What is a meaningful job?

It is not easy to relay what is involved in being a driving instructor because often the person you speak to has a distinct perception of the job.  I sometimes find myself talking to a prospective PDI but wondering how much of what I say is being heard and understood.

It seems so easy.

We all know how to drive; what can be so hard in telling pupils how to copy what we do?

Indeed, speaking in those terms, for many pupils that tactic will suffice.   It is a gross dumbing down of the service that a professional driving instructor provides, but as parents have been observing for decades, it will kind of 'get them going' so to speak.

The treasure lies beneath, as is often the way in life.  Alain de Botton remarked at a recent conference (Founders Pledge Forum 2019) that a meaningful job is one in which:

you reduce suffering or

increase pleasure

                 for another human being.  

The effort of your labours makes a genuine difference to someone's life.  

Driving instructors will often recall a particularly challenging pupil and the satisfaction gained by helping that person achieve their goal.    The fact of the matter is, despite how people might de-value the art of learning, people's ability to learn to drive varies considerably.  It can be incredibly challenging for some.  How much suffering these particular people go through as they learn to drive, I think, speaks volumes about the skill of their instructor.  

If you have the emotional intelligence to recognise that what you find so natural and comfortable to accomplish is not necessarily felt by others, then BIG TOM wants to hear from you!  It is an art to develop ability in pupils who through no fault of their own, struggle.