12/05/2023
There seems to be a lot of posts from people looking for a “Last Minute Driving Instructor”. So I thought I would try and help out, help you understand why you can’t find one.
Times have changed. So has the way we learn to drive…..
The Covid test backlog and certain other DVSA constraints, mean that Instructors are becoming hard to find. We all have around a 12 week waiting list. We appreciate those pupils that take time to get in touch, we add them to our waiting list, we appreciate that they wait diligently, until their turn comes up.
As Driving Instructors, we spend hours in our car with our “own” pupils. Sometimes over weeks, months, or even years.
We see them with adrenaline filled, shaking hands and legs in the first few lessons.
We see them overcome, with sensory overload on these ever increasingly congested roads of ours.
We see them struggle from week to week – sometimes one foot forward, 2 steps back.
We see them watch bad driving from other road users, and wonder why they have to reach a much, much higher standard.
We sometimes see them struggle financially, during this horrific cost of living crisis.
We often become friends, and share their family trials, tribulations and sometimes loss.
We become their confidante, and sometimes they become ours.
We build a relationship, and commit to stick with them til the day that all their hard work pays off, and they finally pass their test, with that smiling photo on social media with a prized pass certificate in their hands.
We sometimes become mentors in life, as well as in driving.
We are more proud of them, than they will ever know.
To parents of young pupils……. you entrust us to ensure that your child (the same child that you have nurtured, guided, cherished, protected and mentored for the last 17 years) passes their test with the skill, knowledge and confidence that will keep them SAFE on the roads for the rest of their lives….. it’s a big responsibility to a Driving Instructor, and one that we don’t take lightly.
No…… its not easy, and its not quick, but is it really worth cutting the last corner with their safety? Its certainly not cheap, there are no corners to be cut. Learning to drive takes time……
And when its your turn to be test ready, we will do all we can to help you get a test, just as soon as we can, often swapping with other instructors and spending our own time on the phone swapping things around. The Apps that come up with cancellations are the bain of our lives…. open to any chancer, be they test ready or not, more often than not resulting in a fail and increasing the already insurmountable waiting list.
Did you know that DVSA now penalise Driving Instructors? If we present a candidate to test that fails very badly, every fault made is recorded against the Instructor. If too many faults are accrued, we are hauled over the coals and can be called up for a “Check Test”. This is where our Instructional Ability is assessed, under Exam Conditions ….. as a direct result of the candidates that we present under our badge. Repeated failures of this “Check Test” can mean that we be struck off (regardless of our reputation, reviews or pass rate). We lose our vocation, our business, our livelihood………
We also have a working relationship with our Examiners. They know us, and we know them. Examiners have a tough job, we wont put them in danger with a dangerous candidate. We WILL NOT present a candidate to test, who is not ready. It’s a tough call, to tell someone “you are not ready yet” and have to push their test back. Not to mention that tests slots are hard to come by. We try not to waste them.
So when we are suddenly asked, can you take me to test in 3 days time, my Instructor is “not available” (usually means the Instructor has said you are not test ready) …… is it any wonder that we won’t drop everything, push our own pupils precious lesson slot aside, put our Examiners in possible danger, and risk our own livelihood…… all because you have “found” a cancellation and want to “jump the queue” ??????
We are mostly overworked, dog tired and bone weary. But still, we do our best to look after our pupils, and help them reach that final goal. We turn up week after week, with a cheery smile and a “can do” motivational attitude (despite our burnt out clutch, scuffed alloys and sweaty seats :-D ) We try and work around your shift patterns, even though we are sacrificing our own family time. We understand that passing your driving test means so much to you, opens so many doors and we will fully support you….. as best we can.
The best advice from Driving Instructors? Find an Instructor, do the recommended number of lessons (no matter how hard it might be to hear!). If you are not happy with your instructor, change Instructor. But work with us to make sure that when you sit your test, you have all the knowledge and practice you need, to make you safe and confident to drive unassisted.
I hope this post goes some way to help you, in understanding why you will never find a “last minute Driving Instructor”……..
All credit for this post goes to Vikki Holt ADI
