Become a driving instructor with LDC
Become a driving instructor with LDC and potentially earn between £20,000 and £40,000 per year plus a car of your choice. Although everyone who undertakes driving instructor training with LDC is guaranteed a job 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.
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. Like all genuine driving schools, training people to become driving instructors represents a small part of our business. However, it is a vitally important part because the well taught trainees of today become the highly regarded LDC driving instructors of tomorrow. We are not involved in mass driving 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 as being fully supported by our dedicated driving instructor training team at head office and each will follow a training plan specific to their needs - not a "one size fits all" approach.
During 2008, against the current economic trend, we saw a increase in the number of enquiries for LDC driving lessons which has continued throughout 2009. This increase in demand has been fuelled by the growing reputation of the instructors we have, the way in which we train people to drive using the LD System of driving tuition and the award winning software theory products we provide. As a result, we are looking to recruit more driving instructors and we prefer to train our own because of the way in which we operate. 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 taking a simple multiple choice test. No writing skills are needed but you will need to be able to read. Like the exam the 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, answers and explanations. 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 licence 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: At LDC we 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 them 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: We are 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.
We passed with LDC... so can you
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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.
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 driving instructor training being offered will give you the best possible chance of passing the exam within a reasonable timeframe and at a reasonable cost.
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.
About LDC 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 trainers. We have over 40 ORDIT qualified trainers providing driving instructor training from over 50 locations placed around the UK covering most test centres where the official ADI qualifying exam is carried out.
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 media together with expertly delivered in-car structured training.