To ask if intensive driving lesson courses are any good?

[Disorientated]

Dd is 21 and wants to learn to drive....quickly! She is ND and wants to be taught in an automatic car only.
Has anyone any experience of doing all the lessons in a few weeks?

I took weekly lessons and failed my first test. Then did five days of intensive
lessons and passed. I thought it was better because I didn’t forget things in between lessons.

I wonder if it's best to do weekly lessons to begin with then a final blast to hopefully hurrry things along then. I'm guessing not many people can go from no driving to passing a test in a few weeks!

My stepson passed after an intensive course. 22 and also ND if it helps. The only thing is to make sure they have test slots available as in some areas they are like golddust.

I used to be a driving instructor, and the school I was with marketed intensive courses heavily.

I think they're not suitable for complete beginners: it's very difficult to learn a completely new life skill in a week. They're more suited to people who had lessons before, possibly years before, and want another crack at it. The school I was with recommended "one day course for somebody who recently failed a test", to "five days for beginners". With some of the five-day ones I did, beginners were nowhere near ready at the end of it, despite everybody's best efforts. (That school had instructors working in pairs for the five-day ones: two days with one instructor, three days with another.)

Presumably, your DD has passed the theory test? Doing it in automatic will make it easier and quicker, but a few individual lessons first might be a good idea, so she can find out how quickly she learns. Also, if you do book an intensive, check carefully what the school's policy is if she doesn't pass: does she get and more lessons or a test thereafter?

DS passed his theory a couple of weeks after turning 17 and had booked an intensive course in a manual car with a local instructor a couple of weeks later. He started on a Monday morning having never sat behind the wheel of a car and passed his test the following Tuesday. This was a few years ago when it was quite easy to book tests.

I would be very cautious, I used to know someone who worked in the military driving school up north and the rate of accidents on passing was huge. They were mostly boys though!

I think it can be a good way to kick start lessons to have fewer weekly ones, but doubt many people are anywhere near competent to pass and then drive within a week. I'd do it with the expectation of needing a few more, and perhaps then still some from you on passing.

I learnt in 9 days (in a manual) I was convinced I wouldn't pass and that it would be a good way to get loads of experience in and could then drop down to twice a week while waiting for a re test. I passed first time and felt very unprepared and nervous. It took a long time to get any confidence as I felt that I'd just been taught to pass the test.

Also with an intensive course if you have a bad day there is no time to really think about it or process why. You are back in the car the next day like it or not.

This was just my experience and I suspect if I'd been 17 and full of confidence it would have been quite different!

Who did you do the intensive course with?