Mirrors, Signal, Position, Speed, Look

Getting the proper actions, in the correct sequence when driving is essential.  It is no different when you are planning a new career.

It’s sad to hear of people who trained up to be a Driving Instructor, but gave up the job after a short time.  It can cost a lot of money to train up, and qualifying can take several months, even years.  You need only take a brief look at my Top 10 Tips for PDI’s on my G+ page.......

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11Q78MyE4hn2G8KiYwksm3Q5Z1ukRIFv3BbJ33cyMAHE/edit?pli=1

..... to see that the qualifying process is only half the battle.

What you definitely do not need when starting up a new business is to stack the odds of success against you.  The heavier your commitment to any one person/organisation, the more you are reliant on them.  What you DO need is flexibility, flexibility to chop and change, try ideas, learn what works and what does not, and while you are doing all of that, you need to be able to financially survive.

So committing yourself to a franchisor that provides your training, AND then ties you in to providing a car once you qualify, is definitely, definitely not an option that provides flexibility.  Choosing the right options of how you train, and how you initially run your business requires pre-planning.  If you take the ‘easy’ option of leaving all that hassle to a franchisor then you will pay dearly for that decision.  The equally unhelpful option to this is finding a Trainer that will only show you how to pass the Part 3 test – this person has no interest in seeing you as a business person, and preparing you in any way, shape or form for ‘business’; you are no more than a customer that needs to pass a test.  And yes, the absolute pits of the earth is the worst combination of the two extremes, the national franchisors who bleed their customers financially dry, whilst struggling to prepare them properly even to just pass the Part 3 test.  But beware, this minefield really exists, and will catch you out if you are not careful. 

If you are considering training to become a Driving Instructor, I would ask you to consider the following, very carefully:

1.        How much competition is in your area, what is the average price per hour being charged

2.       How much will it cost you to qualify, obtain a driving school car, and market yourself

3.       How much does it cost you to live (plan forward for next 3 years)

4.       Using the above figures, how many customers will you be needing to make this viable

Although this is a tough exercise to go through, I guarantee it will be extremely beneficial.  If a central theme to your strategy is to tie yourself into a national Franchisor so that at least you will then be provided with customers, then my advice is to scrutinise the small print of the contract regarding the quantity of custom they guarantee if you sign up with them.  It IS a legal contract that once you sign, you commit yourself to - legally.

In contrast, look at just one extremely important part of my own personal Terms & Conditions page for PDI's and remember that keyword above.... flexibility:

In the event that a PDI is unwilling to continue with training for WHATEVER reason, then a full refund will be provided of un-used hours.