Become a driving instructor with LDC
Once you have successfully completed our driving instructor course you could be earning between £20,000 and £30,000 per year plus a company car. Although everyone who undertakes instructor training with LDC is guaranteed a position with us it is not compulsory for them to join. Be your own boss, work the hours you choose and feel a great sense of achievement as each of your pupils pass the driving test. Few jobs offer such flexibility, earnings potential or job satisfaction. If you want to find out why the LDC driving instructor training course offers the best value for money and why no one can offer you better job prospects once qualified please read on.
What you need to consider
Before you decide to invest time and money on a training course you need to ask yourself what unique selling points (USP's) the driving school has to offer to ensure you will have sufficient work to earn a decent living once you become a driving instructor. After all there is little point in starting the driving instructor training if the driving school cannot truly provide the job prospects it claims. Not all driving schools are successful and several would fail if it wasn't for the driving instructor training courses they sell.
You also need to be sure that the training being offered will give you the best possible chance of passing the exam within a reasonable timeframe and at a reasonable cost. If the driving school only makes money from selling training courses you can bet they will only supply the contractual minimum amount of training needed and any training provided will be primarily designed to minimise their costs and make it easy for them to deliver rather than to ensure you succeed. Free additional training is of little value if it is not provided in a timely manner and depends upon trainers having cancellation slots.
Finally you need to be sure that the job is right for you and you are able to put in the time and the effort to successfully undertake the necessary driving instructor training.
Why choose LDC 
LDC was established over 20 years ago and is now the third largest national driving school in the UK with only BSM and the AA operating more driving instructors (see About LDC for more details). Training people to become driving instructors represents a relatively small part of our business. However, it is a vital part because the well taught trainees of today become the highly regarded LDC driving instructors of tomorrow. We are not involved in mass instructor training and we only train sufficient new driving instructors to meet our realistic plans and the numbers we know we can support both in the training process and the driving school. Each trainee is allocated a personal trainer as well has being fully supported by our dedicated instructor training team at head office.
During 2008, against the current economic trend, we saw a dramatic increase in the number of enquiries for LDC driving lessons which has continued into 2009. The enquiries for LDC driving lessons has increased by 16% in the first quarter of 2009 compared with the first quarter of 2008. This increase in demand has been fuelled by the growing reputation of the instructors we have, the award winning software products we provide and the way in which we train people to drive using the unique LD System of driving tuition. Unfortunately, at the same time we experienced this growth in demand the number of LDC instructors decreased. As a result, we are looking to recruit more driving instructors and we prefer to train our own because of the unique way in which we operate and deliver driving tuition. If you are good with people and take pride in your driving this may well be the ideal job for you.
The skills you need to become a driving instructor
The driving instructor exam you need to pass is very practical and what theory there is involves you in taking a simple multiple choice test with voice over if required. No writing skills are needed but you will need to be able to read. Like the exam the driving instructor training offered by LDC is also very practical and the software we provide for the theory part of the exam has full voice over for all the official questions (i.e. the actual questions word-for-word that appear on the test), answers and explanations. Those people who didn't excel at school shouldn't be put off the idea of becoming a driving instructor. The exam requires no formal qualifications. Driving instructing is a very practical skill and the ability to communicate with others and appreciate safe driving is far more important.
If you are good with people, have held a full UK or EEA driving license for a minimum of three and a half years (with no more than 5 points and no bans) and take a pride in your driving this may be the right job for you. You are also required to undergo a Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) check and provide two written character references before you take the first part of the exam.
Disabled candidates: The DSA along with LDC are keen to support those with various disabilities and allow various adaptations to be fitted to the vehicle provided such adaptations still allow a pupil to operate the car. However, in the latter case the candidate would be restricted to only giving driving tuition in an automatic vehicle once they qualified and must obtain an Emergency Control Certificate prior to starting the training. Please note to pass the driving part of the exam candidates need sufficient neck mobility to allow then to take effective observations through the rear window. Unlike the L test you are not permitted to fit extra mirrors to overcome any such problem.
Candidates from ethnic minorities: The DSA is also keen to encourage candidates from ethnic minority groups where English may not be their first language. The way the exam operates is also designed to make this possible but you must be able to read and speak English to a reasonable level. Please note LDC is an equal opportunities employer.
We passed the qualifying exam... so can you
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
For details of student experiences please click on the preceding link or select the button on the left entitled "Testimonials".
About the exam you need to pass
Before you can operate as a driving instructor in the UK you have to pass the DSA (Driving Standards Agency) Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) qualifying exam and be accepted onto the Government ADI Register. The qualifying exam is made up of three parts;
a theory and driving test similar to the current tests for learner drivers, and a practical test of your ability to instruct where the examiner expects you to give them a driving lesson as he or she plays the role of a learner driver. For further details about the ADI exam please click on the preceding link or select the button on the left entitled "ADI exam". Once you have passed the first two parts (i.e. theory and driving) and receive a minimum of 40 hours of Part 3 training from a sponsoring driving school such as LDC you can potentially start to earn money as a trainee on a Trainee Licence. Please note the sponsorship and minimum training is a legal requirement to be eligible for a Trainee Licence.
About LDC driving instructor training
Let me introduce you to the driving instructor training part of LDC. We not only train people to become driving instructors for our driving school we also provide continual professional development training to non - LDC driving instructors including recovery courses for those facing removal from the ADI Register following a check test or those struggling to pass any parts of the ADI qualifying exam with other companies.
We are renowned for our course materials and our expert local driving instructor trainers. We have over 40 ORDIT qualified trainers providing driving instructor training from over 50 locations placed around the UK covering nearly every test centre where the official ADI qualifying exam is carried out. Those in the north of England can also attend our new state of the art training centre, conveniently located just off the M62 at junction 32 near the Xscape. Many of our local trainers also offer optional classroom sessions. To provide driving instructor training we use a comprehensive open learning course backed up by central and local support using highly modern communication media together with expertly delivered localised in-car structured training. For further details about the driving instructor training course please click on the preceding link or select the button on the left entitled "About the course".
Why do I have to pay for the training?
Because of the freedom and flexibility with which they work, driving instructors are entitled to the status of self-employment with all the tax advantages that it confers. As a result, all driving instructors in the UK, regardless of which driving school they work for are self-employed. As such, in order to enjoy these benefits, you must pay for the goods and services that are essential to do your job (and indeed to start your job) yourself. Thus, it is standard practice in the industry to meet the cost of your own training. However, when the costs of becoming a driving instructor are viewed in relation to your future earnings, this investment is very small and quickly returned. We believe that no one can match us on quality and certainly no one can match the value for money that we offer.
How much does the training cost?
The LDC driving instructor training course is subsidised by our driving school because we know with each trainee recruited we are likely to have a happy LDC driving instructor for many years to come. As a result we charge up to a £1,000 less for our driving instructor training course despite offering up to twice the amount of in car training and certainly the very best materials and support in the business. The full cash price of the course is £2,345 but if you decide to join and rent a car from us after qualifying we offer cash back and savings worth over £1,400 thus the real cost of the course can be as little as £945. And best of all you receive these benefits immediately after you join. Alternatively, you can pay-as-you-go from as little as £495 followed by 10 equal monthly payments. You can even defer payment until after you have potentially qualified (subject to status). Thus with LDC becoming a driving instructor is almost within anyone's reach.
How to choose the right company for you
If having read the above you feel you are a suitable candidate to become a driving instructor the next step is to find out more about the job and the training courses available. This website will help you to decide whether LDC is the company for you.
Whilst being a driving instructor is an enjoyable and rewarding career, it is important that you are not fooled into buying a training course for the wrong reasons. Beware many driving schools advertising job opportunities are really instructor training companies in disguise who make most if not all their income from selling overpriced driving instructor courses of a dubious quality to the unsuspecting public. Some companies are experts at getting you to part with your money in just a few days from your initial call.
It is easy to be fooled, these companies do look very credible and the proposition unbelievably tempting. Red Driving School was recently featured on the Trevor MacDonald ITV Tonight news programme on 27th March 2009 entitled "How to blow your redundancy money" which concluded that the vast majority who purchased a driving instructor training course from Red driving school would never qualify within the 20 weeks stated or earn £30k pa. According to this programme only 23% or people who embarked upon training to become a driving instructor actually go on to qualify. Therefore a decision of this kind should not be made in haste and should be carefully considered over several weeks after assessing all the facts.
For further advice on making the right choice please click on the preceding link or select the button on the left entitled "How to choose". We would also recommend you look at the FAQ's section which highlights the false and misleading information provided by some training companies.