Green for go

Intelligent Instructor is proud to have brought together industry experts to produce ‘The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Driving Instructor’.

It has been created in association with Drive.Day, a free magazine offering advice and guidance for those wishing to train and qualify as professional driving instructors.

This FREE 68-page digital magazine is packed with impartial, comprehensive, and detailed information for individuals looking to become driving instructors, and those who have already started out on the road to becoming a professional driver trainer.

Over the next ten weeks, we will publish a small selection of the articles in this guide.

This week, Chris Bensted tackles the subject of ‘Theory’.

Green for go

Being awarded your green badge as an ADI is a landmark moment. It also signals whether
you want to work for a franchise or strike out on your own.

Qualifying as an Approved Driving Instructor is as exciting as it can be daunting. After
spending so much time focusing on your instructor training, you now have a whole set of
new challenges to establish yourself as a successful professional. There are two routes to
working as an ADI, which we’ll explore here.

Joining a franchise

The most common route, and perhaps the easier one for a newly qualified ADI, is to work
for a franchise. From large national franchises to smaller, more local ones, they take a lot of
the groundwork out of running a driving school.

The biggest advantage is the awareness their brand will have with learner drivers. Think of
Driving Instructors you see in your local area and the chances are most will be from a
recognised driving school.

Being part of a franchise gives you a share in that recognition. You may already have been
through your Part 1, 2, and 3 exams and training with a franchise and know you have a pre-
agreed term working for them. This offers job security when you are starting out. However, it
also means you giving up a degree of autonomy in how you work, who your pupils are, and
your earnings.

A franchise will help with much of the admin – booking pupils, often providing a dual-control
car and covering its running costs, and advertising. One other advantage of a franchise is
many provide ongoing training should you want to take it, which should be something you
are keen on as part of your continuous personal development.

However, working for a franchise does come at a financial cost, and you could be paying
anything between £60 and £300 per week to the franchise regardless of how many lessons
you give. This means you need to deliver a consistently high number of lessons per week to
cover this cost and give yourself a decent income.

Other downsides of a franchise deal are your working hours may be more regimented, so
you may find it is not flexible enough for your work-life balance. There may not be enough
pupils using this franchise to support your financial commitment to them, and there is also a
possibility the franchise has other ADIs in the area so you could miss out on earning
potential.

Business advice

Good business advice is worth its weight in gold, especially when you are starting out as an
independent ADI. One of the best places to begin is other independent ADIs. They will have
experienced the pitfalls and practicalities to show you what works and what doesn’t.

It also pays to seek professional business help from your bank and its small business adviser.
You will also find many local councils run advice teams for small enterprises, or you could
approach other local business groups or speak to your accountant. There is help available,
too, from the government that can advise you on everything from tax to writing a business
plan.

A business plan may sound unnecessary when you know what your job is – being a Driving
Instructor – but it is an essential map to chart your progress. It can also help you expand the
business if that is what you want, or highlight areas you need to focus on more, such as
marketing, social media, or CPD.

Marketing

Marketing, or advertising in more traditional terms, is how you promote yourself and your
business. As well as the straightforward adverts in local newspapers and notice boards in
shops and supermarkets, there are a multitude of other ways to make potential pupils aware
of your business. You will need a roof sign and adhesive door panels with the name of your
business and contact details on your car. When you’re out and about giving lessons, this is
an obvious, clear way to let everyone know who you are. And don’t forget business cards or
leaflets to keep in the car and hand out.

When you are starting out, tell the local paper about it as they are always keen for stories on
their ‘patch’. Emphasise your skills, flexibility, and experience, and make sure you include a
photo that has your car and contact details in it.

You should have a website, which can be a simple page detailing who you are, where you
work, your qualifications, and contact details. A more elaborate website can offer
information and also be used for pupils to book lessons. How sophisticated you want a
website to be depends on how much you feel it will generate business for you.
When you have a website, you also want to make sure it appears on the first page of any
search a potential pupil might do online. This means finding a good web developer who
understands SEO (search engine optimisation). Social media is a vital resource and you
should certainly have a presence on Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, and even TikTok to
maximise your reach. Even if you’re not familiar with or interested in these options, many of
your potential pupils will be so it pays to keep them up to date.

Car

Your car is the most fundamental tool you have as a Driving Instructor. Take your time when
choosing as you will be spending a lot of time in it, so find one that has front seats that are
comfortable for you as a driver and passenger when giving lessons. It should also be a car
your pupils are likely to feel at ease driving, so best to avoid anything too big or difficult to
see out of.

There are several companies that specialise in leasing cars to Driving Instructors, with dual
controls already fitted. This gives you access to a new car and offers a wide choice of price
options. However, for many starting out in their own business, it will be more cost-effective
to use their own car for instruction. The other decision you have to make is whether you go
for a car with a manual or automatic gearbox. Most pupils will want to learn in a manual, so
this is the most sensible choice.

It’s not a legal requirement for a Driving Instructor’s car to have dual controls, but it is a
good idea for safety. There are two types of dual control – static and passive. Static controls
have pedals that do not move on the instructor’s side when the pupil presses them, which
can make it tricky to assess what a pupil is doing. Passive controls mimic what the pupil is
doing with the pedals, so it’s easier to gauge how they are progressing. Fitting most cars
with dual controls is not difficult and there are two main suppliers – He-Man Dual Controls
and Universal Dual Controls. The key difference between the two is Universal’s controls can
be swapped between cars with a little work, so you don’t have to buy a new set when you
change car.

Your car is a business expense, so many of its running costs can be set against tax when
running your own business. An accountant will talk you through exactly what you can and
cannot claim.

Alternatively, you can lease a car with dual controls. This offers a new car on a regular basis,
but it is likely to come with a mileage limit and the contract will be less flexible than owning
a car outright, but you can offset the lease cost against tax.

Insurance

As with any car, you need insurance as a Driving Instructor. However, you will need more
than a standard policy, so don’t assume your previous insurance will cover you when
providing lessons. As an ADI, you will need a hire and reward policy as you are being paid to
give tuition in the car.

There are several specialist insurers for Driving Instructors, so it pays to shop around. The
cost will vary depending on the type of car, where you live and work, and your age and
experience. What you need to look for in a policy is that it covers you as an ADI and your
pupils regardless of their age range. It will also need to come with liability insurance and
dual control cover in case you need a courtesy car with these extra controls while your car is
being fixed in the event of damage to the vehicle.

You need to decide on the level of cover you want. Do you want to include personal accident
cover, negligent tuition cover, or uninsured driver protection? All of these are worthwhile
additions, but they will add to the final cost of the premium. However, that extra cost could
well be worth it if you need to make a claim.

Business tool

There are a number of dedicated smartphone apps for Driving Instructors that let you
manage your diary while you’re away from the office or home. A key advantage here is you
can do your admin and office chores in downtime between lessons.

How much work you can do via the app depends on the individual application, but the more
comprehensive one such as Drive. Day let you manage your calendar, booking enquiries, and
payments. The more sophisticated apps also let you track your income and expenses, as well
as driving tests booked for pupils and any changes to this.

You can also use many of these apps in collaboration with your pupils, so you both know
when a lesson is booked and when it’s been paid. This helps reduce no-shows for lessons,
making your business more effective and lucrative.

Accountancy

Birth, death, and taxes – they come to us all! While you can’t do anything about the first
two, you can improve your finances with the help of a trusted accountant. It’s worth asking
other Driving Instructors which accountancy firm they use – there is everything from one-
man operations to large firms.

When you have an accountant, such as FBTC, you should sit down with them and discuss
your business, income and outgoings, and what your aims are. This will help decide how to
structure your business to be as tax-efficient as possible and make sure you are paying the
right amount when tax is due. This will also help work out what you can and cannot claim as
a legitimate business expense.

Some ADIs will choose to fill in their annual tax return themselves, which is entirely possible.
However, most choose to use an accountant for the ease of filling in the forms and peace of
mind that you have not missed out a vital detail or end up overpaying. Whichever way you
choose to go with your accounts, scrupulous record keeping is critical to getting this right.

Associations

There are a number of professional bodies to support Driving Instructors, both as a qualified
ADI and as a trainee at both a local and national level. All offer added information relevant
to your new profession, and most also provide advice and assistance if you have a question
or problem. Depending on which association, or more than one, you join, the benefits you
can expect include help with continuous personal development, discounted rates for
insurance, news via email and social media, and the opportunity to meet with other ADIs at
organised events. Some will also offer legal representation in the event you need it.
The associations currently supporting Driving Instructors include:
◆ The Approved Driving Instructors National Joint Council (ADINJC).
◆ Driving Instructors Association (DIA).
◆ Motor Schools Association of Great Britain (MSA GB).

Road safety Approved Driving Instructors play a key role in promoting and education for road
safety. It should be the goal of every ADI to see their pupils pass the driving test and produce
safe drivers.

Road safety should be woven through every lesson so that it’s ingrained in the pupil. This
means that you, as an ADI, also need to remind yourself about road safety on a regular basis
and keep abreast of all developments. Make this a core part of your continuous personal
development and use all available resources such as online webinars and tutorials, videos,
reading material, and driving instructor forums.

Referrals There are two types of referrals to think about. The first is word of mouth. This is
just about the best promotion for your business as other learners will be encouraged by a
positive report.

You can also sign up to businesses that refer learners looking for a Driving Instructor. Some
of these businesses charge an upfront fee, while others take a commission for every lesson
booked. They can be a way to fill out your diary, but you won’t earn as much per lesson.
The other referral option is where you refer a pupil to an insurance company. Lots of insurers
pay a fixed rate for every policy they sell as a result of your referral but you will have to be
satisfied the insurer is offering a good deal to a new driver.

Al Sutie,

Editor, ‘The Ultimate Guide To Becoming A Driving Instructor’

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