Do Driving Instructors Milk Pupils

[malkiserow]

I passed the full motorcycle test without lessons, 2 weeks later did the car test with one lesson (which I thought was a waste of money as he was useless) then a while after did my civil service test and passed that. Strangely I don't like driving at all.

 

I've taught a few people to drive and been pleased to hear what those youngsters said about their "paid" lessons..... but there did seem to be an awful lot of those lessons for not a lot of what I thought was really good driving practice.

 

I do like the computer hazard awareness test they all do now.

[Jaymo]

Jeez, this brings back memories.

 

One Friday lunchtime in 87, on my 17th birthday, my mother turns up at the school ( 6th form) and I drove home.

The next Friday after four days of intensive lessons it was test passed (pre booked of course).

No pressure to pass, but had I not done so my brother, who was coming up from London with his new Gf would have been left at the station looking sheepish.

Was doubly proud as took my test in Cambridge- a city I didn't know and re known to have cyclists of all Nationalities going round the roundabouts in all directions.

 

Did cheat a bit though, secretly took my mother's Nissan Cherry ( now there's a pice of junk) out to self teach in the paddock whilst they were away.

Got discovered as after some jubilant hand brake turns I put the car back into the garage and on their return was quizzed as to why there was mud and grass on the roof :-)

[Imperfection]

yep posted about it before, my daughter was told 40 lessons before a theory test should be taken,and most of the time she was parked up talking theory rather than driving, nowt like a captive audience is there

 

KW

 

Blinking hell! Is this amount endorsed by the goverment or just something the instructor said?

 

I've only ever had 3 driving lessons and the last was the one driving to the test centre.Then again that was in 1987.

[J_Edwards]

I was always told that block-booking intensive lessons would get you through your test quicker and cheaper, but you don't get the experience and confidence of normal, say weekly lessons. My instructor told me that, so maybe a bit biased.

 

When I passed my test, and went to pay the instructor for car rental etc, I asked how much he wanted and I had some money rolled up in my hand. He just said "Oh, what you've got there will do". There was no reciept or anything, so I presume he just saw the money and made up his own figure. That's when I lost confidence in him, it just seemed unprofessional.

 

You normally put your confidence into the instructor, when it comes to deciding when you're "able" to take your test. If they say no, you usually just pay for more lessons. There's no doubt that an occasional instructor will smell easy money a mile-off, and take advantage under the guise of "I'm just making sure, that's all", or "I just want you to be well-prepared".

 

My mate had a fall-out with the same instructor that I had. He was getting frustrated with how long his lessons were taking him, as he had an insured car ready to go when he passed, and just thought that he was getting milked. The instructor said he was nowhere near test-standard, but he took his test in his dad's car and passed first time, and he was supposedly not even half-way through his course.

[Olliesims]

I had 7 lessons before being told to do theory, after 8 more lessons went to do test failed, 3 more lessons passed with 3 minors, passed in 4 months, was a self employed instructor not working for aa, red car etc not a cheap thing to do at £25 a hour

[harrypen]

The biggest money stretcher for driving instructors was the invention of "dual controls" ,,, I had 8 lessons with my first instructor when he informed me I would be driving on my own ,, I asked him if he was going to get out of the car ? No he said Im not going use my foot pedals ....

 

I quit driving with him that day after finding I did not and was not using the clutch correctly and had the worst driving lesson of the eight with continually stalling the engine and braking late !!!

 

My new instructor took me on a 2 hour driving lesson to teach me to balance the brakes , clutch and accelerator . I put in for and passed my driving test 2 weeks later

 

My first driving instructor was talking about another 10 lessons at 10 shillings per lesson (my wages at the time were £2 .10sh, per week) in 1965

Edited February 18, 2014 by harrypen

[Chris Bb]

I'm not saying they do, I'm not saying they don't.

 

But have you seen what the poor people earn?

 

Look at the cost of an hour's lesson, deduct the cost of fuel & insurance. Deduct what they're paying the franchise owner for the car & its servicing or what they're paying out on their own for the same plus advertising, etc. Most are approaching minimum wage for being scared witless on a regular basis.

 

I considered it once, once was more than enough.

[amateur]

My father learned to fly in Calgary, Canada during WW2. On leave, staying with some locals, he was offered the family car to drive 40 miles into the local town, and being a rufty-tufty pilot was too embarrassed to admit that he had never driven anything apart from an aeroplane.

So he learned solo on his way to town.

After the war anyone who professed to be able to drive in the forces was automatically given a full licence with no lessons or test.

 

As a child I always preferred my mother's driving (proper driving instructor, proper test)

[-Mongrel-]

It's down to the individual IMO. A calm, methodical, good learner will pick it up easily, whereas a skittish, clumsy, absent-minded learner will probably become one of those people who should probably just stick to public transport.

 

Bang on!

 

My old man's a driving instructor and has been for 30 years. Started with BSM for a few years before branching out on his own for the last 20 years.

 

Some pupils are naturals and can pass a test first time after half a dozen lessons, others just keep plodding on and on and on and on without ever really picking it up. he had one Indian lady who took and failed six tests, she just couldn't combine looking at the road ahead with checking her mirrors, failed again and again on observation!

 

MOST instructors are genuinely trying to get their students through as safely and swiftly as possible, but as in all walks of life, there will always be those that try and take the pee!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[four-wheel-drive]

We had to get some of these people who say I only had one or two driving lessons and I passed my test first time but then it turns out that they had been driving on farms and other places or have been riding a motorbike for a long time. As my dad died when I was young we could never afford to have a car so the first time that I sat in a car driving seat was on my first lesson and I thought that I did quite good to pass my test with under ten lessons.

Edited February 18, 2014 by four-wheel-drive

[cant hit rabbits 123]

I had 20 lessons before my first test, failed that with no minors and a major that was debatably not my fault, I think 5 more until my next one because it was a few months away and I needed to keep my hand in. I had driving experience prior to starting lessons, but almost all in older cars so it took a few lessons to adapt to something with a little steering wheels and more than 4 buttons on the dash.

[fortune]

Passed Glider pilot solo flights on short training course first time. Passed motorbike first time. No lessons just Got my provisional licence, a lift to the bike shop, bought new Honda, got on it, rode it up the road, stalled it on the first junction. Rode it around solo for a few weeks and passed test.

Six months later went to see a guy about car lessons. He said “Put in for your test and come and see me when you’ve got a date”. I put in for cancellations, short notice, anything going. Next week test date came back for a fortnights time. Went to see the instructor guy and he said that didn’t have many free slots at all. I said that I had booked a fortnight’s holiday and I was available 24/7. He managed three one hours at night in the dark and an hour before my test in daylight. Passed first time.

I think that a positive attitude and focus on what it’s all about makes a fair bit of difference.

Wife passed second time but should have passed first time had she not backed onto kerb on three point. No other faults. Daughters followed with loads of lessons and great expense. Two-passed first time other two had multiple tests. Conclusion: the two that failed multiple times were told that they needed loads of lessons and I think that the situation was milked and gave them a lot of insecurity at the wheel by keep going over the same thing but not really being show correctly.

[cant hit rabbits 123]

To add to my previous input, I used the first few lessons to get used to the car, but the instructor spent them 'assessing' my current level of experience. What could have been done in a 20 minute chat and 40 minute drive was instead dragged out over 2 and half 1 hour lessons, which would have been £50 down the drain if I had not been using said lessons relatively constructively.

 

Some instructors are great, and in hind sight I wish I had changed early on as mine seemed to be out to make as much money as possible with little regard to how my driving was progressing.

[ME]

I was out with my instructor one day when a car overtook us on a minor road. The driver indicated right to overtake then indicated left as he went back to the correct side of the road.

 

My instructor asked: "Do you know why that guy indicated left after indicating right?".

 

I said: "Dunno.. I suppose it was to tell other road users what he was doing?".

 

My instructor replied: "No it's because he is a ****, everyone knows you drive on the left in this country!".

[lord_seagrave]

Just because you pass a driving test doesn't make you a great driver.

I had a year of lessons @ £13 an hour, the first four months of which we spent the majority of the lesson time 'marking' the 'Theory Booklets' the instructor had made himself, as homework for his pupils...

 

I reckon I (well, my parents) got milked, AND I failed my test twice. I'm a pretty capable driver.

 

I swore my younger sister off this instructor and I reccommended an instructor that my friend had learned with. She passed first time. :(

 

LS

[norfolk dumpling]

My lessons were 15/- (is that fifteen bob?) and I passed after 15! Did wonder if I would as Instructor spent every lesson looking for totty in miniskirts. Hate to have been a lass having lessons with him. Car was an Austin A40 Farina - anyone old enough to remember?

[amateur]

My lessons were 15/- (is that fifteen bob?) and I passed after 15! Did wonder if I would as Instructor spent every lesson looking for totty in miniskirts. Hate to have been a lass having lessons with him. Car was an Austin A40 Farina - anyone old enough to remember?

 

Gosh, that took me back - my 15 bob lessons were in an A40 Farina too. No pretty lasses around though.

[Dekers]

I seem to remember another thread not so long back when this cropped up, frankly I simply don't understand 40-50 lessons.

 

Things have certainly changed since my test but I had a handful of lessons with my Dad then took the test.

 

My children have all passed now and none had anything like 40 lessons, my youngest lad had about 6 with his MUM, no others and passed first go!

 

Theory is easy, read the Code and practice, you don't need a Driving Instructor for that!

 

[otherwayup]

Most are approaching minimum wage for being scared witless on a regular basis.

 

Now that made me laugh out loud.

[smokinggun]

Always remember one of my early lessons, my instructor said to me soon after he had picked me up that we will be driving a bit further today which I was surprised about as we hadn't gone far, so after about a half an hour drive following his directions he told me to pull up outside a particular house, he then said wait here this is my house and im dying for a poop.

 

I failed my first test and took a break then some more lessons before passing the second time,

something that always sticks in my head is my dad said good drivers never think or say they are good drivers only the bad ones say they are good.

[four-wheel-drive]

It's down to the individual IMO. A calm, methodical, good learner will pick it up easily, whereas a skittish, clumsy, absent-minded learner will probably become one of those people who should probably just stick to public transport.

I think that it tends to be the quick learners that you are saying are best are the ones that who turn in to boy racers and end up killing themselves and others the ones that take time are to learn are more likely to be the careful drivers.

[LondonLuke]

A friend of mine stalled on a level crossing during an early lesson. Wouldn't have liked to have been in either of their seats for that!

[mark@mbb]

We bought a £20 wreck give it to the mechanic for a day and the kids drove around the field at the back of the house after month they could change gears and do most things when the went for lessons they were asked if they had driven before as they were so good

[chrisjh]

Result the lad passed this morning 10 days start to finish 20 lessons & test

 

Edited February 27, 2014 by chrisjh

[overandunder2012]

My instructor seemed a decent chap. I think I had about 15 lessons. Soon after he was convicted of kidnapping, demanding money, and various firearms offences. Seemed like he wasn't as a decent chap as I thought.

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