The pro's and con's of becoming a driving instructor

Advantages and disadvantages to having a driving instructor career

There are numerous advantages and disadvantages to having a driving instructor career. Anyone who is considering becoming an ADI (Approved Driving Instructor) or PDI (Potential Driving Instructor) should think about these pros and cons beforehand. Knowing what some of the advantages and disadvantages are can save you lots of money, time, frustration, and disappointment.

Advantages

Most people think the flexibility of the work hours is a great advantage. For those who do not like working in dead-end 9-5 type jobs, this can be very appealing. It can also be very attractive to those who do not want to work full-time due to having other obligations or being retired, or semi-retired.

Other people are attracted to driving instructor careers due to the high earnings that ADIs/PDIs are reputed to earn. These people may be tired of their low-paying jobs, or be disillusioned with their current job prospects. The possible high earnings are also very appealing to those who find themselves suddenly unemployed, with restless redundancy cheques.

Some people may be attracted to being a driving instructor because it permits them to combine their love of driving with their love of teaching. They find it very rewarding to help others to develop good driving skills. Retired people may enjoy this career because it allows them to pass down valuable knowledge to a younger generation while earning a little extra income to supplement their retirement pensions.

Numerous people choose to become driving instructors because they like to be self-employed. They enjoy having more control over their livelihood and setting up their own methods of conducting business. Others are attracted to this career because they enjoy constantly meeting and helping new people. Some are simply attracted by the new, fully maintained car that most driving schools offer to let their students use.

Disadvantages

One disadvantage to a driving instructor career is that you have very little advancement opportunities. Whether you are a PDI or an ADI, the most advancement you can hope to attain is to own your own driving school, with the possibilities of offering your own franchises opportunities to other driving instructors. The only other employment opportunities for an ADI are to work with the police force or as a fleet instructor.

Another disadvantage is that there are no set salaries or benefits due to the self-employment status of the majority of driving instructors. This means there is no steady income that can be wisely budgeted for business or daily living purposes. It takes several years to earn a good reputation as an independent business, which means it takes several years to make a high level of income from giving driving lessons to learners. Actually, most driving instructors make a higher income by opening their own driving schools, and training new driving instructors than by teaching student drivers.

Due to the lack of sick benefits, you cannot just take off work whenever you’re sick. If you’re accidentally injured during a lesson, or hospitalised for some reason, you will not be bringing in an income. Also due to the high cost of training, petrol, and other business expenses, you have to work many long hours when first starting out. Additionally, the work schedule has to be planned around the students’ scheduled appointments and preferences rather than your own preferred schedule.

Thus, it takes many years of hard work to turn being a U.K. driving instructor into a profitable self-employment business with good benefits. Due to all the things that could go wrong during that time period, it’s best to be well-insured. You should have extra covers for loss of business income, and accidental injuries or sickness. You will need many other types of insurance as well, to protect yourself and your business. There are numerous disadvantages to having a driving instructor career. However, with the proper insurance covers, determination, and hard work, the disadvantages may be turned into advantages.