Driving Instructor Career Guide

Driving instructors are responsible for teaching people to drive and pass their driving test to obtain a legal driving licence. As a driving instructor, you can work flexible hours to suit you, earn a steady income, and work with a wide range of people. This career path suits people who enjoy driving and are sociable, calm, patient and encouraging.

In this guide, you’ll find out what it’s like to work as a driving instructor day to day, as well as career opportunities and training requirements, both in the UK and the USA.

Potential Roles for a Driving Instructor

Driving instructors usually teach learners how to drive standard passenger cars. However, you can go on to specialise by type of client, for example, young people or nervous drivers, by vehicle, like HGVs, or by driving style, such as defensive driving or motorway driving.

As a driving instructor, you collect your clients from an agreed place, usually their home or workplace, and take them out on a lesson that typically lasts one hour. You’ll teach your learner about traffic laws and the Highway Code, essential car maintenance, vehicle safety checks, what to do in an emergency, how to manoeuvre and park the car, and more.

You deliver a course of lessons, coaching a learner through their theory test and all the way to taking their driving test. It takes an average of 45 hours of paid lessons before a learner passes their driving test.

In the UK, driving instructors are legally required to use cars with dual controls so they can accelerate or brake from the passenger seat for safety reasons. However, dual controls are not mandatory in most US states, where a standard, single-control car is acceptable.

Salary and Career Progression

Driving instructors who are self-employed typically earn around £30,000 to £45,000 per year in the UK and $30,000 to $50,000 in the US, or an average hourly rate of £25 to £40 and $20 to $40, respectively. However, pay can vary depending on demand, location, experience, and speciality.

Employed driving instructors who work for a driving school in the UK can expect lower pay of around £18,000 to £25,000 per year.

Higher rates of pay are attainable by specialising in one area, such as:

• Instructing drivers in LGV or HGV driving for commercial use
• Teaching people how to be a driving instructor
• Working with high-needs clients, like nervous drivers or those with disabilities
• Teaching emergency vehicle driving
• Working as a driving test examiner

Qualifications, Education and Experience

Driving instructors must meet particular criteria to practice and will incur some costs to complete the required training.

• Minimum age 21
• Held a full UK driving licence for a minimum of 3 years
• Clean driving licence; no disqualifications or serious offences
• Pass a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check
• Pass the Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) exam course
  • ADI Part 1: Theory test – £81
  • ADI Part 2: Driving ability test – £111 (after passing this stage, you can apply for a trainee licence to build up experience teaching before taking the instructional ability test – £140)
  • ADI Part 3: Instructional ability test – £111
• Register as an Approved Driving Instructor with the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) and renew your registration every 4 years by demonstrating your skills and ongoing professional development
• Obtain the correct insurance

The required qualifications, education and experience in the US can vary by state, but as a guide, you need the following:

• Minimum age 21
• Hold a clean, valid driving licence for at least 3-5 years
• No serious driving violations (minor tickets may be acceptable)
• Pass a criminal background check
• Complete a relevant driver training course (varies depending upon state)
• Pass a dedicated driving instructor test (in some states)
• Obtain and maintain a licence or certification to practice (in some states)

Skills

Driving instructors must have the following skills to
succeed:

• A calm nature, especially in stressful situations
• Excellent communication skills
• Clear speech
• Patience
• Enjoyment of driving
• Sociable nature
• Conscientious
• Self-motivation
• Motivating and encouraging to their clients

Working Hours

Although working hours can be flexible, particularly for self-employed professionals, client demand is often higher outside regular office hours. Learners may be in education or working during the day and will subsequently need driving lessons in the evenings or at weekends.

If you choose to work for a driving school fleet, you may have less flexibility in when you work.

Notable Locations

Career opportunities exist for driving instructors in every town and city in the UK and the USA. As the vast majority of adults will learn to drive, this line of work will be in demand even in the most rural areas.

Almost every city/state provides opportunities to work for a fleet, including:

• Arizona
• Michigan
• New York
• Texas
• London
• Manchester
• Birmingham
• Edinburgh

Notable Companies

Driving instructors can work for an employer, where they will be part of a fleet, given a client list (and often a company car for lessons) and a timetable for the day, or be a franchisee for the company, which involves an upfront cost.

Hours can be flexible, even in employed roles, as many lessons are delivered in evenings or at weekends. Working in an employed capacity provides a stable income and a more simplified process: you arrive at work to be given your client list for the day rather than marketing and building your business when self-employed.

Notable driving schools include:

• The AA (UK): one of the UK’s most well-known driving schools, offering a range of courses for drivers
• Red Driving School (UK): driving instructors can be employed or work as a self-employed franchisee
• British School of Motoring (UK): well-established driving organisation offering lease cars and business support for franchisees
• Driver’s ED, Inc. (USA): offers a range of job roles, including driving instructor, classroom instructor and programme coordinator
• National Driver Training (USA): offers opportunities to teach specialist programmes, like defensive driving and driver improvement
• AAA (USA): full-time employees get benefits such as health insurance, paid leave and retirement benefits

Many driving instructors choose to work for themselves, where they have to source their own customers but can have more flexibility in their hours and what they charge.

Next Steps

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