Due to recent restrictions, there has been a substantial backlog of people waiting to take their driving test.
The demand has never been greater.
In fact, earlier this year, almost 100,000 people remained on a waiting list to take their practical driving test and approximately 50,000 waiting to sit the theory test.
This backlog has had a knock-on effect with an increased demand for driving instructors, creating an exciting opportunity for anybody looking to change gears in their career or take on an exciting side hustle.
Driving Instructor Role Overview
A Driving Instructor’s role is to teach learners to drive a vehicle safely. They educate learners in understanding traffic laws, signage and road regulations and help them gain on-road driving experience. They also advise students as to when they are ready to take their practical driving assessment.
It goes without saying that you need to be a confident, experienced driver with a clean record, but some other key traits will put you miles ahead of the competition:
- Clear communication skills: Every student will have their unique learning style. As an instructor, you need to adapt to teach new skills to people with a broad spectrum of driving experience and ability.
- Patient, Friendly and Approachable: Learning to drive can be a nerve-wracking experience, and so having an instructor that is supportive, kind and professional can make all the difference.
- Cool, calm and collected: You’ll need to be able to deal with unexpected or stressful situations that may arise and be ready to jump into action to ensure the safety of yourself and your student whilst on the road.
Benefits of Becoming a Driving Instructor
Are you driven by flexible hours, a healthier work-life balance and a role that puts you in the driving seat of your career goals?
Becoming a Driving Instructor can be a rewarding career with some pretty incredible benefits:
- Attractive Salary: The earnings of each driving instructor depend on the number of hours they are willing to work and the number of students they can obtain; however, there is potential to earn up to €50k per annum.
- Work-Life Balance: Choosing your hours can allow you to juggle family and personal commitments with the option to work full or part-time as required.
- Flexibility & Freedom: You become your own boss, choosing where, when and how you work with a schedule that fits around you and your lifestyle.
- Job Satisfaction: Driving instructors are helping people to gain valuable life skill, and seeing their student pass as a result of their instruction can be a rewarding experience.
Eligibility
According to the Road Safety Alliance, to become a qualified Driving Instructor, there are a few criteria you’ll need to meet:
- you must be tax compliant
- you must hold a full, valid driving licence for two years in the category in which you wish to give instruction
- you must go through the Garda vetting process
Ladybird Driving School
If becoming a Driving Instructor is the route you’d like to take, partnering with a trustworthy, experienced driving school is crucial.
Ladybird Driving School is a successful driving school serving Dublin and surrounding counties. As Ireland’s only all-female instructor driving school, they have a reputation of delivering above industry-standard training as well as complete end-to-end support for you in your quest to becoming a qualified instructor.
Why choose Ladybird Driving School:
- First All-Female Driving School
- 30 Years of Driving Expertise
- Qualified & Certificated RSA ADI Instructors
- Fully NCT, Taxed and Insured Driving Cars
- Experienced and Established Female Instructors
- Flexible booking schedules
- Accessible payment plan
Education & Training
Training can be completed at your own pace and takes between 6-8 months, depending on your availability. For this reason, many trainees decide to remain in their current role until they have completed their training.
Following an approved application, training is completed in 3 key steps:
Step 1: ADI Theory Test: a multiple-choice theory test of 100 questions with a minimum 75% pass rate.
Step 2: ADI Driving Test: an advanced driving test that lasts just over 1 hour and covers all road types and a series of 5 maneuvers .
Step 3: ADI Instructional Ability Test: an exam that assesses your instructional ability. You’ll take part in a 1:1 role play where the tester will adopt the role of both a new driver and an experienced driver.
Click here to learn more about Ladybird Driving School and their training process.
Ready to take the wheel?
Interested in becoming a Driving Instructor? We recommend the following next steps:
- Check your Eligibility
- Visit Ladybird Driving School to learn more about their excellent driver training programme. They have many helpful resources to get you started, and their team are on hand to answer any questions.
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