Become an Instructor
Train as a Driving Instructor
Qualifying as a Driving Instructor can lead to a challenging and rewarding career. We at Freedom Driving Centre are proud and happy to provide the necessary, training, development and support necessary for you to become a fully qualified Driving Instructor.
The qualifying process is controlled by the Driving Standards Agency and consists of three tests:
- Part 1 - Theory and Hazard Perception
- Part 2 - Practical Driving Test
- Part 3 - Ability to Instruct.
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Legal Requirements
There are, obviously, a few legal requirements you must comply with before you can qualify as a Driving Instructor:
- Hold a full UK or European Union unrestricted car driving licence.
- Have held your license for a minimum of four out of the last six years prior to
entering the Register after qualifying. (a foreign driving licence, an automatic
car driving licence or provisional licence held after passing the driving test,
all count towards the four years.)
- Not have been disqualified from driving at any time in the
four years prior to being entered in the Register.
- Be aged over 21.
- Be a fit and proper person to have your name entered in the Register. All convictions
including motoring offences, still in force will be taken into account.
- You must obtain a current Disclosure Certificate. To do this contact Capita Recruitment
Vetting Service (CRVS) on 0870 850 2455 who will check you do not need to be redirected
to the DSA in the first instance. If you meet the criteria you will be sent
a Disclosure Application Pack in the post. Once the Application has been
processed by the Criminal Records Bureau or Disclosure Scotland you will automatically
receive a copy of your Disclosure Report. Providing there is no dispute you
do not need to send your Disclosure Certificate you only need to write your Disclosure
Reference number on the DSA form. For full details on how the checks will
be carried out and processed see
the criminal records check.
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ADI Training & Tests
Part 1 - The Written Test
The written test calls for a high standard of knowledge – there are two elements to the Part 1 test - Theory followed by Hazard Perception.
Theory
Each question will have 4 answers options which will appear on the computer screen.
You select the correct answer to the question by touching the screen or using the
computer mouse. You can navigate between questions and flag the ones you want to
come back to later. You will be allocated 90 minutes to answer 100 questions in
4 bands.
| Band 1 |
ROAD PROCEDURE (25 questions) |
| Band 2 |
TRAFFIC SIGNS & SIGNALS (5 questions)
PEDESTRIANS (5 questions)
CAR CONTROL (10 questions)
MECHANICAL KNOWLEDGE (5 questions)
|
| Band 3 |
LAW (10 questions)
DRIVING TEST (10 questions)
DISABILITIES (5 questions)
|
| Band 4 |
INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNIQUES (15 questions)
PUBLICATIONS (10 questions)
|
Hazard Perception
The second element of the Part 1 test is the Hazard Perception. This element
consists of 14 video clips which will feature real road scenes of developing hazards
(moving hazards) of various types such as vehicles and pedestrians. You will also
see static and environmental hazards but these do not score points. There are a
total of 15 scoreable hazards in the test. Thirteen clips will contain one scoreable
hazard and one clip will contain two.
For this part of the test you will use a computer mouse. You can click on either
the right or the left mouse button to select the hazard. You should click on the
mouse as soon as you spot a hazard developing. The sooner you respond, the higher
the score will be. The highest mark you can score for each developing hazard is
5 points.
To pass this part of the test you must score 57 points out of an available 75.
Part 2 - Driving Ability
You must provide both parts of photocard licence or old licence with valid passport.
The Vehicle's Requirements
You must provide a car for the test which must:
- be properly taxed and insured
- have seatbelts in propery working condition
- have a right hand manual transmission
- NOT be displaying ‘L’ plates
- have head restraints for any passengers
- have an additional interior adjustable rear view mirror for use by the examiner.
The test is of an advanced nature and a very high standard of competence is required.
You must show that you have a thorough knowledge of the principles of good driving
and road safety and that you can apply them in practice. During the test you are
only allowed 6 driver errors. One serious or dangerous fault will automatically
result in failure. You are only allowed three attempts at the Part 2 test.
At the end of the test the examiner will give you the result with a full debrief.
You can also have your trainer present during this debrief if you wish.
The practical Driving Test consists of first the eyesight test,
where you must read a number plate in good daylight with the aid of glasses or contact
lenses, if worn:
- 79mm in height and 50mm wide at a distance of 26.5m OR 70mm in height and 57 mm wide at a distance of 26.5m
If you fail the eyesight test, you will NOT be allowed to continue with the test.
The test will be marked as a fail and will count towards your three attempts.
Show Me / Tell me
There is now the Show Me / Tell Me. The examiner will choose three of your car’s
components and ask you to explain how to perform checks on their condition and safety.
You will then be asked to demonstrate how to make checks on the condition of a further
two components. Each incorrect answer will be recorded as a driving fault. If you
answer all five incorrectly you will fail the test and the Driving Test will not
be conducted.
The Assessment Drive
The test is conducted in either your own or your Trainer's car. The test is carried
out at various local Driving Test Centres. The test will be about 60 minutes, driving
on all types of roads. You will have to demonstrate your ability to perform the
manoeuvres listed below:
- move away under control, to include wherever possible, the ability to move off on
reasonably steep uphill and downhill gradients
- moving away at an angle, having pulled up behind a stationary vehicle
- overtaking, meeting and crossing the path of other vehicles taking an appropriate course
- turning right-hand and left-hand corners
- reversing into a limited opening to the right and left
- reverse parking exercise, or bay parking
- turning the vehicle around in the road to face the opposite direction using forward
and reverse gears
- stop the vehicle promptly and under control as if in an emergency
Eco-Safe Driving
The emissions from vehicles cause damage to the environment. Vehicle manufacturers
are devoting a lot of time and money to developing technologies to mitigate these
problems. The Driving Standards Agency has also invested a great deal of time and
effort into developing the principles of Eco-Safe Driving. A recent innovation has
been to incorporate the principals of Eco-Safe Driving into the Part 2 Test and
the examiner will assess particular aspects of your drive with this in mind. Every little helps.
Part 3 - Ability to Instruct
You must provide both parts of photocard licence or old licence with valid passport.
The Vehicle's Requirements
You must provide a car for the purposes of the test which must:
- be properly taxed and insured
- have seatbelts in proper working condition
- have manual transmission and right hand drive
- additional internal rear view mirror
- display 'L' plates to the front and rear of vehicle (however, if the examiner plays
the role of a qualified driver you may remove the 'L' plates).
The Assessment Of Your Instructional Ability
The test is conducted in either your own or your trainer's car.& It is carried
out at various local driving test centres and should take about an hour. You
should tailor Phase 1 for about 30 minutes and Phase 2 for about 30 minutes also.
You must successfully demonstrate a competent overall performance of a Grade 4 or
more in both Phases 1 and 2 to pass the examination. The examiner will give
you the result of the test at the end along with a full debrief. This will
help establish your strengths and weaknesses. Your trainer can be present
during the debrief if you wish. You will only have 3 attempts to enter onto
the Register of Approved Driving Instructors.
The examiner will take the role of a pupil:
- a novice or partly trained pupil
- a pupil who is about test standard
- a qualified driver undertaking driver development training.
The Test
For each of the roles the examiner will select a preset test:
| 1: | Phase 1 | Beginner | Controls |
| | Phase 2 | Trained | Crossroads |
| 2: | Phase 1 | Beginner | Moving Off / Stopping |
| | Phase 2 | Trained | Meet, Cross and Overtake other Traffic allowing adequate clearance for other road users and anticipation |
| 3: | Phase 1 | Partly Trained | Turn in the road |
| | Phase 2 | Trained | Approaching junctions to either turn left or right |
| 4: | Phase 1 | Partly Trained | Reversing |
| | Phase 2 | Trained | T-Junctions / Emerging |
| 5: | Phase 1 | Partly Trained | Emergency Stop / Mirrors |
| | Phase 2 | Trained | Progress / Hesitancy / Normal position |
| 6: | Phase 1 | Partly Trained | Pedestrian crossings and use of signals |
| | Phase 2 | Trained | Reverse parking |
| 7: | Phase 1 | Partly Trained | Approach junctions to turn left or right |
| | Phase 2 | Trained | Pedestrian crossings and use of signals |
| 8: | Phase 1 | Partly Trained | T-Junctions / Emerging |
| | Phase 2 | Trained | Meet, cross and overtake other traffic allowing adequate clearance for other road users and anticipation |
| 9: | Phase 1 | Partly Trained | Crossroads |
| | Phase 2 | Trained | Pedestrian crossing / Signals |
| 10: | Phase 1 | Partly Trained | Meet, cross and overtake other traffic allowing adequate clearance for other road users and anticipation |
| | Phase 2 | Trained | Progress / Hesitancy / Normal position |
The examiner will remain in character to maintain a realistic learning environment.
There will be times that he may have to come out of character to clarify instruction
or to deal with road safety issues.During the preset tests you will be allocated
30 minutes for each phase.
Phase 1 - Recap on previous learning which would relate to the
lesson that is now being given. You must set out your objective clearly followed
by your briefing of the subject. You will follow by giving full talk through.
Once you gain success with this you can then follow through to Q and A.; This
will allow you to see what the pupil is now retaining. It is important that
you select the correct level of instruction to match the pupils needs.
Phase 2 - The examiner will play the role of being a trained or
qualified driver. The examiner will set the scene. By doing so he will
select the subject. You will then set the scene by setting out the objective.
You will then use Q+A relating to the subject. This will allow you to establish
their knowledge before carrying out the lesson plan. You will use the core
competencies as follows:
- fault identification
- fault analysis
- remedial action
Fault identification - you must be able to identify the fault at
the time it happens. This will have a greater impact on the pupil so that
they will remember. Depending on the severity of the fault will decide when
the analysis will take place and where.
Fault analysis - all faults that have been identified, whether
it be car control or road procedure faults, must be analysed. The analysis
should be given at the first safe opportunity. The pupil must understand what
caused the fault and what effect it had on other road users.
Remedial action - once you have identified and analysed the fault
it is important that you now take remedial action. This can be demonstration,
which would only be used if the pupil is very nervous. Talk through or Q and
A would normally be the most suitable option. Always advise the pupil when
you are changing your level of instruction eg:
- I will talk you through this one
- now I will prompt you
- I'll let you try this one on your own now.
It is important that the pupil understand what level of instruction is taking place.
Your instruction must be flexible and matched to the pupils ability.
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