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Driving Training Courses

When you are ready for a career change becoming a driving instructor can be both rewarding in terms of being your own boss and frustrating in terms of trying to get a pupil through their driving test. If you are patient & understanding to the needs of others then you might have what it takes to become a driving instructor.

Before you can teach people to drive for money you need to be Approved by the Driving Standards Agency who are responsible for the regulation of both driving tests & driving instructors. It is illegal to teach someone to drive for financial reward before you are either a fully approved driving instructor or have been granted a trainee driving instructor licence.

Before you can become a professional driving instructor you will need to have held a full UK driving licence for a minimum of 4 years. Although instructor training can start after 3 years on a full licence because it will take around a year before you get to take the instructor driving tests.

A starter pack is available from DSA for drivers who wish to become driving instructors. This includes an explanatory booklet which gives full details of the ADI Register and qualification process, an Official Register of Driving Instructor Training (ORDIT) and application form. A book giving the multiple choice questions and answers, as well as information to help you understand the answers, is also available.

To order a starter pack please call 0300 123 1126 with your credit or debit card details. The ADI Starter pack currently costs £5.00.

The theory test question books are available at £6.00 each.

Alternatively send a cheque or postal order made payable to the 'Driving Standards Agency' to:

Driving Standards Agency
P.O. Box 280
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE99 1FP

Skills required to become a driving instructor

Approved driving instructors require a high standard of driving ability and a sound knowledge of the subjects related to teaching others to drive and must be able to apply these abilities.

Teaching others to drive includes being knowledgeable about:

1. How to teach
2. How people learn
3. How to assess the performance of others
4. Communication
5. Interpersonal skills

Legal requirements for driving instructors

Before undergoing a driving instructor training course & becoming a qualified driving instructor, you must fulfill the following legal requirements:

1. hold a full UK or European Union (EU/European Economic Area (EEA) unrestricted car driving licence
2. have held it for a total of at least four out of the past six years prior to entering the Register after qualifying
3. not have been disqualified from driving at any time in the four years prior to being entered in the Register
4. be a "fit and proper" person to have your name entered in the Register. All convictions, motoring and non-motoring, will be taken into account when we assess your suitability to be entered on the Register. You will be required to have an enhanced level criminal record check. The information from this check will be used by us to assess the suitability of persons applying for inclusion on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors. To help you decide if any conviction you may have could affect any application you might make, you can find the link to our statement on the suitability of ex-offenders below.
5. Pass the two qualifying practical examinations within two years of passing the theory examination
6. Apply for registration within 12 months of passing the final part of the examination.