to dump my driving instructor

[Crumbleface]

Would like some advice...

Had my first (and only) driving instructor for 40 hours + of lessons.

I feel I'm almost at test level now, but admittedly, am quite a nervous driver and occasionally make a mistake or two. My issue is I feel I'm not really making more progress. My manoeuvres and driving are ok, although I still slip up on manoeuvres occasionally. I feel a lot of it isn't going in, but my instructor says I'm getting there, so I must be, and I'm just over thinking things. When the lesson ends, there is no recap or lesson summary, he just says his goodbyes and that's it. Not sure if this is normal, as I have nothing to compare him to. I have asked him a couple of times when I'll be test ready and whether to book a test, he just goes a bit vague and says "I'm not quite there yet". Am I being fleeced?

I get on ok with my instructor, but I'm getting a bit impatient now. He has cancelled lessons at the last minute a lot and has been very slow to get back in touch to rebook them. He has a lot of students too, so I'm starting to question the quality of the lessons, since at 40 lessons+, there is no indication of when I'll be ready for the test. I wonder if he's just going through the motions and picking up the £25 from me each week? I said to him that I thought it would take a long time for me to learn and I'm very self-critical during the lessons, so I think he might be abusing this.

When I first started, he said I appeared to be a fast learner and shouldn't take many lessons to pass, then after more lessons said "I'll eat my hat if you're not passed by the spring".....Well it is spring now! My OH thinks he is taking the piss and is also getting impatient as he has to drop me off at work and wants me to pass as quick as possible. My OH is one of those strange people who passed in about 5 lessons though.

So.......I have cancelled lessons with him and pretended that I couldn't afford it. I have booked another instructor for next week, but am worried it will take me a long time to pick it up again in a new car. Is this the right move or have I made a mistake?

I'm just desperate to pass now! Anyone else had this dilemma?

I done 2 lessons with An instructor who would shout at me so I changed to a different one who after 20 lessons passed my test first time.

I remember my instructor being calm and really going into detail and working on things I'm unsure of over and over

My first driving instructor used to shout at me, regularly slag other pupils off, take me to the drive through at Mcdonnalds and put his hand on my cluth leg to "help me". Obviously, being 17, I was aware it wasnt quite right but never said anything. Gave up after about 30 hours of lessons and the constant "you're useless". Tried again when I was 26. Passed first time after 10 hours with my female instructor who corrected all his bad instruction, never shouted at me and boosted my confidence.

He is famous in our small city for being the driving instructor.... most his recommendations come from men.

I would change. If you dont feel right, for whatever reason, always change. It's more than likely not you tbh.

I think it's a good thing to change instructors at this point; sometimes all it takes is a fresh approach and it makes a world of difference. Also, not all instructors are good and if you're losing confidence in your instructor, that's only going to affect your confidence in your own driving.

You will do a lot of learning AFTER you pass your test but you learn quicker then because no one is prompting you or doing it "for" you.

Ideally, a good instructor builds your confidence, is calm, doesn't over-prompt all the time, and does things like explain how the clutch works etc so you have a better understanding of why you're doing things - not just doing what you're told. An instructor has to be a good fit with you... no two people learn the same - so an instructor must be able to adapt and make sure you progress with each lesson.

Good luck with your new instructor!