Has anybody retrained to be a Driving Instructor?

[Robw73]

I'm half a century old and am considering a change of lifestyle and am contemplating training to become a driving instructor.

It seems a job that you can take anywhere in the country with you (one day I want to live by the sea), demand seems abundant and I've always loved driving.

I've been self employed for over 20 years (2 separate business ventures) so have no fears about starting from scratch.

Has anybody done similar, and if so, any hints or tips on set up costs and who to train with?

Any advice much appreciated.

[nordboy]

I am a qualified ADI but not currently using it. Due to re certify this year. I may well start teaching though when I 'retire' from my current job, or start up prior to retiring just so I'm not starting totally from scratch.

I've already started looking at what is required but I'll be watching this thread with interest.

[Saleen836]

Have a read of this old thread
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Robw73]

Saleen836 said:

Have a read of this old thread
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Thank you for sharing this.

It's a really interesting read.

Seems odd that some people choose to work so many hours. The joy of being self employed to me is that you can, to some extent, achieve a much better life / work balance.

You don't need to fill every single week with a full on working schedule.

[Muzzer79]

Robw73 said:

Saleen836 said:

Have a read of this old thread
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Thank you for sharing this.

It's a really interesting read.

Seems odd that some people choose to work so many hours. The joy of being self employed to me is that you can, to some extent, achieve a much better life / work balance.

You don't need to fill every single week with a full on working schedule.

Close family member took it up in his early fifties. Bulletin pointed feedback:

Reputation is everything, this will take time to build

You will need to work when others don’t. Evenings, weekends, etc.

You like driving, but you’re not driving, you’re teaching driving. Very, very different.

Patience is the biggest attribute you’ll need.

It’s not well paid, even if you are in demand with a backlog. The reason people do so many hours is that they have to do that to earn a reasonable crust.