Driving lessons quite boring

[Tuturghh]

I've had about 15 hours with another instructor who was terrible, always had someone else in the back of the car, always late, never had my full allocation etc etc.

Switched to another guy a few weeks back and am on fourth hour with him. I'm driving okay I think, turning fine, steering fine, remembering to change gears, do okay when in traffic lights... His goal is to perfect my driving before moving into manoeuvres and then doing mock tests/driving test routes.

The problem is that the lessons are quite boring. Even though I have two hour slots, we're staying in my quite residential area and just doing massive loops, rarely going out into main roads even though I've proved I can cope with them. It would be helpful as well to do town driving/dual carriageways/country lanes, or even a test route (did one with my previous instructor with no problems).

Should I say anything? I don't want to sound pushy but equally would like to be stretched a bit!

I wouldn't use the word boring but I'd definitely ask to drive somewhere unfamilar to stretch yourself.

You could ask if you can finish your lesson at 'somewhere on the other end of town' so you can visit something/somebody?

Will probably have to make your own way back...

But if it shows you can do it, you can drive it again next week.

Maybe your instructor is new? Not confident in their teaching yet?

Can't hurt to say 'do you think I could try driving to "place", as I have family there and will be driving there after I pass?'

Or "do you think I could try driving to 'place'?", without giving a reason

Thanks stompy god no, would definitely phrase it more politely than that

Just wondering if anyone's had similar experiences really? I don't really understand why we're just doing the same side streets over and over again; I've asked him if it's going okay and he's pleased with my progress.

I would say you should be doing some manouvers after 19 hours. I'm going on my son's lessons (he's just passed). And definitely vary the route. I would ask him, you're paying for the lesson so you should have a say.

My first thoughts, OP, were that he's making money out of you by making you do the same old stuff each week. He's stretching the lessons out, so you have more lessons and therefore makes him more money. Sorry to sound so cynical...

Yeah I agree everyone, it's just a pain because he's my second instructor and I don't really want to keep changing Thanks for the advice

How can I approach it with him that I want to progress a bit faster basically? We've covered roundabouts, turns, steering, meeting and crossing traffic etc, just need to do the manoeuvres now and have some more driving experience on different roads. It would be amazing if he actually initiated these, as I say id like to be stretched and make progress - I've asked us to work towards end of Jan as a test goal but he wasn't the first to suggest having a goal and said he didn't want to demotivate me by having a goal Just wish we could actually start working towards this goal really!!

Say you're going to book onto an intensive driving course if he cannot up the pace for you?

My driving instructor used to use the last five minutes of a lesson to review what we'd done that day, what I did well and what needed work, and to discuss what to cover next time. Do you have any sort of plenary at the end that covers this sort of thing?

Nothing brian, argh why do I keep getting the bad instructors!! In the interests of full disclosure, I tried a second one out in between him and the first instructor and she was also not great at all. Is it me?! I really really don't think it is! I'm quite tolerant and don't ever push things so wondering if maybe they take advantage?

He just keeps saying it's going fine, and then says let's do a couple more hours driving next week and then we'll move on. I don't get why! I want to start manoeuvres really.

The other thing is that he works for a driving school and I know for a fact they're not short of customers. So whys he prolonging things?!

I just know when it comes to Jan, he'll say "let's leave it for now" re the rest and I'll be powerless to say anything

Should I text him maybe just saying, definitely want to book my test in before the end of Jan, does X date suit you? But then what if he says I'm not ready...?

Now thinking maybe I should change instructor again

Wow! 19 hours and they havent even started a manouvre with you? Theyre taking the absolute piss. I'm estimating youve spent the guts of £500 to date on lessons, if that isnt enough incentive to get assertive i dont know what is! Fwiw my uncle is a driving instructor and he did manouevres with me on lesson 1. I would be changing instructor and telling him why. Post on local FB buy and sell pages or community pages for recommendations of good instructors.

Surly - not sure if this makes a difference but actually I did 10 hours with a bad instructor, 5 with an equally bad one (both v unprofessional) and 4 with him. So technically on my 4th hour with hin

Yes but you've still had 19 hours worth of lessons! Even with really bad instructors you should be doing (and well practised at) manouevres by now! I'm fuming on your behalf. I really wouldnt give him another penny. If you came to my uncle after 15 hours with other instructors and not doing anything other than driving around he would book you in for a block session or two of intensive lessons to get you test ready quicker knowing you'd already spent so much money. He would be furious for you too.

Thank you surly

I'm really hesitant to go with someone else though because they would be my fourth instructor (!) and I just want to pass asap really. I'd like to give him another chance but I want to be assertive without being rude. Is it worth texting/phoning or should I just tell him in the next lesson that id like to crack on with manoeuvres? Or should I just say that I've decided to book my text on X date, please can we work towards that?

The irony is that I'm a tutor myself and go above and beyond to stretch pupils. Would never just drag out lessons for my own benefit, so unethical really

Yes, I think you should say something.

I would expect a good driving instructor to be trying to stretch you out of your comfort zone, and start trying you on new roads, manoeuvres, etc. It does sound like he's trying to stretch things out. If he's wanting you to perfect every bit of driving before moving onto something new it could be months and months before you've covered everything that might come up in a test. Because let's face it, driving perfectly on these two massive loops is not going to guarantee that you'll drive perfectly when you're on new roads with different challenges.

Thanks... Yeah I'm really annoyed at him tbh

He kept going on about me "perfecting" my driving but with no real plan of how to do this. It would be great if he was like, next four lessons on each manoeuvre, and going on test routes (so practising roundabouts, country lanes, town driving, dual carriageways)! Then next four practising manoeuvres and test preparation. Then mock test.

What can I say? I'm so so bad at anything approaching confrontation and sometimes feel like people spot me coming!

I would tell him that I was going to book a driving test for January (or whatever)because I needed to be on the road asap and that I wanted him to get me ready for that date. There was a long wait for a driving test when I booked mine (6 weeks or something?) and I was splitting up with my husband so had the incentive to work hard.

Book your test for end of jan. Next lesson tell him, "i've booked test for end of jan so really need to crack on with manoeuvres now. I'm sorted with everything we've done previously so what shall we do first? Parallel parking?"
Then give him 4 lessons to really progress you. If by the end of 4th lesson you aren't feeling any further along then get a new instructor and book intensive session. Tell new instructor upfront you have been messed around and really just want to crack it now so they know you wont stand for any piss taking.

Thank you! What if he just flatly says "that won't work, you won't be ready"! Which he's entitled to do I guess.

I'm just scared of this descending into a really poor working relationship.

Especially given he's already told me not to bother booking the test for "a good while"

Can you just ask outright - I feel ready for a challenge, can we give the dual carriageway a go today please, and if he says no, ask why not.

My 17 year old has just had her 4th ever lesson in 4 hours, wk1, country roads, wk2, country roads, wk3 housing estate, wk4 dual carriageway. Next week they're doing mini roundabouts, then on wk6 its going to be the city centre.

I think he is stretching her, but she proved she is coping this morning when she drove herself 7 miles to work.

Say something, you're ready to do much more, you know you are.

Yip you need to experience driving in all different roads. My last instructor was the same as that. The current ones had me all over the place and a much better instructor. Never ever felt bored on a lesson although I do only do one hour. He said he didn't think two hours were productive because you start to get tired and lose concentration after awhile.

Thank you! What if he just flatly says "that won't work, you won't be ready"! Which he's entitled to do I guess.

Its an opinion, not a fact. You're the one paying, its your test. If you arent ready come january then fine, you can rearrange your test. But he doesnt get to flat out refuse to try and get you ready. You call the shots. If he thinks you wont be ready then he is right to say it and give you the opportunity to a) book more sessions between now and then, b) rearrange your test or c) use another instructor who thinks they can get you ready. But it is your call, not his.

Also at the end of each lesson my instructor would say next time wel do x what do you think? Now, because I'm test ready (failed on Friday with one major because I made a stupid mistake on a road iv never been on) he will say to me okay what do you want to practice. Iv rebooked test so hopefully pass soon.

If you are doing one two hour lesson a week, then you could do at least 22 hours between now and then so could defo be ready if he starts doing manoeuvres and getting you on to different roads so you can experience them.