LDC Driving Instructor Training College
Welcome to the LDC approved driving instructor training open learning college, the third largest officially recognised and approved provider of driving instructor training courses in the UK. We specialise in training people to become driving instructors for our driving school Learner Driving Centres (LDC) using highly modern open learning training resources and localised in-car training throughout the UK. We have over 40 ORDIT qualified trainers providing training from over 50 locations covering nearly all test centres where the official qualifying driving instructor examination is carried out. Those in the north of England can also attend our new state-of the-art driving instructor training centre, conveniently located just off the M62 at junction 32 near the Xscape. Although each person who undertakes a driving instructor training course with LDC is guaranteed a position with us it is not compulsory for them to join.
LDC approved driving instructor training centre
About the examination you need to pass
Before you can legally operate as a driving instructor in the UK, you have to pass the Driving Standards Agency (DSA, part of the Department of Transport) Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) examination. This involves a theory and driving test similar to the current tests for learner drivers and a practical test of your ability to instruct where the examiner expects you to give them a driving lesson as he or she plays the role of a learner driver. Therefore there are three parts to the ADI examination, the theory test, the driving test and the test of your instructional ability.
What skills or qualifications do I need to become a driving instructor?
Academic skills are not particularly needed to pass the ADI examination as the second and third parts are practical tests (i.e. driving and instructing) and the theory aspect is multiple choice with optional voice over requiring no writing skills. Therefore those people who didn’t excel at school shouldn’t be put off the idea of becoming a driving instructor, as the ADI examination requires no formal qualifications. Driving instructing is a very practical skill and the ability to communicate with others and appreciate safe driving is far more important.
Therefore if you are good with people, have held a driving license for a minimum of three and a half years (with no more than 5 points and no bans) and take a pride in your driving this may be the right job for you. You are also required to undergo a Criminal Bureau Record (CBR) check and provide two written character references before you take the first part of the examination. Please also note the eyesight check on the driving part of the ADI examination requires you to be able to read a number plate from a slightly longer distance than on the L test (i.e. an extra 7 metres), with glasses, if normally worn.
Disabled candidates: The DSA is also keen to support candidates with various disabilities and allow various adaptations to be fitted to the vehicle provided such adaptations still allow a pupil to operate the car either as a manual vehicle or an automatic. However, in the latter case the candidate would be restricted to only giving driving tuition in an automatic vehicle once they qualified. Please note to pass the driving part of the ADI examination candidates need sufficient neck mobility to allow then to take effective observations through the rear window. Unlike the L test you are not permitted to fit extra mirrors to overcome any such problem.
Candidates from ethnic minorities: The DSA is also keen to encourage candidates from ethnic minority groups where English may not be their first language. The way the ADI examination operates is also designed to make this possible. LDC is an equal opportunities employer.
We passed with LDC's instructor training ...so can you.
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For more details of people who have passed with LDC's driving instructor training course click on testimonials.
DSA Government approved driving instructor training organisations – ORDIT
To help protect the public from poor training standards the Government along with the Driving Instructor Industry introduced the Official Register of Driving Instructor Training or ORDIT for short. As an absolute minimum you should ensure that you only train with a company on this register.
How to choose the right driving instructor training company for you
If having read the above you feel you are a suitable candidate to become a driving instructor the next step is to find out more about the job and the training courses available. This website will help you to decide whether LDC is the company for you. However, to help you make the right choice when considering others we have also provided some further advice below.
Whilst being a driving instructor is an enjoyable and rewarding career, it is important that you are not fooled into buying a driving instructor training course to become a driving instructor for the wrong reasons. Many genuinely successful driving schools have plenty of work and are looking to recruit new instructors. However, watch out for those organisations who are only interested in your training course fee, who do not have a successful driving school or who provide over priced ineffective mass production type training. To help ensure you make the right choice we would recommend you undertake the following two steps.
Step 1. Obtain information
Because you will probably know little about the driving instructor training industry and what different driving instructor training providers offer, your first step should be to obtain information. Be wary of those organisations unwilling to provide you with information unless you attend a sales presentation or meeting with them. Clearly, such organisations have something to hide and will probably use the meeting to persuade you there is little point in looking at anyone else.
Most people want to become a driving instructor because they want a job at the end of the training but few give sufficient thought to exactly what is being offered at this stage. Most driving instructor training schools/colleges offer some form of guaranteed placement with an unnamed driving school. Some driving schools have no substance and are little more than glorified car rental firms offering little or no security for your future. Naturally, it would be very easy to place you with a driving school that paid you very little. The only way you can be certain of knowing who you will work for and how your income will be earned is if you train with an established successful driving school that wants to recruit you - precisely what LDC has to offer.
Make sure the training course is adequate to get you through all three parts of the examination. Look at the course programme, the course materials, any classroom training, precisely how the in-car training will be conducted particularly for Part 3 and the quality of the trainers they provide. As a minimum make sure the company is ORDIT registered and the trainers are ORDIT qualified. Parts 1 and 2 are relatively easy to pass as it involves knowledge and skills you already have to a certain extent, however, Part 3, the delivery of instruction on the move, is a new skill and it is at this stage where sufficient top quality training is essential to success. Therefore look very closely at precisely what is being offered for Part 3. If the materials and programme of training for Part 1 and 2 are poor it is highly likely the training for Part 3 will be equally poor.
Step 2. Arrange to meet the training providers
Once you have short listed the companies you are interested in considering compile a list of questions and arrange to meet with each company in turn. Without the information obtained in step 1 you can not determine what the important questions to ask are.
Don’t send money to a company without meeting with them first. It is very easy to produce a professional looking website or brochure. Also if such a training provider guarantees a job you really have to ask yourself why they would do this without seeing you first. It may be that the driving school is really only interested in your driving instructor training course fee and the school is little more than a car rental firm!
Be very wary of any companies offering lots of guarantees that seem a little too good to be true especially if it is about the work they can offer once you qualify. Often these companies can only offer such guarantees because they know very few people will qualify with their training and when you find out the full ramifications of the job being offered they know you will not join them in any case. At least two large driving instructor training firms (i.e. Roadcraft UK and Lets Drive) offering such guarantees have gone bust in the last few years rendering such guarantees worthless and leaving several thousand driving instructor training students very disappointed.
Do not be tempted to sign any contracts or pay any money during any meetings always take the agreement away with you and check it carefully afterwards without any pressure. Make sure you compare it with any other training providers before reaching a final decision and do not hesitate to contact them again if you have any further queries. Don’t sign any documents or make any payments while under pressure from a salesman. Only once you are sure the job is right for you and you are confident that you have a good chance of passing the ADI examination with the training being offered should you sign any agreement or pay any money.
If you follow this basic advice you should be able to avoid buying poor quality or over priced training with no real job prospects.