Red Driving School needs Me!

It seems that Red has started a new driving school marketing campaign as I today received in the post a letter stating categorically that 'Red Driving School Needs You!", this is in addition to the numerous spam emails from another company handling their online advertising which has been flogging various forms of its franchise aimed at getting more driving instructors to sign up with them.

Over the past month or so I have had similar letters from the AA and BSM all telling me why it has never been a better time for me to join them, as they all claim to be very busy and have many learners waiting for me!

One thing you need to know especially if you are currently training or recently newly qualified, is that instructors are one of the largest sources of income for the large driving schools, not learner drivers. All franchises have weekly fees which have to be paid, there are minimum contract periods (some agreeably only 30dsys), and there is always that promise that next week will be better than this, so people get tied in. Think about the AA which currently has over 2000 instructors, each paying a minimum of on average £200 a week, in addition each instructor pays £40 for each new pupil introduced to him/her, that is a lot of money on a weekly basis, not to talk about the amount of free advertising each car generates everytime it is on the road whether giving a lesson or not, so instructors are BIG business.

If you are thinking of taking out a franchise, read the contract carefully, most if not all do not guarantee any number of pupils each week, while still expecting you to pay the weekly fee, and that even though you are self-employed, you are still marketing their brand, not yourself, so for the company like Red, Franchises are a Win Win situation especially since they know it is hard to start out on your own.

Driving instructors needed for London 2012 olympics.