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 mid 90's leading to fewer young drivers - 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 is gaining more popularity and support from insurance companies and local authorities
Recommendation business
In the early stages of your career you will probably need to recruit customers through advertising or have extra support from your franchise company.
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).
Whether working on a franchise or for themselves, the best (and most successful) driving instructors attract most of their custom through recommendation. More about this later.
Fleet training
Opportunities for business also exist in company car driver training, taxi training and other fields.
Most 'fleet' work is handled by larch specialist companies who subcontract work on a daily or weekly basis to specially selected instructors - while most work is in the UK, some companies operate around the world, especially those who teach special skills such as anti-hijack driving.
The proportion of instructors working in the fleet market is relatively small, and they are not always the best paid, but many prefer working with experienced drivers.
Click the forward arrow below to learn about the 'L' business opportunities...
