Help? Driving school or private instructor!

[Former]

Which do you think is best in general? Do driving school instructors have more accountability for example?

AA or Red etc or a private instructor that a friend's son used?

We used Red. It was fine and easy to deal with booking online etc. Once we got to know the instructor I would text him direct with any issues like change of pick up location. DD passed first time

Following ... need the same advice ...

Depends.

dc turned 17 just out of lockdown. Everywhere and everyone booked.

got her in with a highly recommended local instructor. They just didn’t get on. The instructors style was very relaxed whereas dc likes to know the rules and why they do something.

bit of stalking driving instructors on Facebook and came upon a very newly qualified instructor. She had spaces as not built up a client list so thought sod it and went for it. She was with RED- like pp said easy to book and pay through the site rather than back and forth messages. Dc got on well with her as she taught very methodically- passed first time.

i would see who you can booked in with. Even try more than one of you can. But don’t be worried about switching if it’s not working for you.

Private instructor or very small school (often 2/3 decent instructors will get together) 100%. Check reviews etc, also be wary if they can fit him in too soon. If they’re not busy it’s for a reason! DD waited months to get in with the instructor she had due to his high demand but honestly it was worth it. First time & super confident pass!

We originally went with a big driving school in our area as conveniently (or so we thought) they could fit her in a lot quicker. DD had an awful experience to the point we had to resort to reporting her instructor to the DVLA. Bad teaching and creepy/inappropriate remarks. Turned out he wasn’t even qualified and this is alarmingly common with the big schools! We’ve since even had to give police statements about it as there’s a full blown investigation into this specific driving school and their many unqualified instructors at the minute

@MaloneMeadow Omg you're poor daughter. That is disgraceful.

I think perhaps I should try a couple and see which DS prefers, as ultimately he will be the best judge of who's right for him.

Thanks for all the advice

Ask for local recommendation.

I'm in the industry. Trust me it's like the wild west out there. Do your research. Recommendations. Ask friends and friends of friends. Big schools may have some decent instructors but some cut corners with training and treat them like crap so many are not happy in the job. We had one kept dropping off really early and then dumped our teen as they couldn't cope. I trained up as I knew I could do a better job and I did. What rough area are you? LDC are usually better than most big schools.

Something to watch out for is the "pink licence". Many large schools won't declare the difference and most parents don't know that someone on a pink licence is a trainee. They charge as much as fully qualified. Yes everyone has to start somewhere but you should be getting a discount. Also if someone fails their practical 3 times they're out, leaving their pupils in the lurch. For this reason alone you need an ADI who is on the register. You can find the register on the GOV site and if they're not on it then they are not qualified. Hope that helps

To clarify. An ADI is a qualified and registered instructor. They have a green licence they have to display by law in their car and it has their photo on. They have an ADI number and are on the register.
A PDI is a trainee. They have a pink licence with their photo on which they also have to display to teach. They're on a register for PDIs.
If someone doesn't have either licence they still have to register as a PDI but they are NOT allowed to charge - even for fuel etc. They teach for free for practice.

Make sure you see the Pink or Green licence before you hand over any money.
Someone with a pink licence must be affiliated to a driving school or another instructor who are responsible for them and their training.

The Wild West! Certainly feels that way.

Ascot area

Really helpful thank you @Boogoeboogieondown

I think the main thing is finding someone who clicks with the learner.
My DD had 3 instructors - first was an independent but DD really didn't get on with him. He just seemed to spend a lot of time shouting.
She swapped to one at RED who one her friends got on with, but again, DD didn't really get on with - didn't seem to actually teach, just kept driving round.
Finally found a lovely older lady who really 'got' DD - old school, explaining, what could be done better, lots of practice of weaker areas. Passed first time.

My advice would be to book with whoever you can find for a couple of lessons before you do any block bookings, and swap if you need to.

I don't see any difference really, all the big schools are juts self employed guys who pay to use the name anyway. I don't think they are any better or worse.

I read some reviews and you have to be careful with instructors who drag it out and do more driving around instead of actual teaching apparently, to keep the money rolling in.

It would be nice to find someone who is more structured, who keeps written notes of the lessons and what needs to be improved etc.

I found an instructor that said he does that on his website, but he only dues block books and there's no trial 2 hours. His reviews are good but there are also ones that say he retains their money unfairly.

The one who was recommended hasn't replied so he's provably driving around!

I read some reviews and you have to be careful with instructors who drag it out and do more driving around instead of actual teaching apparently, to keep the money rolling in.

I don't believe this for a second tbh. It may have been the case many years ago but nowadays most places have wait lists. None of these instructors need to string out a learner for money; once they get them through the test there will be someone waiting to fill the spot.

That's reassuring then!

Except some of the big schools have stipulations on how the instructor operates. Sometimes that is a good thing but the big schools ARE all about maximising profit and their instructors have to pay them a big cut of their money to use their name, cars etc. A really good independent alone or school, is often the better choice but it's a luxury many don't have due to wait lists etc.
Instructors are graded via a dvsa test and you can see this online on gov.uk. Officially it's supposed to be every few years or sooner if they're not doing well with pupils at test. However like the NHS the wait times and backlogs are such that these instructors are not being tested regularly enough and some have been sneaking under the radar for years and years and years. One in our area is the joke of the instructor world - you wouldn't believe the stories. He is about 75 and is actually sometimes asleep or using his phone which isn't allowed. In his younger days he was a sleeze with the young girls.

OP do trust your instincts and your child's instincts. If something feels off then find someone else. I know it's not easy but these people are responsible for your DC safety.

And yes some do just drive around - mostly that is still good practice but sometimes if it's the same easy routes over and over then it's time wasting because it's an easy time for the instructor. If they're advancing and close. To test it should be slip roads, dual carriageways and even motorways etc.

Yes some do lag it out sometimes purely because the test waits are so long and also a good driver is an easy lesson for. the money. A brand new driver is quite labour intense for an instructor.

Lots don't reply by the way. Particularly if they get the sense that the parent may be hard work. It's so rude but really really common.

I got into the industry because no one wanted to take my DC who has Asd. Says it all really.

Also sometimes newly qualified is better than been at it for years. They get stuck in old school ways and methods and a lot has changed. The way you learned to drive is not the way that should be taught now. I really wish you the best of luck.

Long time since I learnt to drive but I did start to learn to become a driving instructor over Covid due to redundancy. Quit as no tests available so what was the point. Wasted money.

The large companies are franchises anyway so you're technically always getting an independent but they have the security and backing of a big company. It's very scary to go off on your own first, you need to get a reputation first as it were.

I don't think it matters which you go with, you just need to click. I had four driving instructors and all were independent apart from one. One was calm and very good but his leg was always next to the gearstick so I had to rub it. One was worse than being taught by a parent and I can't even remember the other one. I went with a lady trainee for the longest. She was absolutely lovely and patient and exactly what I needed.

How far did you get? ADI P1/p2? Doesn't sound like you know much about the industry. A large school is a franchise but certainly not the same as a true independent.

My point is more that they are all just one man bands but some work for a large franchise (probably solely because they trained with them) and some work for themselves. Not that the businesses are set up the same way. But thanks for the unnecessary dig. Must be nice to be so superior.

It's a bit like everything in life, are you a good fit/do you match well. You wont know until you try. Why does one person get on better with a Counsellor/therapist than another? Ds1 1st driving instructor (man) was a bit vague about what ds1 needed to focus on. I changed to a woman, purely because she was available. I told her his test was already booked and asked her if he'd be ready? She said he was a lovely little driver, he only had a few lessons with her and then he passed!