Edina Ivens & Krisztina Cotrimand are identical twin sisters. Originally from Hungary, they now live in Basingstoke, Hampshire, and both have just qualified as driving instructors.

“As twin sisters, our lives have been very similar,” state the twins, with a familiar story of twin lives. “We went to the same schools, passed the same exams and have gone through life doing things together. Moving to the UK 21 years ago, we both took the same career route – dental nurses for 18 years. We even worked at the same dental surgery together for 10 years. It was really good fun, but when the pandemic hit we both decided to change careers completely.”

From teeth to tarmac

As dental nurses, they used to train others to become dental nurses. Training and helping people to learn new things had become a part of their daily job they really enjoyed. The fact that they both also love driving meant that training to become driving instructors seemed the ideal route to take.

During our breaks in-between patients at the dental surgery, they searched long and hard for information about who to train with. In the end, both decided to sign up for training with BSM. They went through the DBS and ADI registration process at the same time and even their PRN numbers are consecutive. “It wasn’t all plain sailing due to the pandemic but we both managed to book our Part 1 test for August on the same day and at the same time. We’re pleased to say that we both passed.”

A driving experience

Part 2 training followed. ‘Due to the fact that we both lived in Hungary and had been driving for 25 years, it was obvious that we had picked up some bad habits”. These were ironed out and the Part 2 test was booked in Southampton – not an area they were familiar with. “During our Part 2 training, we spent our days off travelling from Basingstoke to Southampton. We drove around the area so we could familiarise ourselves with the road layouts and some of the quirky roundabouts and the traffic levels.”

Everything was done together, sharing problems, solutions and the training. “Due to the fact of being twin sisters, we almost knew what mistakes each one of us would make and where. It’s as if we could read each other’s mind.”

They passed their Part 2 tests a day apart.

One, two, and then there were three

Part 3 training with BSM partly involved virtual reality (VR) which they describe as “very interesting”, though not in any negative way. More the fact it used a new unfamiliar technology. But neither wanted to be bound into a franchise contract. Instead they looked for an independent ADI Trainer to help them through the last part of the process.

After various meeting, lots of questions and much debate, they settled on Shaun Harrington-Lunt.

“Shaun helped us fully understand the job role of an ADI. The training and support was excellent. Even if we messaged him at 5am or 11pm (which happened a few times), he always got back straight away, even on a Sunday. We’re not saying we were needy, but I think we exhausted Shaun on a few occasions. But our focus was on getting things right and being as good as we possibly could be. We were getting super stressed, very emotional and tired, but Shaun took it all in his stride. Poor Shaun, he did find it strange supporting a set of identical twins – we must have given him twice the headache though, as a bonus, he got twice the amount of laughs!”

Sharing success

The 14th June was Part 3 test day for both. Krisztina was was booked for 11:30am and Edina had her test at 1:30pm. “We both felt double pressure on us as we wanted to do well for ourselves, but also wanted each other to do well. We both kept thinking ‘what if I don’t pass but my twin does’. There were so many emotions running and we could feel each other’s nerves and stresses”.

They needn’t have worried. Both passed first time, although the examiner had to be reassured she wasn’t becoming delusional when the second test took place. After a short explanation, though still carrying a quizzical look, the examiner did the job and both passed on the same day, at the end of the same journey.

It is very probably a first in the industry. A unique situation and an impressive conclusion to a shared dream and a joint success.