Feedback of Skype-Q&A 04/07/2019

When I have these Skype sessions with people who are interested in joining the BIG TOM driving school franchise, there are a few things that quite commonly crop up.  Let me give some guidance to some of the more common questions and concerns.

One over-riding concern seems to be the emotion of fear of the unknown; a perfectly natural, instinctive response to something that involves us pulling ourselves out of the known, ordinary, boring, routine and contemplating something new.  There is undoubtedly an element of courage required to make the change.  "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." is attributed to Laozi and can help put the goal of joining BIG TOM into perspective.  Rather than looking at one colossal objective which may appear to be verging on the impossible and very likely to instil a feeling of fear.   Instead, make use of the BIG TOM-Skype sessions and begin with raising your awareness of the stages involved.

Another concern centres around self-doubt.  Some of us have a positive self-belief where it is not so much of a question of "Can I do it?" but more "When can I do it?".  Others tend to tread their path through life with more caution.  It might take some time just contemplating a new challenge, and even then, there will be many who get no further than that stage.  Perhaps it might assist if I list here some of the skills that I mentioned in the Skype Q&A from this morning.  What skills are needed to be a BIG TOM driving instructor?

I think the first thing I would say relates to a Socrates quote: "I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think."  At BIG TOM we don't do 'compliance led' driving instruction, e.g. forcing your pupils to do certain driving actions in specific situations such that they only comply to your verbals rather than understand fundamental road safety techniques.  How a pupil chooses to drive once they have passed their driving test is a personal choice which will undoubtedly have consequences.  Driving is a practical activity; proper driving techniques will only be utilised in the long term if a pupil chooses to do them.  It is in our interests to discover the thoughts and feelings of our pupils relating to their attitude to road safety, and their beliefs on subjects like wearing seatbelts, defensive driving, drink driving.

Do you enjoy speaking with people about them?  Discussions centre around the pupil, as opposed to you preaching your wisdom to them for hours at the side of the road.

Do you see your role as guidance rather than enforcement?  There is an important distinction as it develops vital behaviours of BIG TOM driving instructors.

Can you adapt your thought processes to be more suitable for your pupil?  It should not be a question of how you describe doing a reverse parallel park for instance, but instead, how can you assist your pupil to discover the critical skills needed to perform a 'reverse parallel park'.  Do you see the difference?

Can you perceive danger or risk when another person is driving?  It might seem blindingly obvious, but many driving instructors are having accidents in driving school cars with their pupils driving.  Some are better than others.  At BIG TOM we have never had an accident since being established in 2009 - we have no intentions of changing that record.

How do you handle being questioned?  Pupils, parents, even the DVSA, might cast doubt on your ability.  Can you manage threatening, combative situations?
 
Do you like to be a leader or a team member?  BIG TOM wants driving instructors who are happy to work within our policies and professionally conduct themselves in all situations.

Commonly raised in our Skypes is the length of time it takes to qualify.  This kind of question is coming your way as a driving instructor.  How would you answer a pupil who asks you: "How long will it take me to learn to drive?"

Will you talk about pupil engagement, natural ability, e.g. multi-tasking or feet/hand coordination?  Does it matter what previous experience your pupil has?  What factors will determine the effectiveness of the learning, e.g. frequency/duration of the training, teaching techniques, availability of resources for pupils?   Many variants, yes?  Well, it will be no different from the path that you take as well.  I have experience of people qualifying in quick, fast time, and others take longer for one reason or another.  

The fascinating point that I would raise is, what are you asking when you ask that question?  If a pupil was to ask you: "How long does it normally take for you to get your pupils to pass the driving test?"  Do you smell a rat?  "Oh I would say by 30 hours", they will hold you to that.  Instead, do you say: "Well, you might take about 20 hours, but it could be a bit more."  Do you quote them the average number of hours the DVSA research says that it takes a pupil to learn to drive?  Who is responsible for the effectiveness of the learning environment?  It is going to be a joint effort needed I would suggest.  If you have a pupil sat there, not engaging with you but expecting this all to be done and dusted by 20 hours of driving training - good luck, my friend!

Developing safe, confident drivers who can drive anywhere takes time.  I dare say I could "coach" pupils to pass driving tests in much quicker timescales, but that is not what BIG TOM is all about.  If you fundamentally don't agree with that point, please don't apply to join the BIG TOM driving school franchise.

Lastly, people will typically ask me about the standard of driving ability required to be a driving instructor.  They will have doubts about their driving ability, and it is so common for these seeds of doubt to grow to such an extent that it puts people off from joining.  Have faith in yourself; it is quite incredible what we can all achieve when we have the desire with the back up of a professional training provider.  

Look out on the facebook page, and our twitter for the next Skype sessions, they are worth your time and come free with my compliments.