Requirements to Become an Approved Driving Instructor

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Requirements to Become an Approved Driving Instructor 2020

Are you looking for freedom, flexibility, and to be your own boss as well as a rewarding career at the same time. Then you have just landed at the right place. Working as an approved driving instructor – ADI is one of the well-paid and gentlemen’s job.

You choose the days and hours, you would like to work on. You can either work full time or part-time. There is no restriction on the number of hours and days you must work.

As a driving instructor, you set your own driving lesson prices or charge the set price if you work for a driving school franchise. Average earning can be somewhere between £24 to £32 per hour if you teach in a manual car. You can charge up to £35 if you provide driving lessons in an automatic car.

In this article, we will explain everything that you need to know to become a driving instructor, the legal requirements and responsibilities, qualification process, the role of driver and vehicle standards agency (DVSA), and the ADI registrar so don’t go anywhere.

Legal Requirements

To teach people learn to drive, you must:

  • be 21 years old and over.
  • have a full driving licence for the category for a minimum of 3 years.
  • be fully qualified and registered with DVSA.

It’s illegal to teach someone to learn to drive for reward unless you are on the ADI register or a trainee/potential driving instructor.

What Responsibilities Driving Instructor has

As a qualified driving instructor, you are responsible for the overall safety of yourself, your pupil, and other road users. You need to show the following:

  • give respect to all aspects and rules of road safety.
  • the highest quality of driving and instructional ability.
  • be professional with your customers.
  • responsible and progressive attitude to students.
  • display your ADI or PDI badge clearly when providing paid driving instructions.

ADI’s Regulating Authority

The ADI registrar is the regulating authority and manages the ADI register and the registrar works under the umbrella of DVSA.

The ADI registrar has the power to:

  • refuse you to register if he believes you don’t meet the registration rules.
  • remove your registration in certain situations.
  • refuse you rejoin the register if your name have been removed previously.

Fit for Purpose

As an ADI or PDI, you must be “fit and proper” for the profession. The ADI registrar ensures your professional and personal standards, and behavior is acceptable to the other people and ADI’s by doing the following checks.

  • non-motoring and motoring convictions and fixed penalty fines.
  • if you have been disqualified from driving.
  • have any pending court proceedings.
  • if been banned from working with children under the age of 18.
  • complaints regarding inappropriate behavior.
  • or had any complaints about fraudulent activity.

The ADI registrar consider number of sources when doing ADI checks:

  1. the information you provide in the application forms(s).
  2. driver and vehicle licensing agency records for motoring convictions.
  3. disclosure and barring service – DBS check and information.
  4. any complaints made by the public.

The registrar can do further checks if needed.

DBS Check

You need to have disclosure and barring service known as DBS check even if you already had one when you apply to become an approved driving instructor and renew ADI registration.

You may be allowed to become an ADI even if you have a criminal record. It depends on the criminal conviction and ADI registrar’s final decision.

Your ADI application will not be accepted if you have disqualified/banned from driving in the last four years.

Qualifying Process

You will be eligible and can apply for the ADI qualifying process if you fulfill all the legal requirements.

ADI Qualifying Tests

There are 3 qualify tests to become a fully qualified driving instructor. They are known as:

  • ADI part 1
  • ADI part 2
  • ADI part 3

By doing these qualify tests, DVSA access your knowledge, skills, and understandings and ensures that you meet and fulfill the “national standards for driver and rider training”.

Time duration to pass all 3 qualify tests depends on how quickly you learn and pass them. Normally, it takes somewhere between 12 months to 24 months to pass all 3 tests.

You will need to pass your ADI part 3 within the 2 years after you have passed ADI part 1. You will need to start the whole process again if you could not pass ADI part 3 by then.

Once you pass all 3 qualifying tests, you can then register as an approved driving instructor and start working as an independent ADI or you can look for cheap driving school franchises.

We hope, you know all the requirements and essential information now to become an ADI. Please get in touch with aDriving if you need further help and advice.

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