Alternatives to Driving School

MeTV

On a whim, aged 34, I've decided to try to learn how to drive.

A cursory search indicates that proper lessons would cost me in the region of €500 (based on 12 lessons @ €42 w/ Aviva) but, as it's on a whim and as we're currently saving towards a deposit on a house, I can't really justify that cost.

So, my question is: does anyone have any suggestions for cheaper alternatives (or, better yet, free ones) to learning?

(Apologies if this has been covered before but I'm on my phone at the moment so searching is a bit fiddly.)

Squidgy Black

MeTV wrote: »

On a whim, aged 34, I've decided to try to learn how to drive.

A cursory search indicates that proper lessons would cost me in the region of €500 (based on 12 lessons @ €42 w/ Aviva) but, as it's on a whim and as we're currently saving towards a deposit on a house, I can't really justify that cost.

So, my question is: does anyone have any suggestions for cheaper alternatives (or, better yet, free ones) to learning?

(Apologies if this has been covered before but I'm on my phone at the moment so searching is a bit fiddly.)

Most places do 12 lessons for 300. If it's lessons to sit your driving test then unfortunately that's what you'll have to pay, the 12 compulsory lessons have to be signed off by a registered instructor before you can sit the test.

sjb25

MeTV wrote: »

On a whim, aged 34, I've decided to try to learn how to drive.

A cursory search indicates that proper lessons would cost me in the region of €500 (based on 12 lessons @ €42 w/ Aviva) but, as it's on a whim and as we're currently saving towards a deposit on a house, I can't really justify that cost.

So, my question is: does anyone have any suggestions for cheaper alternatives (or, better yet, free ones) to learning?

(Apologies if this has been covered before but I'm on my phone at the moment so searching is a bit fiddly.)

As has been said you must do 12 lessons signed of by a RSA approved driving instructor before being aloud sit the test

MeTV

Never knew that. Thanks, guys.

Guess I'll just shelve the idea for now.

Pov06

MeTV wrote: »

Never knew that. Thanks, guys.

Guess I'll just shelve the idea for now.

But you really don't need to do the lessons first. You could always get your learner permit and get insured as a second driver on a family member's car and practise driving with them until you can afford the lessons.

I think this method is much better because you'll learn the basics yourself (i.e clutch control) and then when you are doing the 12 lessons with an instructor you can put 100% focus towards learning how to pass the exam instead of struggling with the car each lesson.

This is a similar method how I did it (I knew how to control a car before I started my lessons). I passed first time

sjb25

Pov06 wrote: »

But you really don't need to do the lessons first. You could always get your learner permit and get insured as a second driver on a family member's car and practise driving with them until you can afford the lessons.

I think this method is much better because you'll learn the basics yourself (i.e clutch control) and then when you are doing the 12 lessons with an instructor you can put 100% focus towards learning how to pass the exam instead of struggling with the car each lesson.

This is a similar method how I did it (I knew how to control a car before I started my lessons). I passed first time

Not arguing your point obviously there is no problem with what you have said but on the flip side I had never drove a car before I had a lesson and I also passed my car test first time then I'd never sat in a truck passed that first time and then I'd never sat in a bus and passed that first time it's down to the individual really

ProudDUB

Pov06 wrote: »

But you really don't need to do the lessons first. You could always get your learner permit and get insured as a second driver on a family member's car and practise driving with them until you can afford the lessons.

I think this method is much better because you'll learn the basics yourself (i.e clutch control) and then when you are doing the 12 lessons with an instructor you can put 100% focus towards learning how to pass the exam instead of struggling with the car each lesson.

This is a similar method how I did it (I knew how to control a car before I started my lessons). I passed first time

I agree with this up to a point, but the OP has never driven before. If he goes down this road, he isn't just looking to practice his driving with this random friend/relation. He is looking to them to teach him how to drive, from scratch.

That is all well and good if the teacher is a really good driver and has all the patience and communication skills to teach a novice how to drive. But what if they aren't? If they aren't, then an utterly clueless OP shows up for his EDT lessons, with some really bad habits that the ADI then has to break.

If the OP is able to get some one to teach him the basics of clutch control, that's great, but that person still isn't a fully qualified driving instructor & there is more to driving than knowing how the clutch works. So if OP decides to gets someone to show him the basics of driving first, he should be open to having this driving corrected later on by his ADI.

SteveAdti

Plus lesson content is defined in EDT ..you will still have to redo the basics as part of each lesson