I AM NOW RETIRED AND NOT TAKING PUPILS

Which Driving School?

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)(formerly the DSA) is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department for Transport, and controls everything to do with learning to drive.

Driving Instructor Grading

Driving instructors were graded from 1 to 6 by the Driving Standards Agency. They are now graded to include a new model of best tuition practice called The Coaching Model. I was a grade 6 driving instructor under the old (Instructional model) system of grading and am rated a B (A to C) under the new system(Coaching model).

A grading system is the nearest one can get to a fair assessment of driving instructors but even such a system is not infallible.

Driving School Prices

Why shouldn't you take the cheapest driving lessons?
If you go for the lowest price driving lessons you are likely to end up with an driving instructor who is obviously knackered on his diet of seven driving lessons a day, seven days a week.

He needs to do that many driving lessons to compensate for his low lesson price. Irritable all the time, or totally passive because he has got no energy, he also doesn't give a full hours tuition, makes you run the previous pupil home and then fetch the next pupil, thus wasting your time and money. He often turns up late or not at all and might use any pretext he can think of not to give you the special deal you went for in the first place.

You might fancy paying the top rate charged by a well known name to guarantee top class driving lessons. With no evidence to back it up, the public seem to have an infinite faith in 'the name'.
I've heard that one well known driving school leaks qualified driving instructors so freely it has to fill the gap with inexperienced trainees, sometimes from other parts of the country (so they will not know the area you will be taking your test in) yet will still charge you the top rate for their tuition.

Recommendation by friends

Recommendation by friends is useful but even this can have problems. Your friend might have been a genius learner and the driving instructor was kind because it was easy. Then you come along and you are a bit of a duffer (bless!) and the instructor is useless both in terms of showing patience and also in sorting out your problems. You are well and truly cheesed off and your friend is mystified.

To summarise:


You need an driving instructor who has been:
  • Working for themselves in their own driving school
  • In your area
  • For a number of years (good enough to stay the course)
  • Charges not less than the average
  • Comes recommended by a friend
  • Is graded at least four or B by the DSA
  • Is as professional in the way he teaches as your best school teachers were. And of course, I reckon I fit the bill.

    I charge at least two pounds per driving lesson less than the major driving schools because I'm not a well known name. Therefore, my lessons represent unbeatable value for money.

    • kev stevenson