Would you pay an unqualified driving instructor?

There are no doubt good non ADIs teaching people to drive and the are also a lot of ADIs that are of a very poor standard. I read some websites with total disbelief, that that is actually what the new generation of drivers is being taught. For example one website talked about making sure you could do the manoeuvres without any “minor” faults so that you had 15 left to go for the test. A scrape through attitude which frankly I found dreadful for any professional to hold.
In lots of ways passing the test is the least of the pupils worries. What is far more important is the time after the test when they are on their own. I do not teach people to pass a test I teach them to drive. Something totally different in my opinion. I want to do my upmost to make sure they don’t become another statistic.
Whilst there are very good PDIs who are using the licence to get onroad experience. There are a lot who see it as a way of getting back the money they have spent on training before they take their part 3. So they aren’t all that worried about the standard. I was on a pink licence for about 2 months before my part three and found it very helpful. I was totally honest with all my pupils and asked them for feedback on lessons to help me improve. I do know that there are ways to extend the 6 months too. If you book your part three on say 20th May and your PDI licence expired on the 20 March you can continue teaching. This is used by some of the less scrupulous companies to keep the trainees on for longer. They really don’t care if they pass there are 20 more willing to take their place.

No way would I pay an unqualified driving instructor! There should be a law against impersonating a driving instructor. It’s putting lives at risk!

Ashley

I’m amazed this hairy old thread has re-awoken! Just to put the record straight, Barleytony, it was not I who said I had been teaching since 1947, I was not even born then and am thankfully several years away from 88!

That statement was made by Richard, who seems to have generated most of the controversy surrounding this issue.

I’m not going to get hung up on the professional versus amateur point of view. When I first taught someone to drive and pass a test 1st time I was a 27 year old traffic police officer with no formal teaching qualifications – I just knew what made a good driver and knew damn well that my ‘pupil’, a friend of the family was better than test standard when she took it.

I also know that the vast majority of ‘ordinary’ drivers could not, nor want to, teach their offspring to drive as they treasure their sanity too much, not to mention the precious family car.

Driver tuition is changing, as qualified Adis (approved driving instructor) we now have to pass a new standards check every 4 years. We are then graded A (high standard) B (competent stardard). Or fail we then have 2 more tests to prove our stardard is upto scratch. Or we lose our job. The methods we now have to use are based on client centered learning (ccl). This involves the learner being more in control of the learning process. When looking for a instructor ask them to prove what grade they are, as they will be issued with a certificate after their standard check.

Most PDI’s are training to pass their part 3 test therefore their teaching style may be for them to pass there test not for you to pass your test. After they are using you as their practice.

You get some good PDI’s but also bad ones who don’t have a clue what they are doing

I was a pdi with Red driving school, out of a class of 25 pdis only 4 of us went onto qualify as a ADI. I was fortunate that I had been a police officer for 25 years and this helped me with part 1 and part 2. Since leaving red I regurly see pdis teaching on the pink badge. I told my students when I was training, I think pdis should inform their students of their status. It’s very hard to qualify as a ADI

I’m a freshly qualified Instructor who has just passed my Pt3. None of my pupils had a clue was a trainee, but on the other hand knew I was quite new to the job.

Within my first 4 month I had 2 clean sheets and 3 tests under 2 minors, I’ve now just got another 2 clean sheets in my next 6 months. Ive been pulling the results in. At 22/23 and a PDI.
Instruction depends how you are with words and how you adapt yourself to your pupil to become more interesting. I passed my Pt2 with 0 Minors and all I explain is how and why I’d do something in a which is personal to them. But I suppose that isn’t all instructors.

I found I easily get pupils through a test, but the acting had me on the part 3. I’m not an actor! I couldn’t get over it (until yesterday) so some PDI’s can be very genuine.. your ADI’s know how to act (PST Robot) or they have been a PDI with a hard time..

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I am bit concerned with your comment about trainee driving instructors ,is it not true to say that how do they become good instructors without being able to get out their and learn with proper pupils and not just books and videos ,you yourself must have done your training this way by doing your 40 hours then waiting for a test date ,how can you possibly say this is a bad thing its like any job you have to train and do some practical work as well and am sure this is how your instructors start ,but either way as long as the pupil is getting trained the paper way ,why would you even start putting people of trainee instructors ,as a trainee myself ,i hate books but show me how to d it practically and i am better and it has helped me so much and my pupils are fine i have had 4 passes in the last week alone pupils who have only just had 5 double lessons ,i couldn’t have done this without getting out their and actually doing it ,so please don’t be putting people off trainees.many thanks .jules