The Driving Schools Blog

ADI Renewal in a Week

2011-12-23T14:42:00.007Z

I was impressed by the fact that my ADI registration badge was renewed in less than 5 working days by the driving standards agency (DSA) using the online process available at businesslink.gov.uk/manageadi.

6 months ago I had received a ADI registration renewal reminder notifying me of the need to get my driving instructor CRB check done in time as the checks could take a while, and this had been completed by sept. 2011.

Since you can only apply for your registration renewal in the month it expires, I had to wait till Dec 2011, and as things sometimes happen your cash flow can get messed up at the wrong time so I couldn't make the online application until the 19th of DEC 2011. I was however surprised to get the new ADI green badge in the post on the morning of 23rd DEC.

I didn't have to send off any passport photos, as I asked the DSA to use the photo held by the DVLA which had only been added to my driving licence in june as part of the 10 year renewal. So the online driving instructor application process seems to be working properly, and must be helping the DSA save a lot of money and time.

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Driving Lessons Pay Monthly

2011-09-23T16:32:00.003+01:00

As a school owner, I have had many requests from learner drivers mainly those seeking cheap driving lessons who try to find a way of affording learning to drive.

This week however I got a new one, someone called up my driving school and wanted to pay for their lessons on a monthly basis, which I thought ok, we can work something out, so I asked how many lessons he would like to do on a weekly basis as this would determine the monthly cost, agreeing on 2, I gave him the monthly figure which he was happy with, and said he would like to start in a week but is it ok if payment was taken a month in arrears?

Now I know there ia a credit crunch, but I don't know why people would think that instructors are so desperate for work that they would throw common business sense out of the window?

I am happy for learners to pay for their driving lessons on a monthly basis, but it has to be in advance. Just like block bookings where a discount is offered for paying in advance, you need to verify your instructor is legal, otherwise pay for services as they are rendered.

Illegal Instructor Video

How tough it is to run a business in today's economic climate.

Instructors needed for London 2012 olympics by Peak Performance.

Driving Instructor London Olympics 2012

2011-09-12T14:37:00.004+01:00

I'm sure I am not the only one who got an email from a company called Peak Performance who are looking for driving instructors to train volunteers for the summer London Olympics 2012.

They probably got my details from the DSA, as they need about 250 ADIs to train over 10,500 driver volunteers who will be helping to host the largest sporting event being held in London this decade!

I don't think I will be getting involved with the training as an instructor, but if you would like some extra income between 13th April – 27th May 2012, then you should get in touch with them.

In the meantime i'm looking forward to the olympics in London, luckly I shouldn't have much disruption the side of London that I live in, and should still be able to conduct my driving school business as normal.

Red Driving School needs Me!

2011-08-18T14:58:00.005+01:00

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.

It is Tough being a Driving School Instructor in 2011

2011-07-06T10:12:00.005+01:00

It is really tough being a driving school instructor in the current economic climate of 2011.

January saw the rise in VAT to 20% which meant an automatic increase in driving school operating cost, that was followed by a steady rise in petrol fuel prices at the pump due to various reasons (middle east crisis/libya, government taxation).

Government public spending cuts has meant a lot of job cuts, people now fear they will lose or have a reduction in disposable income, and even the private sector can not totally replace all the job shortages, so the number of people taking driving lessons is falling. Even those willing to take tuition with qualified instructors are looking for cheaper deals, but one of the most important reasons why it is now tougher to be a driving school owner at this time is the excess number of instructors on the market!

Now you might be thinking competition is good, as it gives the learner drivers choice, but the truth is that due to the false information that a lot of the instructor training organisations have used to con people into taking courses, many newly qualified ADIs are now deperate to get work not only to pay off training debts, but pay franchise fees as well s try to earn a living and are offering ludicurously cheap offers like 10 lessons for £100 which is equivalent to commiting commercial suicide as you can't make a profit on them (you will get many people who will only do the 10 lessons, take their test and move on if they either pass or fail), nor will you get value for your money, because they will have to resort to many cost cutting measures like long roadside lectures, getting stuck in traffic, spending complete lessons repeating maneuvers.

So if you are one of those that thinks becoming a driving instructor is a suitable career to choose in the face of redundancy just because you know someone currently paying £23 per hour on lessons, you need to reconsider your options. I've been established over 10 years, constantly get recommendations from past clients, have a good online marketing campaign, possess a good reputation as well as track record of success, and still need to work hard at filling my diary every week with 30-38 hours of paying learner drivers who will pay a decent fee to cover my running costs as well as earn a living. What chance does a newly qualified instructor have? Joining a franchise is an option, but none of them guarantee you a set amount of pupils, and you still need to pay a weekly fee. It is only when you are in the job, you realise how hard it is to find 20 people each week who will pay you £20 per hour to take lessons to meet your budget!

Life is tough in the UK in 2011, but being a driving school instructor is even tougher, car maintenence, petrol, marketing and advertising, household bills, mortgages. Don't be one of the many who fail to make it, LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP!

Renewing Driving Instructor Registartion

2011-06-22T11:57:00.003+01:00

Contrary to what many members of the public might think, once qualified you are a driving instructor for life, all qualified ADIs need to do two things to keep themselves legally able to charge money for driving lessons.

1. Present themselves to a DSA supervising ADI every 2 - 4 years for an ADI check test which must be passed or be struck off!

2. Renew their green ADI badge every 4 years.

I have just been sent a 6 month notice that my Driving Instructor registration is due to expire at the end of the year and I need to start the renewal process now, as it involves getting an online or postal CRB disclosure check which must be received before I can then apply to renew my registration to remain of the approved driving instructors registry.

It currently costs £300 to renew an instructor's green badge.

Driving School Tough Times

2011-04-09T08:08:00.003+01:00

Any driving school instructor will tell you that 2011 is a tough time to be self-employed in this business, especially with the current uncertain economic climate and the government spending cuts being annouced all over the places, driving lessons will be low on the priority list of many individuals unless it will help them get a job.

A new self-employed tax year began a few days ago, and as driving school owners start to go over their accounts, the reality of the tough times will really start to set in.

In January 2011, my driving school car costs rose just by viirtue of the VAT being increased to 20%, and the cost of fuel has been steadyly rising at the pumps, and even though I had to moderately increase lesson prices, it is still hard to get a good balance.

All that not withstanding, many more people are training to get their ADI badges, so I now have to make sure I make more efforts in instructor marketing, to keep my share of the business above waters.

It might be tough, but we will continue to rise to the challenge of being a school owner, and look forward to the good times ahead.

AA Buys BSM driving School

2011-02-01T16:21:00.004Z

The AA has bought BSM driving school for £1 today after the 100 year old organisation went into administration.

The move which now passes the crown of largest national driving school franchise to the AA with a combined total of 4,000 instructors on the books of the group.

According to the press release, the 2 driving schools will continue to operate as separate businesses to protect the well known BSM brand, and learner driver pupils should not notice any changes. As with all take overs, there is likely going to be job losses and with time a change in some operating procedures which will definately affect the driving instructors in due course.

The BSM brand has a long history behind it, even the Queen passed her test with them, and has had a few owners in the past including the RAC group.

Right time to own driving school?

2011-01-24T11:03:00.005Z

I'm getting a lot of searches asking the question if it is the right time to become a driving school instructor or become self-employed?

Most people asking this question don't even know what the requirements for becoming an ADI are, nor the time it takes to actually qualify, because if they did then it would not be a question that they might be asking. If you have already qualified as an instructor have another job, and are contemplating giving it up to run a school business, then maybe you should think twice if you have the option of staying employed.

Obviously times are difficult in the UK right now, and many people are postponing driving lessons if it is not job related, that coupled with a surplus of ADI's from the agressive red driving school marketing means that there is more supply than demand and because driving lesson prices are not regulated many instructors are being undercut by cheap offers from all over the place, including illegal instructors.

Just because there is a recession doesn't mean it is a bad time to become self-employed if you find the right business, but teaching learner drivers is not lucrative at the moment. Even for an established school owner like me, earnings have dropped, and I've had to adopt more aggressive marketing ideas to keep my head above th water.

So if you are thinking of investing a couple of thousand pounds in a new business, I would suggest you think of something else, and not a driving school.

Driving School Price increases Jan 2011

2011-01-05T08:06:00.003Z

On the 1st of January 2011, the fuel tax duty was increased and just 4 days later VAT on all services in the UK was increased to 20%.
These 2 changes have meant a large increase in the operating costs of driving school owners, and I was wondering how many instructors or business owners would be bold enough to pass these increases onto thier clients by increasing driving lesson prices in 2011.

Before the end of last year, I had letters from my utilities companies, driving school car leasing agent and many other service providers informing me of an increase in the price I would be paying due to the government tax changes, so overall every school owner will be faced with increased operating costs even if they change nothing, yet many will not be passing those price increases unto learner drivers via lessons.

I know some good driving instructors who are either national franchise owners or been established long enough have raised prices, but for the majority, the fear of losing business will stop them from following suit.

With this year seeing a lot of goverment cuts including job loses, this is not a very good time to consider becoming a driving instructor, but the funny thing is there are many people who are going to start new businesses that will take advantage of the current economic criss, you just need to know what the needs are and fill them. For me, I have done what any decent business owner would do, pass on the changes and concentrate a lot more on selling my services through effective driving school marketing.

Wishing you all sucess in the year 2011, and hope you continue to make good profits.

Driving School Business tax Return

2010-12-07T06:13:00.003Z

With driving school business very slow in december, as a lot of clients divert their hard earned money towards christmas presents and the harsh winter weather also causing a lot of driving lesson cancellations due to snow, now might be a good time for you to complete your online driving instructor tax return as the deadline is January 31 2011 (paper versions should have been sent october 30th 2010).

You should either remind your accountant or logon to the HMRC website and complete the form yourself, using all the records you have kept. Once you have completed the tax return, you need to pay any tax due by the 31st of january as well!

As a self employed driving instructor, you need to know that it is your responsibility to file a return, even if you have a tax accountant that is being paid to look after your affairs.

Driving school instructor and mobile phone

2010-11-23T08:06:00.004Z

Once upon a time the main function of a driving school instructor's mobile phone was to enable him/her to receive business phone calls and contact pupils while out of the office. A broken mobile device of mine recently showed how this has changed, and illustrated how relient I now am on my mobile phone to run my business. Not only was I not able to make or accept calls, but all my pupil's details like number and address were stored there, it acted as my diary, my notepad, I even used it as a map when picking up a new client for the first time.

Because the test details of 2 candidates were on the phone, and I had a test the next day and after, I had to drive down to their houses to confirm the times for their appointments, or else I might have shown up at the wrong time.

While I know there are still a few people who prefer to run their driving school business using pen and paper, the mobile phone is an important tool for the driving school instructor of today.

Bay parking Hendon test centre

2010-10-01T12:38:00.003+01:00

Hendon Test Centre is stopping the use of it's car park bays for practice in a bid to reduce congestion at the Beaufort park centre as well as inconvinience being caused to local residents.

The move which coincides with the introduction of the new driving test on the 4th of october 2010 should help avoid disruption to candidates test, especially for any that might arrive late after getting lost or going the wrong way during the independent element of the new driving test.

Driving Instructors are being advised to use local supermaket car parks for alternate places to practise this maneuver.

Driving Instructor Centre Phone number not 0844

2010-09-30T09:20:00.001+01:00

If you are looking for the non 0844 telephone number for Hitachi Driving Instructor Centre formely known as Robinsons Garage, it is 0116 288 8288.

I don't know what has prompted them to change to an 0844 number, which I only saw on their website while trying to call them after about 6 months of talking to them.

Driving School Tax returns October 2010

2010-08-06T07:54:00.003+01:00

If as a driving school owner you are submitting a paper tax return for the 2009/10 year, then make sure you get it to the taxman by October 30th 2010.

The end of october might seem a long time away, but if you don't have all your driving school records and accounts in place, it could take a long time checking lesson diaries, bank statements to get everything in place.

If you are one of those that has opted to do your self-employed tax returns online, then you have until the end of January 2011 to file your papers and pay any taxes due.

If you have any queries as to what is tax deductible or not, then you should be speaking to an accountant and not doing this paperwork by yourself.

Wasting Driving Instructors time

2010-07-17T07:24:00.003+01:00

As a driving school owner whose been in this business for many years, I've come across all sorts of learner drivers some more serious than others about learning to drive and getting a full British licence however recently this teenager really wasted my time as an instructor.

Within 2 weeks this guy missed 3 driving lessons in a row! The only reason I actually gave him so many appointments was because his father called me up to assure me that he would turn up the next time.

The funny thing is the provisional licence holder had the audacity after the third no show for a lesson to send me a text saying if I didn't want to teach him to drive I should let him know since he had a driving test in 10 days time! Didn't he know he had a test when he couldn't be botherd to turn up for lessons?

It seems people think that instructors are desperate for work they can be treated anyhow. Luckly having been established for years, I can manage to lose a few hours of business especially when they are no good time wasters, but I really feel for recently qualified ADIs who might be wasting fuel and time on learner drivers who are taking them for a ride!

More Instructor Stories
ADI Badge checked for first time in 2 years.

Driving school petrol price goes down

2010-06-04T17:57:00.007+01:00

I was surprised today to note that one of the driving school costs that varies a lot, Petrol has actually gone down.

For the first time in almost 6 months, the price of 1 litre of fuel at the pump has fallen below £1.20, which is a surprise and will help a lot of driving instructors have a better profit margin.

I don't know how long this low petrol price cut will last, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

January 2011 is not too far away, and Vat increasing to 20% is going to be another blow for driving school owners as it will not only after petrol, car leasing and maintenance, etc.

ADI wanted £20 Per Hour

2010-05-31T13:27:00.005+01:00

I recently saw a driving school advertising on googe.co.uk that claimed they were looking for ADIs and paying £20 per hour.

Clicking on the google page link took me to a website that did say ADIs were wanted, but was really promoting a pupil referal service for intensive driving courses. This was obviously a case of misleading advertising to draw instructors to the website, and it just shows the length people will go to make money from driving instructors in the current economic climate.

This advert reminded me of Red driving school who ran a misleading marketing campaign promising a lucrative new career to those facing redundancy all in a bid to sell ADI training courses. While this misleading advertising did work for a while, when the back lash started, it wasn't a pretty end, so I would advise anyone trying to get new business, not to fall to the temptation of false or misleading advertising.

Driving instructor teaching perfectionist drivers

2010-04-27T15:49:00.005+01:00

One of the things about owning a driving school is that you get to meet different learner drivers, and today I had to give a driving lesson to someone who turned out to be a perfectionist!

This training session turned out to be a real eye opener, as I had never had to deal with someone with this attribute in my years as an ADI. This provisional licence holder already had a driving test booked at the DSA hendon centre, so was almost at test standard, but needed some help with a few things, but in particular was not happy with driving maneuvers, so I was told on the phone when making the booking, and this is the area that the perfectionist character really showed its face.

Turn in the road was okay, but reverse parking, the candidate wanted the car to always end up exactly the same distance away from the kerb without fail irrespective of where it was performed, the size of the target vehicle the road gradient or profile, and this was despite me confirming that the DSA examiner did not require that standard!
On the bay parking exercise my learner driver wanted the car to end up in the bay parallel to the lines and equidistant to the eye.

Due to the fuss made, I never got round to the reverse round the corner exercise today, and I wonder how that manueuver will go tomorrow?

Driving School Car manual or Automatic

2010-04-07T18:41:00.007+01:00

If you are a PDI or recently qualified instructor, you might be wondering which type of transmission you should get, a manual or automatic driving school car.

Cheap BSM driving lessons.

Well there is no simple answer to that question, most ADIs will probably go for manual, since more learner drivers tend to start with manual lessons. You might however need to do some local research as there could be a shortage of automatic driving school cars in your area, and you might be able to earn more money supplying the demand of this market.

On the other hand, if you are an established driving instructor who is currently feeling the effect of the economic credit crunch, then you might want to see if you can boost your earnings by either buying or leasing an automatic or manual car depending on what you currently teach in. I know of many independent ADIs who are using this option, obviously you need to check the figures out closely to make sure you do not bite more than you can chew, but it is a suggestion.

DSA examiners strike March 2010

2010-03-24T18:28:00.006Z

One of my learner driver's had his driving test cancelled by the dsa due to some examiners being on strike.

I'm not quite sure if there is compensation payable if a test is cancelled due to industrial action, but I've asked the provisional licence holder to contact the DSA directly.

If you have a test booked on a day when dsa examiners might be on strike, the usual advice given is to attend asnormal.

More Reading
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Read test appointment letter

What driving school car

2010-03-22T14:13:00.008Z

Today I noticed the first what driving school car on the road since the beginning of it's operation in January 2010.

I'm not sure if the driving instructor I saw today had a full franchise or not, but the car only had a triangular headboard sign with what car and some side magnetics which didn't really draw my attention to the brand.

Considering the fact that I live on a test route and am within 3 miles of 2 driving test centres, it doesn't look like they have had a lot of instructors join the new driving school, so their dream of being number three in the country after BSM and AA is going to take a really long time!

I look forward to meeting the first what car instructor at my local driving test centre.

Red Driving School adverts are back on TV

2010-03-13T13:29:00.006Z

I've just noticed on one of the children's satellite channels that red driving school adverts are back on TV!

Obviously the people that bought red out of adminstration have started pumping some finances into the new company. While the adverts are the same old ones with Peter Halpin, I have no idea if they will still be using the same operating procedures (I think Barclays Finance is no longer providing career development loans).

It looks like more people will still have to endure that irritating £30,000 a year red driving school advert for some time to come!

Driving lesson fuel economy toyota yaris

2010-03-08T09:12:00.006Z

I recently posted the toyota yaris motorway fuel economy figures, so I decided to find out how having driving lessons in town and urban traffic would affect the figures.

Well I ony got 353 miles out of the same tank of petrol in the 1.0 toyota yaris driving school car.

I guess not too bad considering all the learner drivers who rev the engine, use incorrect gears etc.

Driving Lesson prices on school website

2010-02-27T10:54:00.004Z

A question that many driving instructors will be asking is 'should I put my lesson prices on my school website for potential learner drivers to see'?

The simple answer is yes, and there is nothing you can do if someone has already made up their mind about how much they will be willing to pay for tuition and that all they want is someone to offer them cheap driving lessons regardless of whether they are going to get value for thier money or they will end up paying more in the long run to get their licence.

As I have said in the past, your driving school website is a marketing tool, and you need to use it to sell yourself and services to every visitor and take every chance of getting more learner drivers to call you up. Highlight any key skills you have, languages spoken, teaching qualifications, strengths and tell them why though you might be more expensive, going with you is best for the learner driver, you can use testimonials from previous clients, but use ones that stand out (eg elderly clents that need extra help, slow learners who were not confident). Every driving instructor will have pupils who pass the test with them (even bad ones), so just posting pictures of someone with a test pass certificate is not going to persuade them to pay extra, or use you instead of the ADI with a BMW Mini driving school car

There will always be learners looking for £15 pound driving lessons which you don't want, but there are many who prefer to pay a bit more for a high quality service from honest driving instructors who have a reputation to protect rather than make a fast and easy money from vulnerable provisional licence holders.