I need to learn to drive. I started when I was 17, but had to stop for medical reasons. I've finally got clearance to learn again. There's a big wait for both tests and instructors near me, and after waiting 10 months with no progress, someone I know recommended an intensive course provider.
I talked to them, and they said their "average" time for booking tests in my area meant my test would be in August. They asked how intensively I wanted to learn - in a week, in four weeks, or over a longer period, and I said ideally quickly but if tests were in August, four weeks was fine.
They've matched me with an instructor who comes from an hour away. He doesn't know the roads near me, or near the test centre. I've had one 90 minute lesson so far, where he seemed to expect that I could drive already - he didn't really offer any feedback, just encouraged me to drive around nearby roads. I felt very awkward and embarrassed at blocking up busy roads while learning the clutch, etc 🙈 He didn't really give me any direction about when to use what pedal or anything. At the end of the lesson, he said I was a natural but have a few things to learn, so I guess that's encouraging.
He isn't a full-time instructor and has a 9 - 5, so ideally he wants to do 90 minute lessons every Sunday evening, but can also do Saturday if I insist. His English isn't the best, so he's not the easiest to arrange things with.
My test was booked for October in a town 175 miles away, allegedly so they could find a cancellation closer to me. Since I queried that, it's now booked at my test centre, but for mid-November.
Do I go ahead and pay the rest of the money? It's not cheap, but I also can't find many other options for learning to drive right now... I've got a Testi account and am also looking at other test centres near me, but tests here seem to be crazy, as do instructors!