Driving instructor - Anyone do it?
Discussion
Have a read of these 2 old threads...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
D1on said:
Seem to be in high demand at the moment and wages seem quite high. Does anyone have experience with the likes of Bsm or Red?... Do you think the bubble is eventually going to burst?...
My mother ran a driving school. When I was young I could have doubled my salary by working for the school as an instructor. I have never been a driving instructor, which is because I saw what was involved.D1on said:
Seem to be in high demand at the moment and wages seem quite high. Does anyone have experience with the likes of Bsm or Red?... Do you think the bubble is eventually going to burst?...
Im studying for my part one at the moment and will be taking it most likely after the summer when things have settled a bit at home. There will always me a demand for instructors clearly, but how much who knows.
Do have a look at BSM/Red/AA etc but go in with eyes open. Their franchise fees are eye watering.
I'm self studying for part one/two (helps my current job means I really just need to study for the instructor parts of the theory and I'll get a couple of lessons for part two). Part three ill be using an independent trainer.
Ill most likely go independent once ive passed and go part time first on my rest days.
Money wise, whilst the headlines look good. £40 an hour.
30 hours a week (which is what I want to work full time if/when I make the jump) at £40 an hour after tax/NI and 7% into pension is £41,600. Doesn't include any car repayments (but does cover maintenance etc). Plus self employed so doesn't cover any time off if sick or holidays, or if your car is in the garage...
You'll also have dead time between learners where you aren't getting paid but still out the door.
Whilst the money looks good, I personally dont think that is enough of a reason to do it. Im doing it as I like the idea of giving someone a skill for life. Hopefully making the roads a little safer and I hate my current job (roads policing PC) and want more time to myself.
D1on said:
Seem to be in high demand at the moment and wages seem quite high. Does anyone have experience with the likes of Bsm or Red?... Do you think the bubble is eventually going to burst?...
Hi, current ADI here 
I started the process in very late 2022, and looked at all the usual options (AA/Red/BSM/Bill Plant etc).
The advice I got from other PDIs/ADIs at the time was don't. As has been mentioned, their franchise costs are through the roof. I had a friend who was 3 months ahead of me, and he was paying nearly £300 a week for a new Golf and the franchise. That's 7.5 hours of lessons at £40 an hour (my current rate, it was lower a couple of years ago). That's just over a day of lessons before fuel, tax etc.. he, I believe, failed all three of his part 3 attempts but contractually was still bound to pay the franchise fees. This is what you need to be careful of. Also, you still pay it if you go away so you need to save for that.
Recently, there has been a hike in the number of trainees around. Most from the big names. 1 in 3 will qualify, that's the reality of it.
For the training, you're better off finding a local school that can train you. It may be more expensive, but well worth it and you'll get far better support. A lot of the training the big names do is VR with the minimum hours done in the car. Mine was all done in car.
Wait times for part 2 and part 3 tests are also through the roof, so you may be waiting for those and on a trainee licence and subject to your schools terms for longer than you hope.
I qualified on my second part 3 attempt in Jan 24, after being on a trainee licence since Aug 23. I gave my notice with my school (who were amazing and I still stay in touch) and went solo in May 24.
Earnings wise, if I wasn't saving for a new car whilst paying a lease I could take home between £2k-£2.2k a month on around 30 hours a week.
You will find that lots of people want lessons in the evenings, and you'll also have some that will get annoyed when they cancel within your cancellation period and get charged. Be ready for that.
Overall, I'd say it's rewarding but do plenty of research and choose your trainer wisely. I met my trainer in person and had a good chat before committing to him. If you can't speak to your trainer beforehand, how will you know if you like them? You're going to be with them for a while!
Do also be prepared for punctures, tyre damage, car problems etc. In the two years I've been doing this, I've gone through around 8 tyres just on punctures alone. I had to hire a dual controlled car for three weeks when my first car had suspension troubles. That was £1000.
Feel free to PM me and we can have a phone call etc if you want.
Edited by Powerfully Built Company Directors Secretary on Monday 23 June 23:15
Edited by Powerfully Built Company Directors Secretary on Monday 23 June 23:17
Daughter is currently paying £50 an hour in the Surrey area.
Was £14 an hour when I was learning back in 1992 (£31 in todays money according to the BoE inflation calculator.
Taking my daughter out driving was one of the most scary things I have ever done, to those of you who do it for a living, I salute you.
Was £14 an hour when I was learning back in 1992 (£31 in todays money according to the BoE inflation calculator.
Taking my daughter out driving was one of the most scary things I have ever done, to those of you who do it for a living, I salute you.
LosingGrip said:
Powerfully Built Company Directors Secretary said:
Hi, current ADI here
Out of interest, what other costs do you have a month? I can think of the obvious;
Fuel, insurance, tax, car repayments, tax, NI, pension.
Is there more to budget for?
• £170 - Lease car (2024 Ford Focus)
• £100 - New car savings (I don't intend to lease once my car goes back, hence saving for a new car)
• £50 - Corporation tax (I'm a Ltd company)
• £2 - ADI Licence (£300 every four years)
• £3 - Liability insurance (you can get this included with your car insurance or by subscription to the DIA etc for around £40-£50 a year, but as I also do other training etc I get it separately)
• £50 - Loan repayments to myself and my wife for initial training and car costs
• £20 - Car insurance
• £100 - Fuel (1.0 Ecoboost averages 35mpg, so I get 350ish miles before the light comes on
• £12 - End of Year Accounts
Totalling £507.00
Of course, that would be lower if I wasn't leasing and saving at the same time, or paying my wife and I back..
30 hours a week at £40 per hour is £1,200, but I can almost guarantee it never actually is because you get cancellations/rearrangements even outside your cancellation period which you may not be able to fill. Plus, over Christmas and summer things can be a bit quieter with holidays etc..
So whatever is left after my costs is what I can pay myself, which of course is slightly different due to being a Ltd Company so I do salary and dividends. My company covers all of my pension.
Don't believe any advert that says you can earn £40-£50k, mainly because that would take a lot of hours each week! 30 hours is enough before I start feeling very worn out, and I'm not even 30 yet!
On the insurance side, most brokers will match NCB from your existing car unless you plan on getting rid of that. My first year was £1,000, second was £1,200 and then this year was £950. It's important to know what you need out of the policy too. As standard, it'll cover any licensed driver for driving tuition (from 17, or 16 if licensed accordingly) but you can also add any instructor aged 25+ when with your pupils, any driver aged 25+ for SDP (without you in the car), anyone aged 21+ who is training to be an instructor and anyone aged 14+ for off road tuition. My policy this year included all that as standard, plus allows my wife and I to drive for our other work too. If you go with one of the big names and have one of their cars, insurance is usually included but will usually only allow one extra driver for SDP.
Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff