Driving instructor

nige

Hi
I have been looking into becoming a driving instructor.

The cost of training for the r.s.a exams is €2000 from the Irish school of motoring and the exams cost €550 to sit, €150 for stage 1, €200 for stage 2 & 3 ,if you fail any stage you have to pay the fee for that stage again.

Then theres buying the car, getting stickers on it etc.

Just woundering if anyone knows anything about this area and is it worth it.

Do you think there is money to be made as an instructor.

Thanks in advance
Nige

spurious

Given that there are a large group of learners out there who believe they only need a few lessons (or none and then a couple of pre-tests), I can't see it being a profitable business at the moment. It's also very much a word of mouth business so it's hard to get started.

Richie15

Is there also a fee for registration and to issue the permit, or do the exams cover this too?
I also heard there's a trainee licence, how do you go about that? What's the catch, how much does it cost?

Faith+1

Jesus! That is some money but you can earn up to €40 an hour?? If you're committed enough I'd say go for it! Couldn't hurt having another career option!

Alanstrainor

I know someone in Dublin at the minute who was doing very well for himself about a year and a half ago but now is really struggling. This instructor would have had a very good reputation around the area but still now he's finding it very hard to meet ends meat. Who knows what the future will being though, it could just be a general down turn that will turn around in a few years/

DrivingTestTips: Brian

What it’s like now:
It is very slow for Driving Instructors at the moment but who knows what is around the corner.....

Training:
Other companies train and if i was you i would look for a deal. €40.000 a year...Not a hope at the moment.

Advertising / Getting known:
I work very hard to help/promote Driving Instructors and my biggest problem I have, is I can't make people ring numbers. For you to get your name out there is going to be a problem as all advertising will have the same problem (you can't make people ring you). I point instructors to the videos on DrivingTestTips.ie so that their pupils will use them and have more of a chance of passing the test because if they pass the instructor gets the referral work. This might seem strange but the more passes you get the more work you get (basic business model for driving instruction) and for me the instructors like to become sponsors, which keeps the sites running.

Hope this helps you....

nige

I would not be expecting €40,000 a year but if I could get aroung the €30,000 mark I would be happy,I only have about a year left in the job im in at the moment so I thought this would be an option to replace it.

@ Brain : do you know if the rsa adi tests are very difficult.

Also is the Irish school of motoring franchise a good option (think it works of approx €130 a week and drops down abit after the first year.

Anyone know other places to get trained the the exams other than the Irish school of motoring

Thanks
Nige

greenie

I'd say it's going to be quite tough starting out. As Brian said, the more passes you have the more work you get and this is very true..that's pretty much the main thing people look for when choosing an instructor. Unfortunately these days with so much choice I think people will look for the experienced instructor rather than the newbie starting out. The rates have also dropped aswell..the average seems to be about 35euro now (from what I see/hear).
So if this is something that you really want to do then go for it..the money spent will be worth it when you're doing something you love. If this is something you're choosing with making money in mind, I just don't know if it'll be that easy.

ADI34722

nige wrote: »

I would not be expecting €40,000 a year but if I could get aroung the €30,000 mark I would be happy,I only have about a year left in the job im in at the moment so I thought this would be an option to replace it.

@ Brain : do you know if the rsa adi tests are very difficult.

Also is the Irish school of motoring franchise a good option (think it works of approx €130 a week and drops down abit after the first year.

Anyone know other places to get trained the the exams other than the Irish school of motoring

Thanks
Nige

Hey Nige, the 130 a week seens abit steep to me. Does that include the rental of the car, your advertising, insurance and road tax?

As for it being quiet at the moment im covering 40-45 hours on a 6 day week at the moment and its mainly word of mouth that gets most pupils for you tbh.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

north.

Basic Certification Process

[*] Step 1
Associate yourself with a certified driving school before you apply to become a certified driver education instructor.
[*] Step 2
Obtain a certification packet from your state's driver instructional services division.
[*] Step 3
Make sure you satisfy the minimum requirements before you apply. You must be at least 21 years of age, have a high school diploma or its equivalent and a valid license to drive the type of vehicle you will be certified to teach.
[*] Step 4
Pass a criminal background check and a driving record check.
[*] Step 5
Complete any required driver education certification courses.
[*] Step 6
Demonstrate proficiency in English.
[*] Step 7
Verify your employment with a certified driver education school as an instructor.
Additional Driver Education Training and Jobs

[*] Step 1
Decide whether you want to teach in a high school or for a driver education school.
[*] Step 2
Find out if community colleges offer associates' degrees in driver education.
[*] Step 3
Get a college degree. Teaching at a high school will require a college degree and certification by the state in driver education.

spurious

north. wrote: »

Get a college degree. Teaching at a high school will require a college degree and certification by the state in driver education.

Few schools here (Ireland), 'high schools' or other, offer driver ed.. It's usually just a short course during TY or LCA.

DrivingTestTips: Brian

nige wrote: »

I would not be expecting €40,000 a year but if I could get aroung the €30,000 mark I would be happy,I only have about a year left in the job im in at the moment so I thought this would be an option to replace it.

At the moment, you would do well to get €30.000 a year.

@ Brain : do you know if the rsa adi tests are very difficult.

I am involved in the industry over 11 years and I think it is a matter of effort, the more you put in when learning the better.
Part 1, Theory. Read all the books.
Part 2, Driving. You will need a very good standard of driving, look at the videos on the www.DrivingTestTips.ie website. I've had instructors telling me they learned from them. You will need to drive with that type of strict routine and you must understand how to be correct in the way you drive; your timing, control and understanding of best practice MUST be very good (understanding of best practice is another way of saying you must be able to change your driving to suit the situation).
Part 3, Teaching. You must understand how to teach and not JUST what to teach.

Also is the Irish school of motoring franchise a good option (think it works of approx €130 a week and drops down abit after the first year.

You should ask people who have paid for this course and get their opinion. I can only tell you what I have been told which I would not do here!

Anyone know other places to get trained the the exams other than the Irish school of motoring

Sallyann's Driving School in Dublin (I think Sallyann gives training)
Naas School of Motoring
Quantum
Leinster Driving Campus

There are options

I hope this helps you.

nige

Thanks for all the replies

Nige