Who are my customers?

The number of applications for provisional and full licences has declined in recent years, a trend which the Driving Instructors Association (DIA) expects to continue.

This decline is largely due to the drop in the birth rate in the late 1970’s and mid 90's - the number of learner drivers taking lessons is significantly lower in those over 25 years of age.

However, to counter this, as car ownership has increased and a driving licence becomes more of a necessity, it is becoming increasingly common for young people reaching their 17th birthday to arrange a series of driving lessons.

About 1.5 million tests are conducted each year in the UK.

A small number of clients may require refresher courses or advanced driving tuition, though this is less common and should only be viewed as additional custom. Some instructors have persuaded most of their clients to take the Government backed ‘Pass Plus’ course. This has recently been re-launched and is gaining more popularity and support from insurance companies and local authorities

The best driving instructors attract custom through recommendation. Others have to advertise for business. In the early stages of your career you will probably need to recruit customers through advertising or have extra support from the people you work with (your franchise provider).

Many instructors work on a 'Franchise' basis, this method of operation suits some instructors because their customers are recruited by the driving school franchise operator (more about this on the next page).

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