New career prospects in 2020

I wish my readers a safe and peaceful 2020.  Now we have the pleasantries done, I find myself in a contemplative mood.  The turning of a new year tends to do this to us.  What can I hope to achieve this year?  Am I happy with my lot?  When I wake in the morning, do I get up with 'purpose'?

This kind of talk is not for all; I do realise that.  But it does no harm to review the way we live.  Having a meaningful existence is generally recognised as being more critical than accruing wealth.  It's so easy to get into a rut of trudging along with a job, primarily to afford a two-week escape in the summer.  Don't get me wrong, I love my holidays, but when fifty weeks of the year involve thought about two weeks of the year, it might be time to re-balance things slightly?

Re-balancing can crop up for lots of reasons.  Before training up as a driving instructor, I was working for a large organisation in London, as was my wife.  We had dependable incomes, but the pace of life that our work created was affecting the health of our young ones.  Carting your sprogs off to childcare for 8 hours a day is not conducive to their good mental or physical health.

It took me a year to train up.  I did want to do it quicker than that but my training provider, Red, could not accommodate more frequent training sessions in shorter periods.   If you get yourself organised, 6-9 months should not be unrealistic.  I always have to take care of writing like that, because it tends to suggest the desired outcome with no prospect of problems.  Learners sometimes come into learning to drive, with that same attitude, and it can be tricky.  The DVSA research says that 40-50 hours training with an ADI and 20 hours training with friends and family are, on average, what is required to pass the driving test.  I reckon 6-9 months is reasonable, perhaps even quicker if you are not also working a full-time job.  You can train at a pace that fits your schedule.

The technical driving side of things often involves ironing out bad habits. However, it is an opportunity for you to observe how I would train you - some of the techniques used; you will be able to use that experience when you come on to training pupils how to drive.

Then there are the instructional aspects of the qualification process where you get to practice on real BIG TOM pupils.  Your training works on a 1:1 basis, and you can choose between in-car training and online training, which is a lot cheaper.  

You only pay for the training that you need; this is a crucial point to make as it can save a lot of time and money.  You are being trained on an hourly rate, rather than paying a training provider for a set number of hours training, e.g. 40 hours.

Your training programme is tracked, monitored and reviewed to check if you are on target for your goals.  The latest DVSA publications, including standards, are used in the training process. 

Food for thought.

If you have any questions, call me, Tom Ingram (franchise owner) direct on 0775 607 1464.