Train to be a Driving Instructor – Questions to ask

What questions should I ask?

A lot of people are interested in training to become a driving instructor. But where do you start and how do you know if a training provider is right for you? Sadly we see many people realising too late that they made a poor choice. Both Christie and Kevin, our ORDIT registered trainers, are currently helping people who have found that their training provider is either too busy or they are disappointed with the quality. One national training provider is actually unable to provide any training anywhere in the south west and any trainees currently have to travel to South Wales! One thing we always encourage people to do, even if they feel sure they want to train with us, is to research other training providers and then weigh up what they provide compared to us. One problem is what to ask of any trainer. So we have a list of questions we suggest you should ask any trainer.

But first of all, let’s investigate where most people start – an online search.

What does Google have to say?

A simple search of ‘train to become a driving instructor’ will show at the top of page 1 companies that have paid to advertise. Almost always these are national companies as they have a massive advertising budget compared to a local trainer. By the way I have discussed the merits of national v local trainers in a previous blog post.

It is interesting to see what the top three are:

1. A national company that I know has not had an instructor in my locality (Honiton) for many years – yet Google shows their instructor (who moved to France!) as still living here!
2. Another well-known national company that offers all your training fees back once you have qualified. Sounds great doesn’t it?! They are currently offering full training for close to £2400. (The maths of this I have gone into in my previous blog post). Their current franchise fee is around £300 per week (ok, you do get a car provided for this). But you will be tied into a minimum 1w2 month franchise and with a 6 month notice period – which almost certainly they will not remind you of when you reach the 6 month point! So that’s over £15000. Does this still look such a bargain?
3. The next one is offering full training for just under £1500. Their franchise fees are very similar to No.2

Local trainers or training companies are a long way down the list. Their training fees will be more but you are very unlikely to be tied into a long franchise period (ours is just 30 days notice)

National companies employ dedicated sales people – and they are very good at making their course sound very attractive. So what can you do to really find out what each provider can do for you? Don’t just take for granted what they say. Dig deep and ask questions – but what do you need to ask? If you don’t know then you can easily be led into a contract you later come to regret.

What to ask

Here are the questions you should b asking any prospective training provider:

1.  What qualifications do they have?  Which, if any, are specific to training people to become instructors.

2. How long have they been an ADI?

3. How long have they been training PDIs?

4. What CPD (continued professional development) have they done themselves?

5. How is their training delivered? How much is in-car/online?

6. Are they on the ORDIT register?

7. Do they provide integrated training (especially Parts 2 and 3)? This is what is recommended.

8. Can you speak to some of their current or former PDIs?

9. Once qualified do I have to join your franchise? If so, how long for and what is the notice period?

10. If you are contacting a national company then you need to ask who your trainer will be and where the training will take place. And then ask to speak with the trainer and ask her/him all the questions above!

The answers you get will help you compare one provider with others. In this way you are far more likely to be able to make a properly informed decision.

Hopefully all of this will help you make up your mind who to train with. I run The Exel Podcast and starting in February 2025 I will be interviewing a number of people involved with training PDIs to go into theres questions in more detail.

If you do have any questions ot even feel you would like to train with us why not get in touch? The number at the top of the page will put you through to the company that answers our calls for us and they will then forward your enquiry to us. We look forward to hearing from you.