Steps to Take to Become a Driving Instructor
Anyone who wants to drive a car in the UK, needs to acquire a driving license. In the UK there are Approved Driving Instructors (ADIs) who teach people the crucially important skill of how to drive. Teaching people this important skill is rewarding, knowing that you have imparted the skills to learners that allow them to safely navigate from A to B, opening up travel, work opportunities, and the greater ability to get places when they need to. This article will cover the steps that you need to take to become a qualified driving instructor:
You Need to Have Certain Personal Qualities
- Be patient, calm, accepting and understanding.
- Thorough knowledge of how to drive.
- Skills to teach others and be able to explain things in different ways.
- Be clear how you describe techniques, principles, and laws.
- Knowledge of driving laws, rules, and regulations.
- Detailed knowledge of driving test requirements and procedures.
- Business knowledge.
- Interpersonal skills to work with diverse members of the public, and to interact with other drivers, family members, and the driving test office.
- Flexibility to work around school, college, and work hours.
Government ADI Website
You will need to progress through a government website which takes you through steps to see if you are suited to becoming an ADI. You will be asked your age, how long you have had a license, whether you drive a manual or automatic car etc. It will then take you through additional steps. You will need to take a theory test, a practical driving test, and the instructional ability test (these are to qualify and register as an approved driving instructor (ADI), in this order and all within 2 years. At the time of writing the tests are £81-82.20 for the theory test; £111-£112.70 for the driving ability; and again £111-£112.70 for the instructional ability. There are further costs to get ADI registration and licence fees too. £300 – £304.50 for a first ADI certificate (or ‘badge’).
What May Cause an ADI Application to be Refused?
- If your name is on the government’s Barred Lists, you won’t be deemed as suitable to work with people in the close proximity of a vehicle, if you have violent or sexual offences on your criminal record.
- If you have any spent or unspent convictions on your DBS record.
- If you have been banned from driving.
- If you have motoring offences.
- If you have 5 or more penalty points on your driving licence.
An Enhanced DBS Check with Barred Lists
You will need to complete an Enhanced Disclosure with Barred Lists, to become a driving instructor. This DBS Check will look for spent or unspent convictions, cautions, official warnings, reprimands, information from the local police force relevant to being a driving instructor and the Barred List will ensure that you’ve never been barred from working with children, as people can gain a provisional licence in the UK when they are 15 years and 9 months, and start driving a car at 17 years old; or 16 years old if they get the enhanced PIP payment.
Being a driving instructor is enormously rewarding, and it’s a good career choice, because people will continuously need to be taught how to drive. This article should have given you a clearer picture of the steps that you need to take to become one.
