Driving instructor - payment is this usual?

[Totesemosh88]

Ds has started driving with a local instructor. The instructor does 2hr lessons and in blocks of 10hr lessons. I transferred the first lot of money and he has 4hrs left of the block, a lesson this week and next and he's requiring the next payment now before those 2 lessons. I know this is so he can have some continuity but he never said this when we started. Is this the usual?

Do you want to keep using him? If so, you're just paying in advance. If not, then you either have the lessons or a refund

I paid weekly for my children's driving lessons. I had a weekly standing order thst went every Monday.

I think we need to stop as ds isn't really gelling with ds. Also the reason h3 takes block bookings he said to me was because he kept getting messed about however he's constantly changing lesson times with ds.

However how will he treat ds when he will know he isn't continuing but we have 2 lessons left.

My ds and his pals with their instructors paid on the day of the lesson. There was no pressure to book in a block of 10. There was no messing about with lesson times from him either.

Sounds like you could do with an instructor who feels less hassle?

Ds paid cash to the driving instructor at the end of each 2 hour lesson. No payment in advance.

Thanks. Although I anticipated some lessons maybe changed. It's literally a different time every week and last week he even wanted to book him 2 lessons in one week. Luckily he changed him anyway.

I assumed it would be easier to have your pupils in regular slots.

Both my DS paid on the day in cash. Booked week ahead.
Sounds like your DS could do with a change and if so tell the instructor that and offer to continue to the ens of the ten lessons, or ask for a refund if he won’t do it.
However, the two hour lesson thing used to annoy me, It is so they can fit in two hours tuition without having to travel to their next student, in my opinion, and does nothing to speed up the driving progress. Driving for two hours when learning is hard and tiring.

The instructor we had for my DD was like this. She seemed to want to drag things out too, wanting to get more money out of us for more and more lessons when DD was driving very confidently. So DD just booked a test and did it in her own car without telling the instructor.
We found someone else for DS. Different kettle of fish. No minimum number of lessons to commit to, pay as you go and he told DS to book a test after his first lesson as he'd easily be ready by the time it came around, which he was.
If your current instructor isn't suiting you then I would look for a different one.
Having said that, the changing slits I do have sympathy for as at least some of it is probably due to acvomodating tests for other pupils.

Thanks! I think the financial strain of having to pay for 5X2hr lessons is too much. I know I knew this was the case when ds started but he's been looking for a job to help and hasn't been successful yet.
I have messaged a lady driving instructor this afternoon and she seems so accommodating. She says 1.5hrs is preferable but can do 1hr lessons. She can do blocks but don't have to.