Choosing the right driving school and instructor is an important step on the road to your driving licence. It’s not just about choosing an individual instructor. You may ask yourself, “Should I learn to drive at a big driving school? Or is an independent instructor better?”
We’ll help you decide.
What are the advantages of a big driving school?
Big driving schools like AA Driving School have slick websites and online learning aids. Having free access to the best online tools and apps can help you get to grips with both the theory and practical skills needed to learn to drive.
You also know that if you book with a school and your instructor gets sick, it should be easy to transfer to another instructor from within the same school.
Another plus with a big driving school is that they will have access to both manual and automatic cars. If you start learning in a manual but can’t get the hang of it, you should be able to switch to learning in an automatic without having to change schools.
Why learn with an independent driving school instead?
Small independent driving schools and instructors working for themselves may not have such impressive websites. However, because they don’t have a big brand name to bring learner drivers to their door, they rely on word of mouth. If they don’t get recommended by their customers they tend to go out of business.
Independent instructors have to build their own reputation, and the best work very hard to keep their learner drivers happy and provide them with the best possible start to their driving career.
Also, although they don’t have the resources of a big driving school, that doesn’t mean they use stone-age teaching methods. Many independent instructors will still have access to online resources and apps that they can use in their lessons.
So, should I learn to drive with a big driving school? Or is an independent instructor right for me?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The key thing is the relationship you build with your instructor, not whether they have their own name or that of a big driving school painted on the side of their car.
Whether you go with a big or small school, talk to the instructor on the phone before you book to get an idea of whether you will work well together. To begin with, try a couple of lessons rather than block-booking loads so you can make sure the instructor is right for you.
