The Professional Driving Instructor
Can you understand the Highway Code
and apply it?
Before you play a game of football or cricket you must first know the rules otherwise you will never win. Driving your car on the public roads is no different. If you don't know the rules then you can't win.The Highway Code is your book of rules. just as a football referee needs a book of rules, so do car drivers. When you know the rules for driving a car, you can then take your Driving Instructor theory exam.
Check out DSA Driving Instructor part 1 exam
Can you drive well?
Before you can teach others you must be able to carry out the subject that you are teaching to a higher standard than your students.
In the case of becoming a professional driving instructor you must be able to drive to a very high standard. Your driving should be safe on all types of road including motorways. Your car control handling skills must be of the highest level.
Check out DSA Driving Instructor part 2 exam
Can you communicate well?
When you have passed your DSA parts 1 and 2 exams you can then apply for your teaching exam. All the knowledge you have gained to pass parts 1 and 2 exams must now be transmitted towards your student. A professional driving instructor should be able to effectively communicate to their student the correct way to drive a car on a public road.
A professional driving instructor meets many different kinds of student. Students ages can range from 17 yrs to 70 yrs., from well educated to the not very well educated. A good professional instructor should be able to adapt their teaching methods to suit all types of student.
Check out DSA Driving Instructor part 3 exam
Driving instructors now more than ever teach students from a much more diverse backgound and can include.
Teaching people with disabilities
Training under the 'pass plus' scheme
Training in the towing of caravans
Corrective training for traffic offenders
Theory and pre-driver training
Assessments for older drivers
Schemes run by police forces and county councils
Minibus driving
Driver health and safety training, Post Office and corporates
Defensive and advanced driver training
Road safety talks to schools and seminars
Qualities of a good driving instructor
Responsibility
As a driver and driving instructor you should always show proper consideration for the safety of yourself and other road users. Your students well-being is of the utmost importance, especially in the early stages of their driving career.
Taking a student onto busy roads and dangerous situations is both irresponsible and not good for your students confidence.
Concentration
As a driver you MUST concentrate at all times. As a driving instructor you must concentrate on the normal road conditions, plus you need to predict and keep an eye on your student. You never know what they are thinking or going to do next.
As a professional instructor you not only have to deal with what is happening around you, but you need to think ahead and plan out the safest action that your student should take.
Anticipation
As a driving instructor you need to anticipate a lot more than if you were doing the driving. You need more time to 'get out your words'. You have a situation that you are dealing with at present and at the same time you need to anticipate the next move of your student, or another road user or both.
Patience
As a driver you must have patience with other drivers, otherwise road rage and danger will follow.
As a driving instructor you must also have patience with your student. They will not be listenining to you all the time, or they might not understand what you are saying. You may need to explain situations to your students more than once, sometimes more times than you would like to count.
Confidence
To have passed the driving tests you need to become a driving instructor, you must have been confident.
You must as a good driving instructor, promote that same confidence to your student. They will be unsure, afraid and feel intimidated by other road users. It's your task as a good instructor to show them that they can do it.
Knowledge
The knowledge that you have gained in your driving career so far should be passed on to your student, that's why you are an instructor. You become a mentor to your student. They will ask you and expect you to answer all questions, just as you would have expected when you were at school.
- Your knowledge will be tested in the ADI part 1 exam
- How you apply your knowledge will be assessed in the ADI part 2 exam
- How you pass your knowledge on to your students vill be assessed in your ADI part 3 exam
Communication
When you drive your car you are continually communicating to other road users. It could be your signals, speed or postion in the road. As a good driving instructor you will need to effectively pass on to your student the reasons why, as a driver, we need to communicate our intentions to other road users.
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