Purpose of Information Below

I normally send this link to all enquiries,  who may not have read through my website. The information below is in the main what is found throughout my website but with an emphasis on the Bookings and Waiting lists.

Important Booking Information

Having instructed for some time now, there is always a subject that comes up more than any other. It should be the easiest to deal with but often causes the most discussion and occasionally problems.

That subject is around the bookings and incorporates the amount of lessons needed.

Very First Lesson Click Here

How many Lessons are needed?

As I explain to all my students it is almost impossible to answer this question BUT it is easy to give some advice.

DVSA publish that on average it takes around 45 Hours of Instructor Training Plus 22 Hours of Private Practice. Found here.

This is by no means an exact calculator, it is a National Average taken from different sources by DVSA across the UK.

Other factors always come into play such as but Not limited too:

  1. Frequency of lessons
  2. Age of Student
  3. Traffic Conditions

I can offer Intensive courses, but tend to stay away from them as it is my belief they are not as effective in developing safe student drivers of the future.

As an example – If you select a week when the Schools are not in, the traffic will be notably less, if your test is the following week, with heavier traffic it may affect your driving.

Optimal Lesson Bookings

For those seriously looking to learn to drive in a reasonable time, they should aim to book:

1 x lesson per week period. This will enable them to learn at a pace that works, will see good progress in most students and will hopefully align with Test availability.

Anyone looking to learn slightly faster could seek to book 2 x lessons per week but that would come down to the individuals own circumstances.

Of course the opposite is true if you wish to work at a slower pace,  perhaps due to cost or availability, 1 x lesson every 3 weeks does see progress just at a slower pace.

Problematical Lesson Bookings

When the lessons are spread out longer than 1 lesson in every 3 week period. Whilst it can be managed it often sees problems with  slow progress, more lessons (more expense) and a decline in enthusiasm to get passed. 

This is of course manageable for planned gaps such as Holidays or where unexpected issues have arisen.  There is no problem with gaps in driving lessons other than some logistical issues highlighted below.

Large Gaps between lessons

As I mention above these can be managed and for some Students the decline is minimal and therefore will see no real “Fall off” of skills. We will only know when the lessons are resumed and I write here to re-enforce what I explain to all Students in lessons.

The structure of each lesson, is inline with common good practice, each lesson is really progress from the previous, Starting with  re-cap on skills learnt to-date and then move toward the next Skill if the progress has held.

It is here where the gaps highlight the issues, upon the re-cap phase, we find previous work has been forgotten. We then have to move backward to re-build it. Only once it has really been established to a Test standard can we progress. 

This is of course normal for every student and with every gap, but particularly in the early phase of learning when we are building the key procedures and the detailed safety areas of driving it causes a problem.

Enthusiasm quickly wains when similar lessons are repeated to capture the necessary skills again and avoidable negativity makes the process more lengthy for you the Student. 

Additional Issue with long gaps between lessons

I pride myself in making my lessons as professional as I can deliver, I want them to be fun and exciting and see progress in every lesson.

In reality the learning starts well before the lesson start. Just booking the lesson needs to be as smooth as I can make it, my availability needs to be fair so everyone can select a lesson slot of choice within a program and undertake learning in a time that suits them.

I unlike many other instructors do Not limit postcodes to a certain day of the week, or exclude weekends for example, I try to be fair to all.

This only works with a carefully planned Portfolio of “Active” students. 

To manage this I have built within my offering the status of Active and Non Active students.  Very simply taken:

  1. Active =  those who are training,
  2. Non Active = those who are not training over a 3 week period 

When you are Non Active, the booking app, will automatically place you on the waiting list.

Mock Tests

As I explain in the very first lesson to every student, I have a strict Mock Test policy.

Any Student who wishes to use my car to take their test MUST pass a Mock Test with me no less than 12 working days prior to their test date. This is very important and is something I am unable to change I am afraid.

How many lessons are required prior to Test?

A simply answer is only one the Mock Test. If someone passes a Mock Test with me I may be available to go to test with my car, dependant on availability. 

My advice is to have a number of lessons though as driving a new car for the first time can take some getting used too, Reference points and  general layout of the car will likely be different from what you are used too.

Please remember a Mock Test is a small assessment and No training is really utilized, so the Mock Test will highlight issues not necessarily fix them.

Full Payment prior to each lesson

For insurance purposes I will only deliver a lesson once full payment has been received at least 1 week prior to the actual lesson Slot.

If initial bookings are within the  week period I can try to make alternative arrangements but it must be with full agreement of the Student and I.

Normally consisting of a BACS transfer as I prefer not to take cash payments for lessons. 

Many Thanks for your understanding

I apolgise if the above seems like a long list of negative demands, from several poor experiences and exhaustive admin work over the summer I am trying to ensure that all parties are fully aware of how the system operates, I do where applicable endeavour to be accommodating and keep red tape to a minimum but this Summer has been exhausting with small avoidable issues.

Any problems at all please call me directly.

All the best 

Danny 

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