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Hi, I wonder if somebody could help me please.
I began training to be a driving instructor last year with a very well known driving school.
It’s a long and expensive process and in order to qualify as an advanced driving instructor you need to pass three separate tests.
I passed parts 1 and 2 at the first time of asking, and then found myself in a position to apply for a trainee license. A trainee license would enable me to join a driving school as a trainee (PDI) and gain valuable experience in doing the actual job.
I started shopping around, but I needed to make sure that I would be able to give up my job and financially support my family during the six month training period.
I made enquiries with a national driving school and was given the following information;
"Car, brand new, fully insured and maintained”
"As soon as you start on the trainee franchise you start earning".
“Their average instructor earns £41k in the first year after all fees".
"Unlimited pupils" –
This information was given to me during an online discussion with their recruitment manager, which I was able to save/screenshot onto my phone. This all sounded very tempting to me. I was also aware that the on the job training would prepare me for my final part 3 test. This is the final test where an examiner watches you during an actual driving lesson to see if you are capable of doing the job. If you pass you then become a fully qualified ADI (Advanced Driving Instructor)
There was a weekly franchise fee to pay of £230 per week and the students pay per lesson directly to me.
I started in July last year and I quickly realised that the driving school had not been totally honest. It was not a brand new car, it was a year old with a dodgy clutch.
The vast majority of pupils sent to me were just general enquiries from the Bill Plant website, not actual pupils ready to learn, and the majority was either time wasters or individuals simply making an enquiry. The small number of people who I was actually able to give lessons to had mostly been forwarded to me because their previous Bill Plant instructor had gone AWOL, each one with a different, far fetched, excuse for doing so.
The £41k per year after all fees seemed like a million miles away and I started slipping into debt.
The driving school didn't care, all they wanted was their franchise fee paid on time each week.
Things got worse when someone vandalised the side of the car one night and dented the door with a plant pot. I called the police who gave me a crime reference number and I reported the incident to the driving school. The car went into the garage to be fixed and I had a replacement car.
At the end of November, during a driving lesson, I was involved in an accident which wasn't our fault. We got hit from behind whilst stationary at a busy motorway roundabout. The police attended the scene and told me that the driver had no insurance. They later gave me a log number for the accident.
I received another replacement car the following week, but I was unable to work in it because of my injuries from the accident. My part 3 test was on the 13th December and not surprisingly I failed it. It wasn't easy to twist my neck and check blind spots etc during the test.
The CEO of the driving school told me it was ok to end my contract with them after I failed the test, because I was not fit for purpose, even though the normal procedure is to take the part 3 test two more times or give a one year written notice to terminate the contract.
So we shook hands and I gave the car back.
This week, 8 weeks after I left, I received an invoice in the post for £3,130.35. It is made up of the following;
£687 franchise arrears - this was for the three weeks following the accident where I didn't work on doctors' orders. She signed me off with a note.
£300 car collection fee - I took the car back myself to a garage they requested. It was not collected from me.
£115.75 tyre - It doesn't specify what car this was for and I was not aware of tyre damage.
£62.40 - repair to wing - ??
£115.20 - repair to roof - ??
£1000 - Accident excess car 1 - ??
£1000 - Accident excess car 2 - ??
Less £150 refundable bond. The bond I paid was actually £400.
Total - £3,130.35
I'm confused by it all. I feel like going public to inform the current drivers exactly what they are up against and to warn potential instructors what they might be letting themselves in for. They are a very well known driving school, but they are not trustworthy.
The tragic irony is that trust and honesty between a driving instructor and their pupil is of paramount importance, and yet this driving school possesses none of these qualities. They are basically a bank.
Is there any advice you can give me please. I lost a fortune paying for the training and franchise fees during my time with them last year, and now they are twisting the knife.
Many thanks
I began training to be a driving instructor last year with a very well known driving school.
It’s a long and expensive process and in order to qualify as an advanced driving instructor you need to pass three separate tests.
I passed parts 1 and 2 at the first time of asking, and then found myself in a position to apply for a trainee license. A trainee license would enable me to join a driving school as a trainee (PDI) and gain valuable experience in doing the actual job.
I started shopping around, but I needed to make sure that I would be able to give up my job and financially support my family during the six month training period.
I made enquiries with a national driving school and was given the following information;
"Car, brand new, fully insured and maintained”
"As soon as you start on the trainee franchise you start earning".
“Their average instructor earns £41k in the first year after all fees".
"Unlimited pupils" –
This information was given to me during an online discussion with their recruitment manager, which I was able to save/screenshot onto my phone. This all sounded very tempting to me. I was also aware that the on the job training would prepare me for my final part 3 test. This is the final test where an examiner watches you during an actual driving lesson to see if you are capable of doing the job. If you pass you then become a fully qualified ADI (Advanced Driving Instructor)
There was a weekly franchise fee to pay of £230 per week and the students pay per lesson directly to me.
I started in July last year and I quickly realised that the driving school had not been totally honest. It was not a brand new car, it was a year old with a dodgy clutch.
The vast majority of pupils sent to me were just general enquiries from the Bill Plant website, not actual pupils ready to learn, and the majority was either time wasters or individuals simply making an enquiry. The small number of people who I was actually able to give lessons to had mostly been forwarded to me because their previous Bill Plant instructor had gone AWOL, each one with a different, far fetched, excuse for doing so.
The £41k per year after all fees seemed like a million miles away and I started slipping into debt.
The driving school didn't care, all they wanted was their franchise fee paid on time each week.
Things got worse when someone vandalised the side of the car one night and dented the door with a plant pot. I called the police who gave me a crime reference number and I reported the incident to the driving school. The car went into the garage to be fixed and I had a replacement car.
At the end of November, during a driving lesson, I was involved in an accident which wasn't our fault. We got hit from behind whilst stationary at a busy motorway roundabout. The police attended the scene and told me that the driver had no insurance. They later gave me a log number for the accident.
I received another replacement car the following week, but I was unable to work in it because of my injuries from the accident. My part 3 test was on the 13th December and not surprisingly I failed it. It wasn't easy to twist my neck and check blind spots etc during the test.
The CEO of the driving school told me it was ok to end my contract with them after I failed the test, because I was not fit for purpose, even though the normal procedure is to take the part 3 test two more times or give a one year written notice to terminate the contract.
So we shook hands and I gave the car back.
This week, 8 weeks after I left, I received an invoice in the post for £3,130.35. It is made up of the following;
£687 franchise arrears - this was for the three weeks following the accident where I didn't work on doctors' orders. She signed me off with a note.
£300 car collection fee - I took the car back myself to a garage they requested. It was not collected from me.
£115.75 tyre - It doesn't specify what car this was for and I was not aware of tyre damage.
£62.40 - repair to wing - ??
£115.20 - repair to roof - ??
£1000 - Accident excess car 1 - ??
£1000 - Accident excess car 2 - ??
Less £150 refundable bond. The bond I paid was actually £400.
Total - £3,130.35
I'm confused by it all. I feel like going public to inform the current drivers exactly what they are up against and to warn potential instructors what they might be letting themselves in for. They are a very well known driving school, but they are not trustworthy.
The tragic irony is that trust and honesty between a driving instructor and their pupil is of paramount importance, and yet this driving school possesses none of these qualities. They are basically a bank.
Is there any advice you can give me please. I lost a fortune paying for the training and franchise fees during my time with them last year, and now they are twisting the knife.
Many thanks
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