Choosing an adi training school

You've decided to take the 'plunge' and want to train as driving instructor. Here's some advice on who to go with:

You will need to find an effective trainer - there are many that can 'rip you off' - they are willing to take your money, but offer little in substantial training or materials.
Choose your trainer carefully.
Try to find a trainer that will let you stay in your current occupation while you're training.
Contact many training establishments and compare them to see who would give you the best training at a cost effective fee.
Don't be fooled by trainers that promise you can earn £30,000 +a car in your first year. Most Instructors earn on average between £16,000 and £23,000.
Ask plenty of questions. For instance, do they offer a franchise when I qualify? If they do, am I tied to them for a set period after I qualify? What training materials do they supply? What happens if I fail the Part 3 test?
Ask the training organisation about the quality of training, supervision and support towards your exams.
Also ask the organisation if they will let you 'pay-as-you-go' for your training? Using this payment method will let you spread the cost That way, if your not happy with your training, you can walk away and find another training provider.
Don't part with any of your money until you are completely happy with their terms and conditions.
Once you've qualified, you need to decide whether to work for an established organisation, or yourself.
If you decide on the former, you can start out by working for a school who work on a franchise basis where the school will be charging you somewhere between £120 and £320 per week. For that fee you would get a car and a pupil introductory service. that equates to about 15 to 20 hours before you will make any money. 20 to 25 hours if you include fuel. On the plus side, working for a 'franchise company' (for example, BSM or the AA) will allow you to build up a customer base' if you decide to leave and 'go it alone'.
If you decide to work for yourself, what hours are you willing to put in? The hours are often long and unsociable if you want to work full-time. Can you afford to run a car that will get abused, and will go from doing maybe 10,000 miles a year to space shuttle mileage? With that comes additional servicing and won't last as long time wise due to the abuse it will get. so although the idea of earning £15 to £20 seems tempting, the overheads are quite high. Advertising costs can be high to get your business off the ground, and can make or break your business.
Any family you have, must be 150% behind you in your choice. Self-employment isn't for everyone. The bottom line is, It can be very rewarding working for yourself, and seeing one of your pupils pass first time. You can also make money in the profession if you're prepared to make sacrifices and put in the hours. If you play at it doing just 20 hours a week, you won't have any money to live on, unless you have another income, due to the overheads.
Think long and hard before you start, as once you start paying for your training, you won't want to stop as you don't want to waste the money you've spent.

I hope that some or all of this will be of use to you - and finally, good luck. If you have any comments about this page, or choosing a trainer, please do join our forums and ask.