Spot Signs Of A Good or Bad Driving Instructor & Change Instructors

How to find a good driving instructor Near Me

Have you ever wondered whether your driving instructor is up to the job and whether there are any signs of a bad driving instructor?

Driving lessons aren’t cheap so you should look to get the best driving instructor you can find, but how can you tell the difference between a good driving instructor and a bad one?

Getting a bad driving instructor cannot only help you waste money but a bad driving lesson can also cause you untold stress.

Having taught for over 25 years and even teaching other instructors with our ADI driving instructor course there are plenty of signs you can look out to make sure your driving instructor is good.

Here are the top 10 ways to spot a good driving instructor and find the best driving instructors near you.

How to assess whether they’re a good instructor

Before you start with your new instructor, here a some quick ways to help ensure they’re up to the job.

• Certification and Experience:
  Always check your instructor is an ADI. This certification proves they’re qualified and up to date with teaching methods. Their experience counts too. An instructor who’s seen it all can help you handle any tricky situation you might face on the road, from parallel parking to mastering roundabouts.
• Student Feedback:
  Real-life feedback from past students is invaluable. Look for reviews that talk about more than just passing – did the instructor build confidence, stay patient, and explain things clearly? This kind of detail helps you avoid anyone who’s unreliable or difficult.
• Lesson Structure:
  Good lessons are planned out. Your instructor should have a roadmap, making sure each lesson builds on the last. It’s not about just driving around but practising specific skills to help you nail both the theory and practical tests. They should also adapt lessons to your progress.
• Legal Considerations:
  Safety is key, and that means sticking to the rules. Your instructor’s car should be insured and roadworthy. Make sure they’re covering legal responsibilities like proper L plates and giving you the chance to practice things like hazard awareness – essential for staying safe on the road.

Good Instructors

Here’s how to know if your local driving instructor is good.

Lesson structure:

Having a structured approach to imptoving your driving is key to your success. When looking at the structure of driving lessons, key details to watch for include:

• Clear Progression: Each lesson should build on the last, focusing on specific skills like manoeuvres, road awareness, and handling different road types.
• Personalisation: Lessons should adapt to your strengths and weaknesses, ensuring the instructor adjusts based on your performance and confidence level.
• Practice Variety: A mix of practical driving (e.g., busy roads, roundabouts) and test preparation, including mock tests, is crucial.
• Debriefing: After each lesson, your instructor should provide feedback, outlining areas for improvement and what comes next.

Other signs of a good instructor

Here are some other signs of whether or not you have a good instructor:

• Good driving instructors never answer the phone whilst on a driving lesson, they will have their phone out of sight so will not get distracted.
• They will very rarely be late for your driving lessons and if they do run late on that rare occasion they will let you know in good time.
• Good instructors will always have a plan for your lessons, they will not go for random driving and seeing what pops up. They will have planed your lesson in depth leaving nothing to chance.
• They will not keep moving your lessons around in order to fit other pupils in.
• A good instructor will let you know how you are doing as you go along with your lessons and what you need to improve on. Letting you know if you are on target to pass your driving test.
• They will leave time at the end of your lessons so you both can go through the lessons just completed, have a recap on the main points and map out a way forward for your future lessons.
• On your lessons, they will never use your time to do little errands like going to a shop to buy themselves something.
• Patience is the hallmark of a great instructor, good ones will always have the time to go over things as much as you need them too.
• Your instructor will go on the learning experience with you, be it you having a good day or like the best of us who sometimes have bad days.
• Good instructors will get nervous for you when you go for your driving test because they know how hard you have worked for it.

Bad Driving Instructors

There are many signs of a bad driving instructor and below are some of the more common ones to watch out for with your local instructors:

• The first point is they are more interested in getting money off you at the start of the lessons instead of focussing on helping you have a good lesson. These are called cash machine driving instructors.
• They are constantly checking their phone or are talking to other people whilst on your lesson, apart from this being a bad thing to do and rude, it is illegal.
• Constantly late, it shows a lack of respect for not only your time but you. Someone who cannot organise their time will not be able to teach you properly.
• Going on a drive without a plan, randomly driving around an area is not going to help you get your driving licence. Your instructor needs to have a plan for every lesson.
• Not listening to your concerns regarding your progress, or not letting you have a practice on the things you feel you need working on.
• Constantly talking about their own lives or about what mistakes their other pupils do. They are there to help you become a good driver not tell you about aspects of their lives.
• Taking you on “test routes” around the same test centre every lesson. Not teaching you to drive well but getting you to remember certain roads and junctions.
• Constantly saying if you do this or if you do that you will fail. Telling you what you should not do as opposed to telling you what you should do.
• Constantly telling you what to do and not letting you have the chance to do it on your own. You will never learn if you are not given the chance to make mistakes, that is how we learn best.
• Telling you how all their other pupils are better than you and that they pick things up quicker than you.
• If you feel you have a bad driving instructor then stop using them straight away and use your money wisely on hiring a good driving instructor.

Why are driving instructors so rude or mean?

Well, a good driving instructor should be patient and never be rude or mean to you! If you’re asking the question above, then it’s probably time to start looking for a new instructor.

There are lots of good instructors just waiting for your call. Remember, that if you have a good instructor then it’s no harm in giving them a little praise once in a while, it goes a long way and is very much appreciated. You will find lots of good driving instructors at our company but if we do not cover your area, please call as there may be a meeting point we could arrange or alternatively, here is a link to your local driving instructors

Should I change driving instructor?

If your driving instructor is not fulfilling your requirements, then provided the terms of your contract allow you yes you should consider changing instructors. First, however, address the issues and see if you can come to a resolution. If you are with a larger company that has many instructors, see whether they can provide you with a different instructor. Otherwise, give us a call and we’ll help you change driving instructor to someone local who can help.