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Any driving instructors out there? Can anyone tell what it's like to be an instructor? Advantages? Disadvantages? Earnings? Running a franchise vs working for yourself? (FYI: I'm 49yrs old and live in Surrey.)
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www.bsm.co.uk/become_an_instructor/index.html
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It's hard work if you want to earn a decent living - as my father will testify. You need to be doing 40+ lessons per week (1 hour per lesson plus 10-15 minutes between - 50 hours teaching per week - then time at home to book lessons, do the books etc) and you must be dedicated to the job, bad instructors soon go bust. Early mornings, late nights, weekend working are all par for the course. My dad still enjoys it after 15 years but he's always worked 50+ hours per week, he currently does between 50 and 60 lessons per week.
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It's hard work if you want to earn a decent living - as my father will testify....
Is you Dad self employed? Has he ever worked for a Franchise? (If he did have a franchise, why does he not have a franchise - now?)
I thought one advantage of being self employed was you could choose your hours... I don't need a great income (mortgage paid, kids gone etc), and would be happy with £12K for 30hrs a week. Or would this not be viable? Would it cost 30hrs of income to pay for the car / petrol / accountant etc?
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I collegue I used to work with tried to become a driving instructor and went with a motoring school (a large motoring school in Britian). However he only lasted about two months as although they promised him x amount of business, it never materialised and he had to pay out each month for the franchise/car hire . Be wary.
The only way you will make money is to have your own car and get recommendations through friends etc. (Another friend retired recently from being a DI and he managed to get most of his work by advertising at the local university).
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I collegue I used to work with tried to become a driving instructor... However he only lasted about two months as they promised him x amount of business, it never materialised
Where in the country did this take place? I've spoken to the AA, and they are not taking bookings in my area, as their instructors are booked up 12 weeks in advance.
Did your ex-collegue take his DI skills to another driving school? Or did he give up on the whole idea?
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Did your ex-collegue take his DI skills to another driving school? Or did he give up on the whole idea?
I must say that this was about 6 years ago.
He was based in North East London with BSM (I beleive). He passed his DI privatly then went for a franchise (his brother did the same).
Lots of waffle about how much they could earn, but he found out the hard way that his franchise fees were almost double his turnover. He Rapidly became disheartened, then left, tried for bit on his own and still couldn't make any money so he became a motor cycle courier and the last I heard was working in a Motor Bike Shop.
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www.bsm.co.uk...
Thanks for the link to the BSM - but I have read all that the the AA / BSM (etc) have printed. I was really after some personal experiences - from people without a financial incentive to sign me up.
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My father's always been self employed and started part time in with a few lessons after work and at weekends, but the flexibility idea sounds good in practice, but its pupils who have the upper hand.
If they want the lessons at certain times you should be able to provide them, reputation is everything - one bad experience can damage a business - most people learning are 17-20 - i.e. still at school and within a circle of friends who are in the same boat, if you aren't available or mess them around they will tell their friends and your business dries up. More people are working flexible hours in 24 hour service industries, but they still want a lesson or two per week etc etc.
I've no idea on figures, but if you want to clear £12k per year I'd be looking at a turnover of at least twice this.
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Have you logged on to the many driving instructors web sites? There is a good one but am afraid I have deleted it from my favourites! Use a search engine and you may find it. Your query may be better put there. Presume you have investigated the qualifications and time/money needed to become one? I paid over £2000 for the course but gave up after failing the Part 3 at my first attempt. Good luck!
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Wooster,
The best way to go about it is to find an ADI in your area who specialises in instructor training and see what he charges. Beware the well known national school which requires you to pay around £3000 up front, with no refund if you don't qualify or decide the job is not for you. The best way is to pay as you go on an hourly basis.
To qualify as an ADI you need to first pass a written exam and then a driving test set to an advanced standard (tougher than the IAM test if my memory serves me right). If you pass this you can take out a trainee licence which enables you to teach for money. This lasts for only six months. You then have to pass the test of instructional ability in order to become an ADI. Bear in mind that in both of the practical tests you are only permitted three attempts, failure meaning you have to start again after waiting two years from the date of your written test.
Working for a school is not a good idea. The franchise fee can be up to £300 per week, payable no matter how little work you do. Not funny at Xmas, a very quiet time in the business. Better to spend a bit on advertising to generate your own work, it will take about two years before a good ADI can bring in enough work purely on recommendation.
REmember too that you will need to be available when your clients are free, so forget about a 9-5 job. Living in Surrey many of your pupils will work in the city, so you will have to be prepared to work till 9 or 10 at night and at least one day in the weekend to fit them in. I had to do this for years, before moving to a rural area where a lot of the work is part-time so I can get away with a five day week and no weekends. Bliss!
Business is booming at the moment, and where you live you should get away with charging £19 - £20 per hour. This seems a lot at first glance, but your motoring costs will be high and your car will depreciate in value faster than an Iraqi tank and will need renewing every two years. Bear in mind also that we are just a few years away from a demographic blip, when the number of teenagers will drop because of a fall in the birth rate in the eighties. The last one of these about twelve years ago had the industry on it's knees, though it combined with a recession as well.
The job can be very enjoyable, but bear in mind that "Maureen" was not just a one off. At any one time you will have at least three of these, and then there are the really bad ones!
Good luck.
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