Are you a driving instructor?

[LovelyDear]

I work in an IT backwater, a couple of days a week. I want to find something that I can do more flexibly to fit around kids as they are both now at school, and that will see me through if (as I suspect they will) my IT skills become obsolete. I also love driving and miss the people contact that my IT job doesn't give me. I'm pretty patient with people (other than my own family members...)

So - i've wondered about learning to be a driving instructor. I would envisage (without having done much research...) that I would start with a big name training school, eg BSM/AA (i've been warned off Red) and then see whether i could go independent.

Is this a sensible route in, and does anyone have experience of this or other routes?

Is there a glut of teachers? Im in SW London.

I'd be really grateful for any advice, warnings, etc. Ta.

Just curious what IT skills you have (since you are concerned) as you never know if someone will be wanting those skills, IYSWIM.

Good luck with driving if that seems the best option...

Originally i programmed in vb6, more recently ASP.net, but i don't have any wider experience. Any job ads i look at ask for such a wide range of skills, which i don't have. plus i've been in my current job so long that i don't think i could confidently sell myself anywhere else... Thanks for your interest.

watching with interest. why were you warned off Red? a friends DH qualified with them a couple of years ago and then went independent.

i think they were the subject of a dodgy expose-type documentary, saying their claims of how quickly you can learn, and how you can make £30k pa, were all rubbish. but to be fair, having watched it here i don't think it's really Red they are targetting, just misleading schools in general. There's another slightly more damning programme here.

I think the criticism was that the £30k figure often quoted was before expenses. It can actually cost quite a lot in fuel to run a car all day every day and once you knock that off (and insurance, repairs etc) the £30k is a much smaller number.