Someone slap me. I've finished my driving lesson crying!

[pizzaorpine]

So I've had about 20 hours in total now and today went with a completely new instructor because he would then tell me when roughly to book my test for.

I went in feeling very confident but now I'm devastated. I thought I was fairly good but obviously not, this new instructor was constantly correcting and finding fault with everything.

The car also threw me, not sure why. The clutch felt way more difficult as to me the biting point was much easier to get and control in the Ford Fiesta, the car I had previously done lessons on. It was much higher up this time so biting point felt all out of place for some reason.

I'm also really cross because there's a lot of stuff my old instructor let me down on. He's only ever kept me to the same area so I had no experience of elsewhere, and he also never taught me to move off with gas! I didn't know that was I thing. I had always just lifted my clutch when moving off.

I'm not really sure where to turn to. I don't like the 'feel' of this new instructor but at the same time, my old instructor seems to have been wasting all my money and I had no idea until today.

I really need a car so I'm so sad

Oh and I also didn't know about the finding the clutch coming down thing so not just finding your biting point coming up, but you can also do it pushing down.

Never knew this was a required skill, yet another fault

I finished many driving lessons in tears, don't worry, it happens!
I'm confused about pulling off without gas though - I don't think I've ever had a car that would have done that, unless downhill, without stalling? Must admit I've never tried, they might have done?
You don't need to worry about finding the biting point on the way down though, it's pointless, yes, you can do it, but you're never going to.
It takes a while to get used to a different clutch. Every clutch has a different biting point, depending on age, treatment, etc. I over rev dhs car for the first couple of gear changes every time I drive it (which isn't often) as his biting point is so much higher than mine. Then I get back in mine and stall it.
A different car takes a bit of getting used to too, especially when learning.
Basically, don't beat yourself up. Its normal! And, I'm assuming you didn't drive into a ditch, or kill a lollipop man or anything, so it can't have been that bad!
I found that a more picky driving instructor was better for me, but everyone's different, and, if this ones not for you, change. Don't stick with him/her out of loyalty or anything, find someone else.

Even the vipers nest that is MN is likely to slap you for finding learning to drive hard. Lots of us find it difficult.

Don’t be too hard on yourself for not knowing everything after 20 hours tuition and don’t be too hard on your previous instructor either. He’s taught you enough to get you to this point so it hasn’t been a complete waste of money. I’ve been driving 30 years and I still don’t know what moving off with gas means. All I know is that I do move off somehow.

IME driving instructors are like hairdressers and mechanics, all too willing to criticise the last person you used to try and encourage you to stay with them. Give this new guy a couple more lessons and if it still doesn’t feel right, move on.

And BTW I had over 100 hours of lessons, god knows how many instructors and failed my test twice but have now been driving over 30 years with no accident more serious than reversing into an (invisible) bollard.

A lot of what you describe I have never heard of I've been driving for 26 years.

Just chalk it up to a bad lesson - everyone has/had them and move on

Firstly - don’t beat yourself up over this.

There are good instructors and bad. We can’t tell you which is which from here. I’ve had people tell me the most astonishing instructor problems they’ve had when learning, and the only advice can often be to abandon that school/instructor.

Try to discuss the full detail of your problems with someone (a driver) in real life? Is the instructor bad tempered? Do they let you repeat mistakes like rolling back on a slope? They should focus on correcting what’s wrong.

Bear in mind that a good instructor ironically loses his/her pupils quite quickly. A bad one retains them for quite a while.

You need to try and pin down what is going on. We can’t tell…

I learned to drive in a brand new Mazda 2 and could very efficiently pull away but using the clutch. Cut to driving my car solo after passing my test (knackered old ford ka) I stalled repeatedly, at a roundabout, on a slight incline, until a friendly policeman came alongside my window and suggested a little gas might help

While you don't want an instructor who is just there for a chat and stringing you on for months, I think it really helps to have one that you feel isn't just focusing on the negatives. A lot of driving is down to confidence so that needs to be built on, not eroded.

I had a few instructors, mostly oldish men. But I did have one really nice woman. It is quite intimidating getting into a car with a stranger to start with.

You are the customer, so it's no shame if you want to try someone else.