I was made redundant when 50% of the workforce where I worked was axed. I was in the building trade at management level and had enjoyed my career for over 20 years.

I always had the ambition to be my own boss and work the hours I choose and now this has become a reality. I am really looking forward to becoming part of the team and one thing I can be assured of is that with the continued support I will be in for a long, successful and rewarding career to which my goal is to improve every day”.

ADI

Having spent some twenty years in retail management and fast approaching forty years of age, my career was reaching a “crossroads” and I had to decide which “direction” to take next.

​Honestly not seeing myself doing the same job on an employed basis until my retirement age and always wanting to be self-employed, enjoying training, having experience in communication and being self-motivated, driving instruction was a natural progression and ticked all the boxes.

​To this day, I have never looked back on becoming a driver trainer, the reward and sense of achievement when teaching an individual, a life skill is second to none. The challenge to get the best from a pupil, to see their confidence grow and grow to final success is very satisfying.

ADI.

After working for the last ten years in financial services and suffering the volatile market conditions that go with it, the decision to seek a new challenge was forced on me during the massive recession of 2010. Work finally dried up and I was no longer able to make a living.

Even when work in financial services was plentiful, the trade off was the busier I became, the more time I spent away from my family. The very nature of the work involved visiting clients at their homes when they were not at work, so evenings and at weekends.

Many a time especially during the summer months when my neighbours would be spending time in the garden with their children or taking trips to the beach, It felt a huge wrench when I had to go to work and miss out on the quality family time. I still regret that irreplaceable time and before I knew it my young children had grown up.

I trained and became a driving instructor during 2010 and it’s been a breath of fresh air.

Now I am in complete control of my working hours and having the whole weekend off is such a major benefit. Unfortunately, I can’t replace that quality time missed when my children were very young but I am certainly making up for it now.

ADI

After considering many avenues for a new career, I got to thinking about my learner test over ten years ago and what a big day it was. After giving this more thought, I came to the conclusion that teaching people to drive would be a very rewarding and satisfying job.

​I am very proud to be a fully qualified driving instructor and delighted to have passed all three exams at the first attempt. I have been qualified now for three years and really settled in to the role and pleased that I chose this as a career.

It is great to meet so many different people of all ages and teach them how to drive. I can happily say that it is great reward when your pupils come back off test and have passed, it gives enormous satisfaction knowing that you have helped them get through one of the biggest days of their lives”.

ADI.

Before I became a driving instructor, I spent most of my previous working life in various factories and at first this satisfied me as I had a regular income and it kept me and my young family comfortable, however as I grew older I realised I was in a position with no prospects and had very little respect from my employers from all the hard work and dedication that I put into the job.

It was around this time I started to look at other options and one thing that appealed to me was becoming a driving instructor and as I had helped to run my sons football team when he was younger, I felt I had good communication skills with the players and maybe I could use this to become an instructor.

The nice thing about the job is that I can choose times and days I wish to work and I do feel that I’m being appreciated at what I’m trying to do.  I’m very happy with the way my career is developing and only wish that I had made the decision much sooner”.

ADI

I always wanted to be a driving instructor but being self-employed has always been an obstacle as my wife is also self-employed and we felt that one of us had to stay in a job with a fixed-income, in reality I’ve never had a lack of work since joining the school and income as been steady and not a problem in any way”.

It is a very different way of life if I’m honest and I’m still adjusting having spent 30 years working in workshop settings leaving the house at 7:30 AM and coming home at 6 PM. The freedom to choose the hours I work and be around the family more is something which I have not had in the past. The freedom to plan holidays when I want them is also something I am making the most of.

The best thing about the job is watching students improve week on week and knowing that I am actually making a difference, seeing them gain in confidence and helping them to know they can do it.

ADI.

Before I became a driving instructor I obtained the national diploma in child care at a local college and subsequently worked with children for four years. I enjoyed the work in many ways but it involved long hours for small remuneration.

I was interested when I saw an advertisement on the TV for driving instructors, I enjoy driving so I was attracted to the idea of earning a living while helping others to become good safe drivers and there was also the advantage of being self-employed and choosing my own hours with better earning potential. I am so very glad I made the decision to become a driving instructor as I gained a great deal of confidence in the process.

I’m a sociable person and enjoy meeting of variety of people and helping them to acquire skills and confidence in driving. I feel that I enable them to live more independent lives which has been my own experience of becoming a driver.

ADI

I completed the training course and qualified as an ADI in September 2010.

After qualifying, I was offered a position to work with the driving school and jumped at the chance as the ongoing training and development offered was 2nd to none. I started off working with the school just three days a week as I also run a separate business as a telecommunications engineer but I’ve always had a passion to teach.

The very best thing about being a driving instructor without shadow of a doubt is when one of my pupils pass, knowing that I have not only taught them how to drive safely but seeing their confidence and self belief just go through the roof. When young drivers get into the car for the first time, they are often really nervous, maybe even a little immature and after the process of learning to drive believe they become more confident mature and without doubt a much more responsible young adult”.

I’m really really pleased I took the decision to train and qualify and life has never been better. The job is so flexible as to the days and hours I choose to work and working for yourself and not a boss is just so more motivating and rewarding”.

ADI

Before becoming a driving instructor, I had had 30 years’ experience of factory life and just decided I needed a change. I had always been interested in cars and driving and so thought about becoming a driving instructor

All in all this job really suits me because of the flexibility and freedom that it gives and after spending years in a factory it couldn’t be more different. When I look back now I find it hard to believe that I accepted a stagnant way of life for over 30 years and my main regret is that I wasted a huge chunk of my life, when I could have done something about it much sooner”.

ADI

I’ve always loved driving and as soon as I turned 17, I could think of nothing better than learning to drive. After many years of working in logistics, running a pub and watching my daughter grow up, I thought a change was in order and what better way to make it than to teach people to drive.

The best part of the job is knowing that you are imparting your knowledge that someone is benefiting from and achieving their goal from your instruction.

I haven’t looked back since is the best move I’ve ever made.

I now feel I have the perfect work, life balance. I am able to arrange lessons around my daughter, choosing to work longer hours when I need extra funds but also cutting them back for quality family time. Being your own boss has many benefits but when running a pub, I had no control over the hours worked unlike now when I am in full control”.

ADI

I qualified as a driving instructor back in November 2009 after working in my previous employment with Clarke Willmott solicitors firm in their administration department. I worked there for over five years and although I enjoyed working with my colleagues, the work was monotonous and I spent many a time clock watching to the end of the day.

One of the major benefits of being my own boss is to work the hours I choose. One good example is following the birth of my first child and being able to adjust my hours, especially in the first few months when things were a bit manic. Now things have settled down, it’s reassuring that I have been able to increase my hours with an extra mouth to feed and my partner not working.

It’s now been over five years since I qualified and I’ve enjoyed it immensely, met a lot of nice people who I have helped to gain a full licence and the independence that comes with it. It’s also really rewarding that many of my past students keep in touch, which would suggest that what I’ve done is appreciated and it’s something I’m very proud of.

After five years of being self employed, being my own boss and the freedom that comes with it, I think I would really struggle working for someone else again and would also miss the benefit of a new car every year that is paid for by my customers”.

ADI

I have to say, I was quite nervous when arriving at my first customers house but it went really well and I knew then I had made the right decision. By the end of the first week, I was really getting in the grove and learning something from each lesson that I delivered.

Fast forward six months and I am loving the whole experience. Meeting a wide variety of mostly young people, building a rapport with them and guiding them to one of the most exciting days of their lives when they become full licence holders and in many respects, make the first step I to adulthood. I have had a full diary since the first month and find myself having to say no to the driving school when they are allocating new customers.

One of my main reasons for taking this career was to control the hours I work. Being able to finish work at 4.30pm and have weekends free is the best thing ever and I now have more quality family time than ever before.

ADI

As a head teacher of engineering, I have always had a passion for teaching but the red tape that now exists within the teaching profession has become intolerable.

To be honest I am at the time of life when I do not need to earn vast amounts to survive and quality of life is my big motivation. When looking at my options, being the wrong side of fifty, they are somewhat limited unless I stay in education when I have both the connections and experience to command a very good position.

Becoming a driving instructor where I could continue to do what I love and teach but without the red tape that goes with it was a major plus for me.

If I fast forward the training which was both very interesting and enjoyable to where I am right now it was definitely the right decision.

I now start work at 10am, have an hour for lunch and I am finished by 4pm each day without having endless paperwork to complete at the end of the day.

I feel that I now have the best of both worlds and and I am happy to say, enjoying life to the full.”

ADI

I have to say, I was quite nervous when arriving at my first customers house but it went really well and I knew then I had made the right decision. By the end of the first week, I was really getting in the grove and learning something from each lesson that I delivered.

Fast forward six months and I am loving the whole experience. Meeting a wide variety of mostly young people, building a rapport with them and guiding them to one of the most exciting days of their lives when they become full licence holders and in many respects, make the first step I to adulthood. I have had a full diary since the first month and find myself having to say no to the driving school when they are allocating new customers.

One of my main reasons for taking this career was to control the hours I work. Being able to finish work at 4.30pm and have weekends free is the best thing ever and I now have more quality family time than ever before.

ADI