Confessions of a Driving Instructor

The Part 2 Induction session was held in the same location as the Part1 Induction, but was only attended by four trainees – I don’t know if the Part 1 Induction scared the other three away, or if they were having their Part 2 Induction on a different day

We were guided through the Part 2 training and exam details by our trainer, including being shown a video of someone on their Part 2 test. The driving standard appears to be very high – I just hope I can ”un-learn” my bad habits!

After another overview of the Part 3 training, we were split into two pairs (so we can help each other and learn together) and we arranged our first driving lesson – only 6 days away!

When I arrived at the venue (a hotel in Crawley) there were 6 other scared faces, plus our trainer – he was the only comfortable-looking person there! After introductions, we ran through the process of qualifying as a driving instructor, from completing the CRB check, through registering with the DSA and then into the exams.

We were introduced to the Part 1 exam, which is an extension of the theory and hazard perception exam required by all learner drivers. Whereas learners have to get 43 answers out of 50 correct, we must get 85 out of 100 correct, and they are split over 4 groups, of which we must get at least 21 out of the 25 questions correct in each group. For the hazard perception part, we must get 55 out of 75 points available, rather than the 44 out of 75 required by learners.

We were then given an overview of Part 2 & Part 3 exams – Part 2 being a test of driving standard / ability and Part 3 being a test of teaching ability. These will be looked at in more details during other sessions.