Driving Instructor Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Are you searching for a driving instructor job description? Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a driving instructor. Feel free to use our driving instructor job description template to produce your own driving instructor job description. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a driving instructor.
Who is a Driving Instructor?
A driving instructor is known by a variety of titles, including “auto driving instructor,” “educator,” “instructor,” “teacher,” and “truck driving instructor.” An individual employed by a novice driver who is learning how to advance their abilities—often for an impending practical test—is referred to as a driving instructor. Regarding permissions and other requirements, different nations have distinct laws. Teaching novice drivers the concepts and skills necessary to correctly operate a variety of vehicles, such as cars, motorbikes, lorries, and buses, is one of the many tasks that driving instructors must perform. A driving instructor who has passed a test and been registered with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is known as an “Approved Driving Instructor” (or ADI) in the UK (DVSA). Under UK legislation, driving instructors must be certified before they can bill for their services.
Students are taught how to drive safely and obey traffic laws by driving instructors. Making lesson plans for classroom training, practising driving with students, and giving them comments on how they may get better are all part of your job as a driving teacher. To teach your students important driving concepts and techniques, you need to be an effective communicator and teacher. Driving instructors typically work with experienced drivers who wish to learn how to operate different vehicles, such as motorbikes or commercial vehicles, or with novice drivers who are getting ready to take their driving test. Driving instructors offer both theoretical and practical training to help pupils improve their driving skills. Students may learn to operate passenger or commercial automobiles from driving instructors. Driving instructors educate students on the tests they must pass to obtain their driver’s permits and licenses by combining classroom instruction and on-the-road training. They impart driving skills, as well as respect for local traffic and parking laws, to students.
You must be a skilled driver and have prior experience operating the vehicles you are teaching pupils to operate, whether it be a car, motorcycle, bus, or semi-truck, to be an effective driving instructor. Make your students feel safe and at ease, while they are learning to drive; rookie drivers frequently face anxiety behind the wheel. Teach pupils defensive driving skills, safe driving practices, and local traffic regulations. Practice public speaking and making presentations since driving instruction also incorporates classroom education. You must always have outstanding communication with your students if you want to be a successful driving instructor. In the end, a top-tier driving instructor will customize their education to match the needs of pupils while still achieving the driving school’s goals.
Driving Instructor Job Description
What is a driving instructor job description? A driving instructor job description is simply a list of duties and responsibilities of a driving instructor in an organization. Below are the driving instructor job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a driving instructor job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
- Predict the activities of other road users as you drive defensively to maximize road safety and save time, money, and lives.
- Make classes that are suited to the requirements of the students.
- Adapt to the latest technology found in autos.
- Recognize how a car’s systems operate and offer solutions.
- Portray respectfulness and be explicit, and consistent while giving well-founded criticism and appreciation.
- Set up formative assessment procedures to evaluate work, emphasizing accomplishments as well as errors.
- Give instructions on a vehicle’s components, how they work, and the rules of the road.
- Teach practical knowledge about all facets of driving.
- Park motorised vehicles without endangering the structural integrity of the cars or people’s safety.
- Pay attention to the traffic around you, neighbouring vehicles, road conditions, and posted speed limits to guarantee your safety.
- Act appropriately by understanding traffic lights.
- Make sure the car has accessible features like a passenger lift, seat belts, restraint harnesses, and wheelchair clamps or webbing straps.
- Assist students in gaining self-assurance in their driving abilities.
- Regain control of the vehicle in emergency scenarios.
- Determine the extent of the problem with a vehicle and the time and money needed to fix it.
- Provide encouragement and practical help to students while they work.
- Encourage your students to take pride in their accomplishments and actions to boost their self-esteem and academic development.
- Keep track of student development and report on it.
- Ascertain the safety and whereabouts of all students who are under the authority of a teacher or other individual.
- Observe safety precautions in the learning environment.
- Let the students know when it’s time to take the driving exam.
- Notify the driving school’s director of any accidents immediately.
- Maintain the car regularly, and where necessary, present legitimate government documentation such as licenses and permits.
- Maintain awareness of recent advancements in your field of expertise, including new research, laws, and other noteworthy alterations, whether they are labour market-related or not.
Qualifications
- A minimum of a high school diploma.
- A driver’s license will be required for the level you will be teaching.
- Valid certification or qualification for teaching driving.
- The ability to manage the vehicle’s performance.
- Track record as an excellent driving instructor.
- Knowledge of the norms of the road and traffic regulations.
- Excellent writing and spoken communication.
- Passion and endurance.
- Ability to maintain composure under stress.
- The ability to work overtime, including on weekends, if needed.
Essential Skills
- Excellent Communication Skills: Communication extends to numerous educational spheres in addition to conveying the necessary driving skills and manoeuvres. In addition to ensuring a good and fruitful training session, motivating students through active and engaging instruction can aid in their training and growth as drivers. Driving is a privilege, not a right, but it’s also a major accomplishment for everyone and one that ought to be honoured. A driving instructor who can successfully balance work and play while still having fun on the road can effectively convey the value of following traffic laws. It might be discouraging when there is a breakdown in communication between the learner and the trainer.
- Relationship-Building Skills: Working as a driving instructor entails a high customer turnover rate. Being an excellent driving instructor implies you should have no trouble meeting and getting to know new individuals because you will be meeting new people every week. As a result of your reputation for friendliness and dependability, this will also benefit when people refer you to their friends.
- Time management Skills: Having good time management skills is crucial for the success of both your business and your students. Make sure you are on time and prepared to go to the agreed-upon meeting location if your student is paying for an hour-long class. Make sure you have a lesson plan prepared and give each student your undivided attention so that both your reputation as a teacher and your pass rate can increase.
- Patience: Patience is required when dealing with a kid who won’t quit crunching gears despite your best efforts to get them to stop after the entire hour has passed. Just to have them show up for their lesson the next week, get in the car, and start rattling the gears. The student wants a refresher on what they learned the previous week after a week, which is incredibly frustrating for you. This is not the job for you if you lose your temper and start yelling at a learner or if you have a very short fuse. If you can maintain your composure while providing steady direction and a calm demeanour, however, this is the opportunity for you.
- Empathy: A excellent driving instructor is aware that each student is unique. Different people possess varying degrees of competence. It’s crucial to keep an eye on each person’s development individually and use a different teaching strategy for each learner when training them to drive. Every student, from the novice to the intermediate driver, has their needs met by the instructor’s careful framing of the lesson objectives.
- Sincerity: Not every student has the same background, skills, or ability to practice outside of class. It’s critical that you, as the instructor, are open and truthful in how you view the student’s development and the likelihood of passing the exam. It is part of your responsibility to let them know if they are not prepared to take the test after their first 12 EDT lessons. If they are prepared, it is your responsibility to let them know that as well without pressuring them to take further courses.
- Sharp Reflexes: If you are a daydreamer, there is no point in becoming a driving instructor. While looking at billboards for DFS’ upcoming sofa sale may be amusing, you cannot be thinking about it while guiding a learner driver onto a busy Warley Road during rush hour. A traffic collision is certain to occur if they abruptly stall while you are distracted. If things aren’t going as they should, you as a new driving instructor need to be able to react quickly on the dual controls.
- Clear Direction: Every order and instruction you give as a driving instructor must be crystal clear. For instance, if you point to the exit you want the student to take as they approach a roundabout, they can choose the incorrect one and waste critical learning time. You must give instructions straightforwardly. Speak to the learner in a language that is simple to teach and that they will understand.
- An Open Mind: You should be able to think critically as a teacher. This is a result of the various learning styles and tempos of your students. Not every student will progress in the same way; some may face more challenges than others. A very difficult student will be especially appreciative and find their profession satisfying when they pass their test, so try to come up with new teaching methods for them.
- Punctuality: Many teachers have rules in place that state that if a student cancels a lesson, they forfeit their tuition. When a lesson needs to be cancelled, instructors should reschedule and always arrive on time. Your learner won’t be progressing at the appropriate rate if this happens frequently.
- Expertise: Being an expert in all the skills they will teach themselves is the fundamental qualification for someone who wants to become a driving instructor. A quality instructor will have a thorough understanding of road markings, signs, and symbols. A key component of your competence is a solid understanding of the speed restrictions for various types of roads and zones.
How to Become a Driving Instructor
Step 1: Satisfy Minimum State Requirements
Most states need that you have a high school diploma or GED before enrolling in a program to become a driving instructor. Furthermore, many states have a minimum age requirement, such as 19 years old for classroom instruction and 21 years old for training to operate a vehicle. The number of years of driving experience required can vary by state, but additional requirements include having a current personal driver’s license.
Step 2: Select a Specialization
You can choose to teach non-commercial or commercial vehicle driving after fulfilling the educational and experience requirements. Standard automobiles, minivans, sports utility vehicles (SUVs), light trucks, motorcycles, and mopeds are a few examples of non-commercial vehicles. Buses for passengers, diesel trucks, and ambulances are all considered commercial vehicles. The type of training program you select and the driver’s license needed to start your instructor’s training program will depend on your choice of specialization, which is specified by state driver classes and vehicle types. For instance, if you want to teach people how to drive school buses, you might need to acquire a commercial driver’s license for school buses before enrolling in an instructor’s program.
Step 3: Go for Training
Programs for training driving instructors are available at universities, technical institutions, and governmental organizations. Both on-campus and online options are available. Depending on your specialty, your training program’s length could range from two days to a few weeks. Generally speaking, your curriculum might include lessons on your state’s highway transportation regulations and protocols, techniques for teaching rookie drivers differently from expert drivers, and creating lesson plans. Find out which teacher schools are authorized by your state by contacting the motor vehicle office in your state to avoid problems with instructor licensure.
Step 4: Obtain Driving Instructor’s License
In most cases, you’d apply for licensure and pay the necessary costs. Additional requirements include submitting proof of your high school diploma or GED, displaying your driver’s license, and finishing an approved training course. An investigation into criminal history and driving history are two additional typical state criteria. Following the state’s regulating body’s approval of your application, licenses are issued.
Step 5: Acquire Work Experience
You can work as a driving instructor as an independent contractor or as an employee for businesses including driving schools, public schools, government offices, and auto insurance firms. Depending on your area of expertise, the pupils you teach could be anyone from high schoolers to ambulance drivers.
Where to Work as a Driving Instructor
Driving instructors are typically employed in two different types of schools. Either the commercial driving schools that are accessible to the general public or public high schools that offer driver education courses. The finest prospects for driving instructors are found in commercial schools, which are becoming more prevalent. Many driving instructors operate by themselves (as self-employed) and under a contract.
Driving Instructor Salary Scale
In Nigeria, the average monthly salary for a driving instructor is roughly 125,000 NGN. From 63,900 to 193,000 NGN is the salary range. In the US, a driving instructor has an average salary of $51,909. Typically, the income ranges from $40,196 to $60,783. Commercial driving instructors’ salaries vary depending on the school. The majority of driving instructors receive a percentage of the fees their pupils pay, so their income varies with the enrollment. Some receive commissions in addition to pay.