Becoming a driving instructor 499

Mark Hewitt

That is amazing - I was made redundent from IT in May! As I am 44, I decided not to stay in IT, just to get made redundent an a few years, thats why I went for driving Instructor now. I found out my job was ending back in Febuary, so I started the part 1 course then. It has taken me until now to complete the course, mainly due to delays waiting for exams and tests.

I chose to train with a local Ordit registered driving school, who then offered me a job. It has cost me £2,200 for the course and exam fees - I know many courses are more expensive than this, especially with the big Instructor colleges.

To give you an idea of costs, I reckon on a gross takings of about £41,000 for 37 lessons a week. The costs work out at the following.

Franchise fee £5980 Car Lease £3016 Petrol £1914 Insurance £400 Accountant £200 Other £240 Total expenses £11750

That leaves around £22000 net after taxes.

Savings to be made is when you work for yourself. If you get a full diary, then that will save £5980 franchise fee, and you can buy an auction car to save a bit on the lease - I like the lease initially as it covers all costs including tyres and AA cover.

I have spoken to other instructers at the school who all say it is possible to work 60 hours a week if thats what you want, but until I start on 4 September, I can't say for sure.

I have enjoyed the training, and found it far more in depth than I imagined it to be. The second reason why I went for Instructor is because there shouldn't be too much problem in getting a job anywhere in the country. -- MrBitsy