Driving Instructor training

Charisma

I have a question about training as a driving instructor. Has anyone on the boards ever done this and how was it. There seem to be a few different companies out there you can train with and then become a franchisee. If you were looking for a driving instructor to teach you to drive where would you think of first. Im only asking because the company I would think have the best reputation are also the most expensive to train with and Im wondering does a well known name with a good reputation make it worth the extra money. Who would you go to if you were looking for lessons?
Would things like your instructors age or appearance or the price of lessons or the reputation of the driving school influence your decision. Would you be more inclined twords a younger or older instructor or a man or a woman?

tc20

Hi Charisma,
i was a driving instructor for almost 4years. I took a change of career in 2000,
and started with ISM to see if i would like it, and if it suited me. I did have to pay a couple of hundred £ to do a week long course. I did the training with one of their instructor trainers, based in Dorset St, Dublin. They had, or may still have a yard next to Fitzgibbon St Garda station. Tbh, the course was not all that difficult, i sat in on lessons and pretests (this for me at first was the most difficult part - a pupil is just about to sit their test, and you have to be very sure and confident in your ability). So anyways, i sailed through and was an instructor with ISM for c.6 months.
By a stroke of good fortune, a friend of mine was taking lessons with a small private firm at the time, mentioned what i was doing, and her instructor said that the school he worked for were looking to expand (im in the north wicklow area). So i got in touch, andhave to say i was very impressed with this companys attitude and professionalism. They ran a franchise operation, but in order to attain this, i had to gain DIR qualification (http://www.dir.ie
and this i found to be of great benefit to me as an instructor, and this in turned benefitted my pupils.
With regard to your other queries, well price is always gonna be a factor in anything, but i think schools are competitive. Do appearances count? Maybe, but i think reputation, and word of mouth (good or bad) are worth more. As for male v female instructors, some schools will advertise this, and yes, some girls might feel more comfortable with a lady instructor. As an instructor you will deal with people from very varied backgrounds - young/old (ok, mostly younger) people who have never sat behind a wheel before and people doing their test in an hours time, you will get along with most, others might not be 'chatty', but its up to you to help them get where they want to be (no pun intended). Some only see getting rid of their L plates as the objective, but i tried to instil that driving is something most of us will do every day for the rest of our life, so it is a skill. You cant win 'em all, but i like to think if you can make one person a safer, better and more aware driver, you have accomplished something.

Charisma

Many thanks for the reply

Wishbone Ash

tc20 wrote: »

They had, or may still have a yard next to Fitzgibbon St Garda station

Yup, that yard is also their base for the truck, bus and motorcycle training vehicles.