I'd like to clarify the point about there being fewer provisional licences and fewer people learning to drive. I can already hear instructors typing out messages saying the number of provisional licences is up and they're fully booked for months with a waiting list! The latest figures show the number of provisional driving licences issued is up by 6% but there are fewer active provisional licence holders. That means more people are applying for licences but not so many are using them. People get provisional licences for all sorts of reasons with the main one being that they want a form of ID. Many people get a provisional licence for when they want to learn at a later date. The reason it seems like so many people are learning is that we're still dealing with the backlog from 2020. Lots of people didn't start learning then which created a concertina effect where it now seems more people than ever are starting. They're not, we're just catching up from 2020. Data from the DVSA shows that the age of people passing their driving test has risen. Most new full licence holders are now aged 23-29 whereas it has long been 17-20. The switchover from fossil fuel cars to electric is also causing some people to wait. Some don't see the point in learning a skill that will become obsolete; using the clutch and gears will soon be a thing of the past because electric cars don't have them. There is also a growing number of people that don't want to drive cars powered by fossil fuels for environmental reasons. This isn't such a big issue but people have cited it as a reason for not starting lessons. All of this means there will most likely be a dip in the number of people learning over the next few years followed by a possible increase as more go electric. Here is more proof of the general downturn and feeling of apathy in the driving instruction industry. The DVSA ran their annual ADI survey in June 2023 and had only 5,795 replies. That means only around 15% of all ADIs (about 40,000 in total) could be bothered to reply. The number of driving instructors continues to fall year on year with more leaving the job now than ever before. Big schools are using this to advertise the fact there is a shortage of driving instructors. Notice how they don't say why there's a shortage - because so many are giving up! What is a shortage anyway? How do they even come up with these statements? It's like saying there's a shortage of clouds. The DVSA makes an excuse for the low reply rate in the email announcing these figures which also contained an amusing Freudian slip. It says "We know how busy you are helping learner drivers prepare for their test.". It ought to have said, "We know how busy you are helping learner drivers become safe drivers for life." All they care about now is passing a test as proven by them naming their latest campaign Ready to Pass instead of Ready to Drive. See the email here content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKDVSA/bulletins/36347ce For more information on what it's like to be a driving instructor including the income, working hours and scams used by driving schools see www.1stdrive.com/the-truth-about-being-a-driving-instructor/.
I'm glad someone enjoys them. I have made a few more like this that'll be coming out over the coming weeks. For everyone here for the therapy, don't worry because that remains my main focus from now. It's just nice to mix it up a bit with some driving videos.
The golden age of instructing was the 70s and 80s , the books were always full and tests could be booked in advance to give the pupil something to aim for. If they didn’t quite make the standard we could re book it and take a few extra lessons to work on the weak points. Pass rates were very reasonable and you would get a lot of recommendations. When they started to try to police teaching the difficulties started , teaching can’t be policed the way DVSA want. Instructors themselves want people to pass as they get recommended , this is the best way by far.
I'm sure most people that haven't been instructors think that's how it works. They think we're sitting there on lessons not noticing that the learner is doing half the speed limit and them flashing their headlights at them to speed up will magically make it happen. It's not that simple.
Here's a funny story about the robot-taxis I mention in this video. People are disabling them with traffic cones! metro.co.uk/2023/07/07/protesters-are-disabling-robotaxis-with-traffic-cones-19086081/
Forcing an ADI PDI to display the badge will just cause instructors to hand pick pupils and leave any that struggle on lessons to find another instructor. It's a little discriminatory dut it's what DVSA is pushing for
Just started a crse to become one .... feel a little sick thinking i may have made a mistake. I hate the job i have now and earn 25,000. If i replace this income and work for myself is it still worth it?
Thanks for the reply, honestly i'd be happy to replace the wage i have now which is £25,000 and the option to get more if i can. That's achievable is'n't it ?
I'd like to clarify the point about there being fewer provisional licences and fewer people learning to drive. I can already hear instructors typing out messages saying the number of provisional licences is up and they're fully booked for months with a waiting list!
The latest figures show the number of provisional driving licences issued is up by 6% but there are fewer active provisional licence holders. That means more people are applying for licences but not so many are using them.
People get provisional licences for all sorts of reasons with the main one being that they want a form of ID. Many people get a provisional licence for when they want to learn at a later date.
The reason it seems like so many people are learning is that we're still dealing with the backlog from 2020. Lots of people didn't start learning then which created a concertina effect where it now seems more people than ever are starting. They're not, we're just catching up from 2020.
Data from the DVSA shows that the age of people passing their driving test has risen. Most new full licence holders are now aged 23-29 whereas it has long been 17-20.
The switchover from fossil fuel cars to electric is also causing some people to wait. Some don't see the point in learning a skill that will become obsolete; using the clutch and gears will soon be a thing of the past because electric cars don't have them.
There is also a growing number of people that don't want to drive cars powered by fossil fuels for environmental reasons. This isn't such a big issue but people have cited it as a reason for not starting lessons.
All of this means there will most likely be a dip in the number of people learning over the next few years followed by a possible increase as more go electric.
Here is more proof of the general downturn and feeling of apathy in the driving instruction industry.
The DVSA ran their annual ADI survey in June 2023 and had only 5,795 replies. That means only around 15% of all ADIs (about 40,000 in total) could be bothered to reply. The number of driving instructors continues to fall year on year with more leaving the job now than ever before.
Big schools are using this to advertise the fact there is a shortage of driving instructors. Notice how they don't say why there's a shortage - because so many are giving up! What is a shortage anyway? How do they even come up with these statements? It's like saying there's a shortage of clouds.
The DVSA makes an excuse for the low reply rate in the email announcing these figures which also contained an amusing Freudian slip. It says "We know how busy you are helping learner drivers prepare for their test.". It ought to have said, "We know how busy you are helping learner drivers become safe drivers for life."
All they care about now is passing a test as proven by them naming their latest campaign Ready to Pass instead of Ready to Drive. See the email here content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKDVSA/bulletins/36347ce
For more information on what it's like to be a driving instructor including the income, working hours and scams used by driving schools see www.1stdrive.com/the-truth-about-being-a-driving-instructor/.
Great informative videos lately Paul. As a fellow ADI of over 20 years, Im very concerned about the future of the driver training industry 😢
I'm glad someone enjoys them. I have made a few more like this that'll be coming out over the coming weeks. For everyone here for the therapy, don't worry because that remains my main focus from now. It's just nice to mix it up a bit with some driving videos.
The golden age of instructing was the 70s and 80s , the books were always full and tests could be booked in advance to give the pupil something to aim for. If they didn’t quite make the standard we could re book it and take a few extra lessons to work on the weak points. Pass rates were very reasonable and you would get a lot of recommendations. When they started to try to police teaching the difficulties started , teaching can’t be policed the way DVSA want. Instructors themselves want people to pass as they get recommended , this is the best way by far.
Oh how I miss the days of "Role play" instructor check tests. "Fix the fault" and watch it magically disappear! 😂
I'm sure most people that haven't been instructors think that's how it works. They think we're sitting there on lessons not noticing that the learner is doing half the speed limit and them flashing their headlights at them to speed up will magically make it happen. It's not that simple.
Here's a funny story about the robot-taxis I mention in this video. People are disabling them with traffic cones! metro.co.uk/2023/07/07/protesters-are-disabling-robotaxis-with-traffic-cones-19086081/
Forcing an ADI PDI to display the badge will just cause instructors to hand pick pupils and leave any that struggle on lessons to find another instructor. It's a little discriminatory dut it's what DVSA is pushing for
Just started a crse to become one .... feel a little sick thinking i may have made a mistake. I hate the job i have now and earn 25,000. If i replace this income and work for myself is it still worth it?
Only you can answer that but here are things to consider www.1stdrive.com/how-much-does-a-driving-instructor-earn/
Thanks for the reply, honestly i'd be happy to replace the wage i have now which is £25,000 and the option to get more if i can. That's achievable is'n't it ?