Each year thousands of people start out along the road to becoming an Approved Driving Instructor This means the start of a new
career or in some cases a second career. Most drivers believe they can drive well and because of this they feel it would be easy to teach others
to drive. But a competent driver does not necessarily make a good instructor. In our experience too many people do not fully understand what an
Approved Driving Instructor does in terms of a job, nor do they fully appreciate the knowledge and skills needed to be an effective and efficient
Driving Instructor. Consider the skills required - a high standard of driving ability, a sound knowledge of the subjects related
to teaching others to drive, how to teach, how people learn, how to assess the performance of others, communication, interpersonal
skills and their application.
Legal requirements To become a driving instructor you must fulfil the following requirements as specified by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA).
The DSA is an executive agency of the Department for Transport (DFT).
1. You must hold a full British or European driving licence for at least three and a half years prior to being accepted by Driving Standards Agency.
2. You must be a fit and proper person-i.e have no criminal convictions unless they aew spent.
3. You must be able to read a car number plate at a distance of 27.5m (90 feet) when the letters are old-stlye wide font. Please note this is a higher requirement than for the normal driving test
To become an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) you are required to pass an ADI examination which is separated into three parts.
Part 1:
This is a computerised, touch screen examination lasting one and a half hours and consisting of 100 multiple choice questions on all aspects of driving. The overall pass mark needed is 85%. However, the questions are divided into four bands and you must achieve a minimum mark in each band. This means that your knowledge of driving and all motoring matters must be comprehensive.
Part 2:
This is a practical test of your driving ability, lasting one hour. You will first of all be tested on your eyesight and then you will start the drive. You are expected to complete all the manoeuvres on which a learner driver could be assessed for the practical driving test, as well as driving on all types of road, including motorways. This will cover town traffic, country roads, dual-carriageways etc. through varying speed limits. You are expected to demonstrate a brisk drive using the same system as laid down in 'Driving - The Essential Skills' whilst showing a high degree of technical skill, anticipation and awareness.
Part 3:
This is a practical test of your ability to teach, lasting one hour. The Supervising Examiner will set you two main exercises. They will play the learner driver during these exercises. There will be one where you are teaching someone from scratch and one where the learner is fairly experienced and you are looking for faults. The main areas on which you will be tested are how you present yourself, the techniques you use and your ability to assess the learner driver's skills correctly.
When you require to do so by registrar you must take a test of 'continued ablilty and fitness to give instruction'(check test). The examiner will be present whilst you are giving a driving lesson to a pupil. You will be assessed much as before on: