AIBU to think DD's driving instructor should have started teaching manoeuvres by now?

[Everyoneiswingingit]

DD has had about 25 lessons with her instructor and has still not got into 4th gear, parked, done any other manoeuvres or used a sat nan as per the new test.
I have taken her out in my car and she is quite proficient. I have got her into 4th and 5th gear, got her to do a 3 point turn and reverse.
She is reluctant to ask her instructor if she's ready for the test as she feels he would have said if she were. She doesn't want us to ask because she wants to be grown up about it but we can't help feeling she's paying over the odds as it could be weeks to cover all these things.
She passed her Theory first time ,last month.

*a sat nav

she should ask the instructor and if shes not happy then she should change driving instructors

Bloody hell. She should have done almost everything by now. I would expect to be in 4th gear by the 3rd lesson or so.
Sounds like he's taking her for a ride.

he works for a driving school so he's not independent. Would he be salaried or would there be benefit to stringing her along?

I sat my test on my 25th lesson and passed. I was no driving prodigy either. He must be dragging her lessons out, assume for monetary gain? I'd change instructors.

Doesn't sound right. DD passed her test recently after 12 lessons.

Sounds to me like it's in his interests to keep her in lessons.

Yes, I'd expect her to have done almost everything by now, if not have actually passed her test. As a side issue though, teaching her three point turns isn't going to help that much, since they aren't on the test any more!

I had 20 lessons many years ago and passed first time.. I know there is a new test now but he hasn't even mentioned it. Th fact that he doesn't get her to do new things is knocking her confidence. When DH takes her out she comes back motivated because she tries and realises she can. I looked on the DVSA site and it says they recommend an average of 44 hrs.
Any instructors on here?

Maybe she's more nervous around the instructor and more confident around you

My driving lessons were appalling until I found an teacher I really clicked with and then it all fell into place

Thing is, on her very first lesson he said most people need 30-40 lessons. I'm wondering if he's just lazy and has that kind of mindset to get to 30 with everyone.

Yes, way too slow unless there’s a reason why they haven’t moved on yet ( eg her ability) but that makes no sense if you’ve done it with her independently.

He’s taking the piss. She should be well into those things by now.

He’ll pay a monthly franchise fee to the driving school for the car and them sending him students. But he’ll pay his own wages so the more his students have the more money he’ll make.

I'd go with her on her next lesson if I were you and see for yourself what he's like. I did this with my dd for different reasons but I'd definitely recommend it!

Sorry should have said - dd passed first time after 12 lessons but she did a lot of driving with us at home too.

Definitely not right. DH is a driving instructor and starts manoeuvres fairly early on.

Instructors are usually franchised to a big school rather than actually employed by them. They pay the school a fee (weekly/monthly) and have pupils found for them or recommended to them and they can be provided with a vehicle, advertising etc by the school as part of that fee.

They tend to keep the lesson money themselves so in theory he could be stringing her along for more money - especially if his franchise fee is eating into his income.

The national average is 40 something from start to pass but most younger people take less, especially if they’re practising with other people (like parents).

Try a lesson with another instructor and see how that goes for comparison.

Got a horrible feeling she's being strung along and it is the franchise situation.

Like others said, I would find another instructor, he's taken the piss.

20 hours here and not much other practice, he's dragging it out.

He’s taking the mick. Can you get another instructor from the same franchise? I would have that she should have been in 5th gear by the 3rd lesson

He may not be deliberately holding her back - perhaps his teaching style does not suit her. I had a couple of instructors who simply talked too much and made it difficult for me to concentrate. A more “natural” driver might have got on fine with him. I finally passed with a taciturn chap who barely said a word except when he needed to.

On the other hand, he could be taking the piss.

I definitely had driving instructors who just kept me doing the same things and making no progress. I changed and it was much better (I was a slow, nervous learner driver and the old instructor made it worse by never pushing me). Obviously you shouldn't progress to faster roads or complicated junctions if you're unsafe to do so but having a go at a three point turn is relatively risk free.

My instructor didn’t start doing manoeuvres with me until a couple of weeks before my test. She said I’d pick them up much more quickly once I was confident in my control of the vehicle. I was nailing them within 2 lessons and passed my test first time a few weeks later.
Maybe he is helping her learn to drive independently, not just pass a test?
But ultimately, if she’s not happy, she can find another instructor.

For the first 10 lessons, he drove her to his favoured spot for her to drive then drove her back. This took 15 mins of her 1hr lesson.