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.

Take control of your work diary

The BIG TOM driving school franchise enables you to take control of the hours you work in any given week.  A typical intensive driving course represents 20 hours of 1:1 driving tuition so on a Monday to Friday course that could be 9.30am - 1.30pm?  It could be 1pm - 5pm?

The point is that it is what you want it to be.  There are opportunities to work weekends only, or weekday evenings only.  You can control how far you are willing to travel so that you don't have long journeys to pick up your pupils.  

The courses are arranged by BIG TOM Admin, on your behalf.  You are paid for the course, in advance.  That is, £600 paid to you, 21 days before you do the work.  

The benefits are high, and so are the expectations.  At BIG TOM our pupil's needs come first, whatever it takes to help them to develop into safe and competent drivers.

But the crucial difference is that with this franchise, you are in control of your diary.

Free skype call with owner of BIG TOM Driving School Franchise 04/07/19 10am and 7pm

This is the perfect opportunity to find out about the BIG TOM Driving School Franchise.  It is free and available for you on a first come, first served basis.

How easy is it to qualify?  How does the franchise work?  Is being a driving instructor enjoyable?  What hours do you work?  What income can you be certain to collect?

All this and more!  Book now at admin@BIGTOM.org.uk

Support for BIG TOM franchisees

At BIG TOM we know how important it is to look after the well-being of driving instructors as they have a 1:1 interaction with our customers.  It can be rather troubling to think that you are working on your own with no support.  Self-doubt has a habit of developing in the mind to sometimes irrational levels which cause stress and anxiety.

When a driving instructor comes on board with the BIG TOM franchise, they are supported with care and attention.  Confidence and competence work hand in hand and franchisees need to feel like they can offer good quality training in a proven learning environment.

The BIG TOM driving school has been established since 2009.  It has the systems and policies in place that provide a stable workplace that can offer flexibility on the hours worked.

The resources that are in place are proven, reliable and effective.  This means that as a franchisee you can rest assured that the service being provided has integrity.

Want to find out more?  Give us a call here at BIG TOM: 0800 689 4174

Are you checking for key signs?

One of the most common questions I get asked from people who are considering a career change to join the BIG TOM driving school franchise is: "What's it like being a driving instructor?"

It is a good question because there is no stock answer to give to that.  I like working with people rather than machines.  The reason why that appeals to me mainly is that it is unwise to make assumptions about pupils.

When working with a pupil, you have no idea initially how things are going to go.  Many variables potentially affect how our pupil will get on.

It is a learning environment, and while mistakes can and will happen, sometimes pupils put a great deal of pressure on their shoulders by having unrealistic expectations of their ability to improve.  They could be receiving some undesirable pressures from parents or friends to pass their driving test as soon as possible.  

I have noticed the shifting of ground regarding mental health over the last few years when it comes to particularly younger pupils.   Pupils can present themselves with deep-seated confidence issues.  Some struggle with focus and attention to detail and recalling information.  Also on the increase is communication barriers where pupils struggle to either articulate their thoughts or lack the practice of formulating ideas based around inner beliefs.

Recently I was asked: "How do I know if an oncoming vehicle that is turning right, will actually wait for me to pass?"

It might seem on the face of it a pretty natural, ordinary, perhaps even standard type of question.  But in my experience, this kind of engagement is rare and like gold dust.  Why do I say that?

The pupil concerned is personalising the experience of driving.  It demonstrates an understanding that road safety is not only their responsibility but also involves all other road users abiding by the 'rules of the road'.

The nature of the question is searching for clues, checking for understanding, enquiring about attitudes.  Unfortunately, far too often, pupils are seemingly struggling to answer any questions that delve into these subjects; let alone ask them.

Clues that all is not well include:

Lack of eye contact
De-personalising of thoughts and attitudes
Quiet or mumbling verbal responses
An unwillingness to speak about any subjects at all
Tiredness
Apathy to engagement in discussions
Apparent detachment to the responsibility for outcomes in the training session
Nervousness or agitation
Frequent deep sighs
Long stares or numbed emotions

Ultimately our pupils are our customers, and ideally, we want our pupils to enjoy their experiences when training, but it is worth looking out for signs that all is not well.  

Can your pupil imagine them one day passing their driving test?  How do they physically and emotionally feel while driving around with you?  Can they verbally describe a sequence of driving actions needed for a specific driving goal such as turning right from major to minor road or a manoeuvre?  Do they demonstrate an ability to recall information?  Are they willing to attempt to describe why they drove in a particular manner? 

When assessment slips in to assistance

How driving test examiners assess candidates can, at times, be quite puzzling.  Let me give you this real example that I observed.

On the driving test, the candidate is pulled over to the side of the road a few times, more if the examiner spots an error and wants to ascertain if it is habitual.

My pupil was pulled over on a busy road.  Tailbacks were coming back from a mini roundabout up ahead.  So we had slow moving traffic to our right.  After about a minute (seems like a short time, but in the test environment, feels quite long), the examiner steps in and recommends my pupil put on a 'requesting signal' in the hope that some kind soul will let us out.  'Requesting signals' by the way is covered by me in my training as it is an essential skill for dealing with day to day driving congestion.

Having complied with the examiner regarding the signal, my pupil then fails to spot a driver letting her out.  The examiner intervenes, again, and tells her to move off, which she does.  Interestingly, she does a full blindspot check to her right immediately after the examiner stated that a driver was letting her out.

Later in the test, another pullover, and no blindspot check on a quiet road.

It is promptly followed by another in the next street, with no blindspot check. 

So by now, we have 3 moving off's, 2 of which have no blindspot check, and one that was prompted by a verbal intervention from the examiner.

My pupil also moves on to a roundabout with a big white van doing a U-turn, and makes the van slow as a result.

Back at the test centre, my pupil reversed three quarters into the bay, stops, handbrake on.  The examiner tells her to go back a few more feet.

Result?  Pass.

He then tells her off for lack of blindspot checks and pulling out in front of the van.

Waving goodbye to Waveney

And good riddance to them!

It's that time of the year again - renewal of driving instructor car insurance.  So my accident-free stretch continues for another year.  That is now ten years of being a driving instructor and never having an accident, a fact which I am quite proud.

Waveney was quoting me £470.70 to maintain the cover with the same provider (it was £417.80 last year).  If I was happy to have a reduced benefit where the under 17 driving training on private land was taken off, then another provider with Waveney could offer £433.72

How they sleep at night, I do not know.  

Anyway, ring around.  BG Insurance (01892 501852) have provided the same benefits as my previous cover, with the under 17 driving training cover for £385.  That is near on £100 cheaper than Waveney.  May not seem much for one instructor, but multiply that big fat profit by the thousands of driving instructors that Waveney fleece every year, and you are talking significant figures.

Power to the people, vote with your feet, take affirmative action and stop getting fleeced by Waveney.  Just call BG and ask for Harry - he's on our side folks.