In addition to full time work, driving instruction offers an ideal part-time career for those who retire early, eg., those on a service pension, mothers with children of school age, people wanting a second income, however, there are no statistics available to show exactly how many registered instructors are part-time.
Lots of ADI's also do other work such as 'fleet training' for company drivers.
The number of driving instructors indicates that there is a lot of competition in the industry - we have to be totally honest and say that some instructors are not successful, whether working for a franchise or for themselves, however, success is not a matter of chance or luck. When new businesses fail it is because the instructors have nor done sufficient research before choosing a training programme and have learned the relevant skills.
But the good news is that there is plenty of work for those who offer the best service. In order to rank amongst the best you need to ensure that you get the best driving instructor training course and support.
Much of the competition is price driven, however, the best instructors can avoid the 'sell it cheap' trap. With the right training, you can be amongst the best from day-one (and get better as you gain experience!) In areas where driving schools are offering cut price lessons there will also be instructors who are not only charging a premium price - but who also have a customer waiting list! Our recent survey showed that in areas where driving lessons were available for as low as £18, there were instructors charging over £28.
Driving instruction offers a worthwhile career opportunity for the right individuals, however it isn't for everyone.
Some people who consider becoming a driving instructor see the job as simply 'sitting in a car' while the pupil drives around - these people are often unsuccessful and are unsuited for the job.
Driving Instructor Students who follow the advice from SmartDriving understand that good instructors don't sit in the passenger seat - they sit in the instructor's seat!
Although it might be stating the obvious ... It is important to remember that driving instruction is a teaching, rather than a driving profession.
Independent driving instructors tend to operate in small urban catchment areas to economise on time and petrol costs. Each local area is made up of a small number of self-employed sole-traders, often working from home. A well motivated, well suited, individual in this environment can build a viable business in less than a year, however, it can take up to five years to establish really good reputation in the trade.
Apart from 'self-sufficient' instructors there are many who work on a franchise basis with schools such as RED, the AA Driving School or the British School of Motoring. These operations offer a full package of car, corporate image and a certain amount of business in exchange for a weekly fee and they are constantly recruiting.
Other driving schools act as agencies for instructors who own their own cars but who trade under a collective school name; instructors pay an hourly or weekly fee for this service.
If you wish to earn the highest income it is necessary to work for yourself. It is effectively impossible to earn the figures quoted in many advertisements when working for a driving school. The advertisements are designed to sell you a driving instructor training course - they are not dishonest; theoretically you could earn £30,000 per year working for a driving school but it would require you to be on the road for 60+ hours per week, with only three weeks holiday including all public holidays.
Being self-employed might sound like a daunting prospect for someone who has always been in direct employment, but if it is a route that you choose, the advice in the SmartDriving Members Area can help you to succeed. In addition, SmartDriving Marketing offers full follow up training and support to all clients like marketing skills, social media and networking seminars and Google adwords and website design, building and hosting.
The driving instructors image, and the overall image of your driving school will influence customer choice, so it is important to offer a professional service and keep a high profile at all times. If you work on a driving school franchise, the school will look after most of the promotion for you; if you run your own driving school, generating business is an essential part of your job.
Driving school vehicles should be clean and tidy with signs showing the driving school name; your vehicle is a mobile 'billboard' and can do much to raise your profile if it looks good. Your choice of training vehicle can also attract or put off potential customers. It is also advisable advertise in Yellow Pages and use adverts in local newspapers to promote special offers. Social networking is also proving to be a good source of business for many instructors. If you have never operated your own business before, enquire about marketing seminars at your local Chamber of Commerce and look at the Governments BusinessLink web site..
Enterprising driving instructors will find many free advertising opportunities, eg., small ads. on notice boards in clubs, hospitals, colleges, etc.
Personal recommendation is crucial and satisfied clients will provide a major source of new custom through recommendations to friends and relatives. Ultimately, personal recommendation is your best advertisement.
Some members of the SmartDriving web site have generated free newspaper, radio and even TV coverage for their driving schools by using the PR (Public Relations) ideas suggested in our weekly business and training tips. The 'Smart Weekly' newsletter goes out to members every week and is packed with training and business advice, plus links to the latest news.
The most successful driving instructors do very little to generate business, it is generated for them by the satisfied and successful customers who send their friends along. With this in mind, getting a good start in the business with the right driving instructor training and after qualification support is essential. SmartDriving can help small driving schools and one-person businesses with the iCourse Pro training and marketing materials - this enables you to retain complete independence but be able to compete on a level playing field with larger driving schools and thus maximise your income.
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