ADI Training
Thinking of becoming a driving instructor?
You’ve come to the right place!
An ADI (Approved Driving Instructor), can be a rewarding and very positive career. You'll help the next generation of drivers to be safer, and more courteous on the road and to acquire and develop a life skill that will play a major part in their day to day lives. Remember the great sense of achievement when you pass your driving test? As an instructor you get to share the sense of achievement your students feel when passing their test. It's a great feeling!
Teaching people to drive is also valuable skill for you; you'll learn a lot about yourself as well as the techniques needed to effectively and efficiently pass on your skills to other learner drivers. Of course you'll also be gaining a lucrative skill; driving instructors can expect to earn around £30k per year or more.
The role involves working with a wide range of learners so you’ll need good people skills as well as:
- a thorough knowledge of the theory and practice of driving;
- teaching skills;
- keeping yourself up to date with rules and regulations;
- patience!
To legally operate as a driving instructor in the UK you must pass the DVSA Approved Driving Instructor qualifying exam, which is taught in 3 parts. You must pass each part to progress to the next. The exams are very practical, as is the training we provide.
Part 1 is a computer-based multiple choice exam covering ADI theory and hazard perception. In fact the test is similar to the current test for learner drivers but you need to answer 100 questions (not just 50) on a wider range of subjects and you also need to score 57 rather than 44 on the hazard perception part.
Part 2 is a driving test, again similar to the current test for learner drivers but you are only allowed to make 6 minor faults. Typically this will take a couple of months to pass.
Part 3 tests your ability to instruct your learners. The examiner will watch you give a driving lesson to a real learner and depending upon what they see will determine if you pass this third and final part of the qualification process. You'll need to get as much experience as possible of training real learners under the supervision of an expert Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) trainer before you take this test. Generally you'll need between 4 and 12 months of study and practice before you're ready to take this part of the exam.
Once you've passed all of these tests, you'll be qualified to teach people to drive and you've a couple of options: you could gain employment as a driving instructor with one of the many driving schools operating in the UK, or you could start your own driving school!