DSA

The DSA is short for Driving Standards Agency
This is the governing organisation for all matters related to driving and driver training.
Before a learner driver can drive unaccompanied on a public road, they must have passed a driving test with a DSA examiner for the type of vehicle they are driving.
To you as a potential professional driving instructor you must hold a certificate issued by the DSA. This cerificate is called an ADI (Approved Driving Instructor) licence to give instruction in the driving of motor vehicles on the public road.
You can apply for this licence after you have passed the three exams as required by the DSA. Before you can sit for these exams you must have held a full clean UK driving licence for at least four years. Your training though could start towards the end of your third year.

Exam number one - called Part 1
Your first exam is in two parts, a theory exam covering all matters related to driving and the instruction of driving.
It will include
road procedure, traffic signs and signals, car control,pedestrians,mechanical knowledge, driving test, disabilities,law,publications, instructional techniques

The questions are shown to you on a computer screen that lets you select the correct answer either with a mouse, or you can simply touch the screen to select your answer.

A question and four answer options will appear on screen and you have to select the correct answer to the question by touching the screen or using the mouse. Some questions may require more than one answer. You can navigate between questions and 'flag' questions that you want to come back to later in the test. You will have 90 minutes to answer 100 questions.

The pass mark for the multiple choice part of the theory test is 85% -that is 85 questions answered correctly. However, you must reach a minimum 80% (20 out of 25) in each of the four bands. It is therefore possible for you to get an overall mark of 85% or above but still fail the examination because you have not gained the minimum of 80% in one of the bands.

When you have answered your questions you will then have a maximum of a three minute break before the next part starts.

Hazard Perception

The hazard perception part is also delivered on a computer but you respond by clicking a button on the mouse. You will be presented with a series of 14 video clips which feature every day road scenes, in each clip there will be at least one developing hazard, but one of the clips will feature two developing hazards.

To achieve a high score you will need to respond to the developing hazard during the early part of its development. The maximum you can score on each hazard is five. You will not be able to review your answers to the hazard perception test; as on the road, you will only have one chance to respond to the developing hazard. The pass mark for the hazard perception part of the theory test is 57 out of 75.
The cost of this exam is currently £75. and you can take as many tests as you need. Parts two and three though have a limit of three tests can only be taken in a two year period.

More information can be found on the official
DSA driving instructor theory test website

DSA driving instructor

What you will not be examined on to become a good driving instructor.
The DSA tests will make sure you teach your students the correct way to drive a car, but that is not enough to stay in business. You will not be taught customer appreciation. A good driving instructor will teach trainee driving instructors the following principals.

Your students charter
An instructor who keeps to lesson times
Tells you when dual pedals have been used
Explains clearly what you have to do
Not forces you into heavy traffic
Debriefs you after every lesson
Encourages you to succeed
Not unduly alters your lesson time
Explains where you are and where you need to be for your driving test.

At MAL driving instructor training school two more MUSTS can be added to the list.
Nervous students treated with patience
Only 1-2-1 private tuition given

There might be many more good points that driving lessons should be like. If you have had a negative experience with your driving instructor training why not share it with others. No names please though because of legal reasons.
Post your experience here…

Driving lessons from the internet

One indication you can get of a driving instructor trainer suitable to your requirements could be to surf the internet. If you see a driving instructor trainer website that has been put together by a driving instructor and NOT a big company website or training college, you will get an idea of the type of instructor you will have. A website published by a private individual will have a lot of the charcteristics of that individual built into it.