So You Want To Start Your Driving Lessons
You have reached the ripe old age of 17 and want to start to drive (UK). It is not a cheap affair and you want to be as certain as you can that the money you spend on your driving lessons is not wasted. You first need to locate a driving instructor and then ask suitable questions of him/her.
There are numerous directories on the internet that have listings of driving schools and driving instructors. The largest I have found is the Driving Schools Directory who literally cover many thousands of UK towns. Insert your town name in the ’search box’ and you will be presented with a list of schools that cover your area. Take notes of those that sound of interest to you.
When you contact them, you will want to be certain that they are fully qualified and not ‘trainee’ instructors. You can tell this by the type of badge (licence) they hold. A fully qualified instructor will have a green octagonal badge displayed whereas a trainee will have a pink triangular badge.
Most driving schools will offer a discount for booking multiple lessons or if you are a student. Some will also offer discounts based on your profession e.g. nurses. Be sure to ask about these discounts.
Don’t forget though that cheap isn’t always the best and you could end up taking more lessons than needed, thereby costing you more money overall. So, once you start your training, do not be afraid to change or try out another driving instructor if you are not happy for whatever reason.
Some of these reasons could be a personality clash, shouting, turning up late, using the lesson time to stop off at shops/do errands, stopping to use their mobile (illegal whilst driving), a dirty (smelly!) car etc.
Remember, you are paying good money and should therefore expect a high level of service.