A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN INSTRUCTOR

I'm sure people have certain views of certain jobs, perhaps aside of the day to day instruction and peoples perception that we sit in a car all day makes everything until that point look easy. I've read a post recently on a driving instructors facebook page and by far the biggest problem instructors have day to day is diary management. It consumes so much time. Messaging. Waiting for replies, then messaging again. Cancellations are a huge problem for instructors. I've generally taken a more relaxed approach as I feel our lives are very busy and changes do happen. But, it can be difficult to make use of our time when we are not always in control. Much of our lesson planning comes from the students. I good instructor will have a good knowledge of the roads and training areas they will need, so as such day to day we do not need to plan lessons in advance. We do however need to advertise and this takes on many forms. It could be paid campaigns via social media and your website or other types of ads. These need to be designed and planned well ahead. Many instructors are turning to social media and platforms like TikTok as done well they can allow an instructor to market themselves and not spend too much money. Searching for test bookings. There are many ways to find driving tests but over recent years it has become much harder. Driving instructors and students will spend a lot of time searching for driving tests. This has taken on a new breed on time consuming since the backlog of driving tests began in 2021. As instructors we spend a lot of time sitting down. My aim is generally to exercise every other day without letting the admin work build up but also stay fit and healthy. I also play tennis to help keep the calories off. Its a constant battle. The more hours you work the less likely you will feel like going for a walk. General admin involves calls, emails and bookings. Confirmation emails and details to be sent to new clients. Its so much easier if people would supply their details in advance as we can start to set up some sort of plan. Full Postcodes. When you are available or when you are not available. Good instructors tend to have availability all the time, but its surprising how often I'm asked this question. I always take work with me on holidays. There are a number of other jobs we tend to do. Cleaning the vehicle. Filling up with fuel and general maintenance. We would need to make sure we have a schedule of Continued Professional Development. (CPD) I normally suggest for every hour we spend on the road we are usually working in the office for half that time. So a typical week of 30 hours tuition could be around 45hours working.