Gggrrrrr

It takes a lot to wind me up, which is a good thing in my line of work, but I am starting to get seriously peeved.

I can't help but notice the poor driving standards of other Driving Instructors when they are alone and don't have a pupil with them.  This is not just independents but also those who franchise with the big name schools.

I regularly see them breaking the law by blocking crossings, waiting in yellow boxes but the worst must be use of a hand held mobile phone.  These are all things that we tell our pupils they MUST not do and so it seems hypocritical that these Instructors cannot follow their own code of conduct.  It seems to be "do as I say, not as I do"

I was in front of a famous Driving School car yesterday on a very steep hill at a junction.  My pupil, luckily, was test ready and so had good clutch control but this instructor was less than a metre from the back of my car and that looks extremely close in the mirror.  My pupil didn't roll back but felt the extra pressure and so was very nervous.  It was totally unnecessary for this driver behind us to put so much pressure on an obvious learner and it could have knocked her confidence if she hadn't been so competent.  It was tempting to roll back for her and give him a scare.

I take pride in teaching my pupils to be good drivers and drive the way I do and, if they are ready for it, I include some Advanced Driving Techniques like cutting lanes on a roundabouts ONLY if you have ample time to look and be SURE there is no one else around.  I have been trained to a high standard and it seems ludicrous for me to drop those skills and drive in a lazy, thoughtless manner.  Perhaps this is why I have 22 years no claims and have never had points on my licence.

Ok, rant over!

Victim of success

The one drawback of this job is the fact that the better you are at your job, the quicker pupils pass their test and so you have to keep going out searching for fresh leads to new pupils.
I know some driving schools who say that you have to pass 3 mock tests before you are allowed to book a practical test which then takes 6-8 weeks, these are often the schools that insist on 2 hour lessons and are the most expensive.
By my calculation that means that when they have proven that they are ready to take their test they still have to fork out for another 10-12 hours at about £25 per hour so that is an extra £250 to £300 it will cost them.  Is it just me or does this seems slightly unethical?

I think my system takes more judgement and co-operation.  A mock test lets the pupil know what standard the examiners are looking for and so we discuss what is needed.  When they are nearly ready I give them another mock and based on that we decide whether to go ahead and book a test for 8 weeks time, the earlier you book the more choice you get of times and dates.  They book their test on the understanding that if I believe they are not quite ready with 3 weeks to go we will re-schedule the test.  This gives the pupil a certain amount of say in their progress and goals but also does not make them take more lessons than they need.

Oh well, horses for courses I suppose...