Latest news

Apr 2006: Approved driving instructor (ADI) tests to be supervised. Originally proposed for 1 November 2005, with effect from 1 April 2006 DSA will be able to supervise any examiner conducting an ADI practical test (including a check test). DSA will always make it clear at the start of the test that the supervisor is watching the examiner and not the candidate. This will bring the supervising arrangements for ADI tests into line with those for learner drivers.

Driving Instructor Training...

There are lots of adverts in newspapers offering driving instructor training with large salaries and a guaranteed job when you have finished your training. This all sounds great, but it is important to shop around before deciding on which company to train with, and even more important to learn what is involved so that you can be sure that becoming a driving instructor is the right choice for you, before you pay out on training...

Training to become a driving instructor will be time consuming and expensive, you also need to find out if the area that you live in will support another instructor.

Clent School of Motoring offers instructor training on a one to one basis, no contract, pay by the hour, no commitment, you can opt out at any time.

Not happy with the training you are receiving, we can supplement your training.

We cover the Worcestershire and West Midlands areas.

Our charges are £28 per hour.

If you wish to have an informal chat please contact us on 01562 883905 or email, details on home page.

TO BE ABLE to apply to train to be a Driving Instructor you must...

Hold a full UK or EU/EEA unrestricted car driving licence.

You must have held it for a total of at least four years out of the past six years prior to entering the Register after qualifying.

The licence must be clean although up to four penalty points should not affect your application.

You should not have been disqualified from driving during the last four years prior to being entered in the Register.

You should not have any current non-motoring convictions or motoring offences, although these will be taken into account when they assess your suitability to be entered into the Register.

You should be able to read a number plate at 90 feet (27.5 metres), with your glasses or contact lenses if you normally wear them.

Legal Requirements

It is illegal for anyone to charge money, or the equivalent in goods and services, for driving instruction unless...

Their name is on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors
They hold a trainee's Licence to give instruction, issued by the Registrar

The qualifying exams are in three parts

Part 1 - an IT based Theory and Hazard Perception Test
Part 2 - a practical test of your Driving Ability
Part 3 - a practical test of your ability to instruct

You must take and pass all three parts of the examination in this order and you must complete the whole examination within two years of passing the theory test.

If you are unable to complete the examinations within this time you must start again from the beginning and pass each part once again.

You are only allowed three attempts at each of the practical tests. If you do not pass in the three attempts you must wait until the end of the two year period before you can take them again.

After passing the first two parts of the exam you can apply for a Trainee Licence to help you gain experience in instructing pupils to drive, and this licence lasts six months, and you have to be working under a franchise with a driving school.

Part one - The Theory and Hazard Perception Test

The Theory Test consists of two elements, the Multiple Choice questions and the Hazard Perception Test. You must pass both tests, a fail in either element is an overall fail and you will have to take both tests again.

This theory test is taken at a Driving Standards Agency examination test centre, the first part consists of 100 multiple choice questions on subjects including -

Road procedure
Traffic Signs and Signals, car control, pedestrians, mechanical knowledge
Driving test, disabilities, law
Publications, instructional techniques

You are give one and a half hours to complete the test and you must score 85 out of 100.

The second part of the test is the Hazard Perception, at the start of this element you will be shown a short tutorial video. This will explain how this part of the test works.

The Hazard Perception Element test your ability to recognise possible potential hazards at an early stage as they are developing, this part of the test is to test the skills you will need to avoid potential hazards.

There will be 14 video clips of approximately 1 minute long taken from the drivers perspective. When you see a potential hazard you must click the left or right mouse button. These film clips are taken on real roads and are real hazards. You will be scored on the developing hazards but you will not lose points for responding to other hazards

Out of the 14 video clips there will be 15 developing hazards that you will be scored on from 1 to 5 points each, depending on when you click the mouse button. To pass this part of the test you must score 51 points out of a maximum of 75 points.

Part two - This is a practical test of your driving ability and an eyesight test

This test will be conducted by a Driving Standards Agency Supervising Examiner. You will be expected to drive in a business-like manner, maintaining discipline along a varied route showing your ability to manoeuvre and control the car safely. The test will last for 1 hour.

You will be tested on -

Your eyesight - you must be able to read a number plate at a distance of 27.5m (90 feet)
Your expert handling of the controls
Use of correct road procedure
Anticipation of the actions of other road users and the taking of appropriate action
Sound judgement of distance, speed and timing
Consideration for the convenience and safety of other road users

You must also show the ability to perform any or all of the following manoeuvres including all three of the reverse exercises:

Move away straight ahead or at an angle
Overtake, meet or cross the path of other vehicles and take an appropriate course without undue hesitancy
Turn left-hand and right-hand corners correctly without undue hesitancy
Stop the vehicle as in an emergency
Drive the vehicle in reverse gear and whilst doing so enter limited openings to the right and to the left taking effective all round observation
Reverse park the vehicle into the space behind a parked car, within the space of about two car lengths and close to and parallel with the kerb taking effective all round observation, or reverse park into parking bay, with due regard for other vehicles or pedestrians, whilst taking effective all-round observation
Turn the vehicle to face the opposite direction by the use of forward and reverse gears taking effective all round observation

You must not score more than 6 minors and no serious or dangerous faults.

Part three - This is a practical test of your instructional ability

The test again will be conducted by a Driving Standards Agency Supervising Examiner. The test will last for 1 hour. You will be assessed on your ability to give instruction and to pass on your knowledge to pupils.

The first half hour you will be tested on your ability to instruct a pupil who has never driven before or who may have had a few lessons.

The second half hour you will be tested on your ability to instruct a pupil who is nearly at test standard.

For each of the two roles you will be tested on one of the following exercises:

Safety precautions on entering the car and an explanation of the controls.
Moving off and making normal stops.
The left or right reverse.
Turning the vehicle round in the road to face the opposite direction, using forward and reverse gears.
Reverse park, using forward and reverse gears.
The emergency stop, and the use of mirrors.
Approaching corners to turn left or right.
Judgement of speed, making progress and general road positioning.
Dealing with road junctions.
Dealing with crossroads.
Dealing with pedestrian crossings and giving correct signals in a clear and unmistakable manner.
Overtaking, meeting and crossing the path of other road users, allowing adequate clearance.

At the end of the test you will be graded 1 to 6, where 1 to 3 is a fail, and 4 to 6 is a pass.

If you require more information please contact me.

Clent School of Motoring

A Driving School of excellence