Driving instructor stringing us along

Or even his licence.

It's spelt with a letter C in the UK. 👍

Is it hard to get lessons in your area?

if a driving instructor has a waiting list for lessons then they will want to get your daughter passed so they can take on another pupil. If they are struggling for business then they might be holding your daughter back.

That being said everyone learns at a different pace, have you been out practising with her? How does she think lessons are going? Is she enjoying it? I would describe myself as a very competent and confident driver now, but the first 6 months with my first instructor were awful, I hated them and I really struggled and failed my first test. When I switched instructors I passed after 6 lessons.

I went with my niece to fill up her car as she'd never done it on a lesson. Also showed her how to put air in her tyres using the machine at the garage.

Why is that taking the piss?

I filled up my instructors car a couple of times because I'd never done it before. He said he always shows people how to do it so their first time isn't on their own, which makes perfect sense to me.

He also taught me how to check the oil, fill up the washer fluid and do a few other basic checks like tyres. Learning to drive is more than just driving - you need to know how to run the car safely too.

Can you not read? Very dodgy UNLESS the instructor is paying. Jesus

^ This. She needs to practice what she is learning between lessons, otherwise it'll take ages for her to gain confidence. If you/your husband can't take her (because of personality clash, say) then do you have a kind friend she can go with. You should look to just driving about to local chores eg the supermarket or to go visit a friend, and should let her driver at least double the amount of time she has in lessons.

It will also depend on your DD.. my brother and I had the same instructor - we both passed first time. My brother needed 10 lessons, I took 34(!)
My brother has always been naturally more self confident than me and I think that played a massive role.

I was a nervous learner and did 3 x 3 hour lessons a week for three months then passed, it helped massively as I didn’t go too far backwards between lessons.

It could be that the instructor isn’t right for her. My first one was a grumpy git and I didn’t feel I was making good progress with him. He moved away a few weeks into my lessons so I found another one but then discovered that he was well known for trying to keep pupils as long as possible and not get them through the test. I have up learning with him then started again last year with a brilliant instructor who got me to the test in 6 months. I did the theory test after 2 months and she actually said when I passed that, that I was ready for the practical so should put in for it but I couldn’t get a date for 4 months. She said I could try for a cancellation but I didn’t feel confident myself. It’s now 2.5 months since I passed the test and I feel loads more confident since I started driving on my own.

It's off road. 😀
My daughter who is 16 is doing Young Drivers before she can start proper lessons when she turns 17.
Her lessons are on the roof a large shopping centre car park. You can only get up to 2nd gear, but it teaches the basics like using the clutch, mirror/signal/manouvre etc.

Took me 3 months of 2 x 2 hours a week (usually) before I was ready for my test. Upping the frequency would probably help but if she's not getting on with the instructor then find another one. Does she actually want to learn?

He's taking the piss I think.
I mean she could be really nervous and that's why the progress is extremely slow but even with the most nervous drivers you'd expect them to have done a right turn out of a junction within 6 months!!
And if she is really so nervous that this isn't possible he should be honest and recommend that she stops and tries again in a couple of years, possibly getting some kind of therapy of some description to help with the nervousness (I have no idea what that might entail). What he should not be doing is keeping on and on taking her money if she is too nervous to drive at the moment.

I think you should change instructors. I learned to drive in my 30s and I had to do that because the first one was too wishy washy - I couldn't get the hang of reversing into a parking spot because he kept saying "you just have to feel it". I wasn't "feeling it". Had no idea what I was supposed to be feeling - all I felt was anxious that I was going to prang someone's car!
Changed instructors and he sorted that out within half an hour by telling me exactly what to look for in the mirrors etc.

@BigTubOfLard

I had people tell me they only had ten lessons from scratch and then passed their test .

This . But you have to have super patience.

No she's just filled the car up with fuel for him and he paid . He used her lesson time to fill up his car . He's a piss taker .

Why would you jump to the fuel thing being dodgy or assume the learner is paying? It's really important that a learner driver learns how to put fuel in a car, they are going to need to know that when they pass.

Change instructor
Do not use pass me fast or similar!
Try 2hr lessons twice a week
Auto if she'd prefer can get her own hybrid then maybe
It's normal to practice filling up at a petrol station
Some also take you through the Maccys drive thru (essential skill)

Another one here saying to change instructors. I had to do this when I did lessons around 15 years ago. My first instructor was moving so slowly through skills I was getting bored and felt like I wasn't learning. Moved to a new one and suddenly could take me test in a couple of weeks.

I would switch her to automatic, then you can take her out too. If she's nervous and not doing so well it'll really help to take the gear changes out.

Ex driving instructor here. I always had my students fill up the car (I paid) as who else was going to teach them? Agree with those saying that you should ask to sit in on a lesson, using the excuse that you will be giving lessons yourself so want to copy the teaching style. This way you can see for yourself if ability or instructor is the problem.

1.5 hours a week is unlikely to be enough. I worked in inner London for BSM (over 20 years ago) and we used to sell a discount package of 25 hours. Nobody at my branch ever got a student to pass within that short timeframe and we all reckoned 40 hours was the bare minimum - did I mention this was inner London? Faster and higher pass rates in rural areas due to less traffic: more traffic = longer to learn and pass.

Hello, a relative is a driving instructor, and gave us this advice when our teen wanted to learn to drive. Get them 10 lessons with a school so that the initial gear grinding etc happens to someone else's car! Then make them drive EVERYWHERE the family needs to go. Every day they must drive on the school run, supermarket, weekend outings. Basically they become your (supervised) chauffeur! They will get loads of experience in all different traffic situations. When the test is booked, get 10 more lessons just to polish up what the examiner will look for, while carrying on the chauffeuring for you. Our teens all passed tests first time after about 4-5 months of learning, and are confident and safe adult drivers now.

As I read it, she filled the car just as part of lessons, i.e. she learnt about how to do it. There's nothing saying she paid.

If she never gets to drive except in lessons, it's not surprising it's going slowly. Do you have any friends or relatives with manual cars that you could make a deal with so that she can practise?

Or, if she's not confident, she could just learn with automatic gears and practise in your cars. There are going to be fewer and fewer manual cars as time goes on.

She's paid to fill up the instructors car, did I read that right??

Different instructors have different styles. You want one with fast turnaround and a high pass rate. They are usually a the top of the price range. Both DC were very nervous to start with but 2x2hr lessons a week and they both passed in under 4 months. I think the intensity of lessons is important, you have to get going!