proportion of the fee for the lesson if it is cancelled with less than 48 hours notice.
Remember that instructors are self employed and will still have to pay a fee to the
driving school.
DO NOT pay for a block of lessons before your first driving lesson
unless you are fully aware of their terms and conditions first!
If you do not get on well with the instructor, you may have difficulty getting your
money back!
The best way is to pay cash for your first lesson, when you have it, then you can
pay for a block if you are happy.
DO NOT: Go for an Instructor just because they say
they have a HIGH PASS RATE:
Firstly, due to the “Data Protection Act” the DSA are
not allowed to give out personal information, so the DSA cannot confirm or deny an
Instructors pass rate, and secondly the area the Instructor covers, may have a lot
of people who can afford to do lots of lessons in preparation for their test and
so will be more likely to pass and make some instructors look “better” than others.
You could also contact your local Driving Instructors Association by searching for
them on line.
Instructors who are Members of Instructors Associations are more likely
to be up to date with current driving practices and teaching methods.
A Good DSA
Registered Instructor will: ·
*Be DSA registered and “Criminal Record Bureaux” checked.
Either
a pink or green badge must be displayed in the car: ·
* Not share the car with another
pupil on your lesson. ·
*Be prompt to lessons, or advise you if they are going to
be late and give the full time that has been paid for (normally 1 or 2 hours). ·
*Have a modern dual controlled car for your safety. ·
* Be patient, professional
in a calm and relaxed environment, and also does NOT SHOUT at you! ·
*Recap on what
you have previously learnt. ·
*Give a briefing on what you are going to cover on
this lesson. ·
*Summarise what you have covered in this lesson, and advise what you
will cover next time. ·
*Keep a record of your previous lessons, and give lesson
notes for the lesson you have just done.
*Will help you with guidance on the theory and Hazard Perception Tests. ·
*Charge
a reasonable rate to cover for their time and running costs.
£20 to £25/ hour is
average and above £25 is normally expensive.
*You may be paying a premium for the
Driving School Name, rather than the instruction given.
-
A
Bad Un-
*NOT be DSA or “Criminal Record Bureaux” checked.
Because they have not been CRB checked, they could have also been convicted for any
crime, Like Rape, Burglary or Murder!
*Not have a valid Instructors Badge: ·
*Share
the car with another pupil on your lesson.
*They may not be DSA registered, or they
may do car sharing. Also, remember, that you are NOT learning to drive with the Driving
School. You are learning with the Instructor who happens to work with that particular
Driving School.
*NOT be prompt to lessons, or advise you if they are going to be
late and NOT give the full time that has been paid for. ·
*NOT Have a modern dual
controlled car. ·
*NOT be patient or professional, and also SHOUTS at you! ·
*DOES
NOT CARE what you have previously learnt. They just want your money!
*DOES NOT GIVE
any briefing on what you are going to do. ·
*DOES NOT Summarise what you have covered
in this lesson, and will be more worried about booking you in for the next “lesson”,
even though you have not learnt much this “lesson”. ·
*DOES NOT Keep any record of
your previous lessons, or money that you have previously paid.
*DOES NOT give lesson
notes for the lesson you have just done. ·
*Will not be up to date with the Theory
or Hazard Perception Tests. ·
*Charges what may APPEAR to be a “CHEAP RATE” compared
to other instructors, BUT the lessons will probably work out MORE EXPENSIVE, as you
will need to do MORE LESSONS, because they have not taught you correctly.
Average
Rates currently: Up to £20/ hour is cheap and possibly questionable, ie. unregistered.
I
hope that this guide has been of use.
Thanks for reading and I look forward to any
comments that you may have.
Good luck with your driving!!
From Russell.
R Smith copyright
© 2009
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