How to Find the Best Driving Instructor
I think it’s safe to say that only the most sincere people would choose to go into a business that puts their life in someone else’s inexperienced hands for hours at a time, but sincerity doesn’t mean they’ll be a good driving instructor.
When you’re new to the graduated licensing world it really pays to find the right driving instructor in order to shave a few months off the time it takes before you can upgrade your licence.
It also pays to find an instructor that will actually help guide you along the path to comfortably navigating the wide open road. You may know some good drivers that are willing to teach, but are they good instructors? Not so likely.
Here’s what you should do when you need to learn how to drive:
Use a government approved training school
This provides the most benefit for the novice driver. Not only will approved driving schools pair you with experienced, well-trained teachers, but there are often secondary benefits to using these schools, like reduced car insurance and of course, less waiting time between graduated licence levels.
Your provincial transportation department or ministry should have a list of approved driving schools on its website.
Consult family and friends
If someone close to you already knows how to drive well, they probably had a good instructor and would be happy to pass their name along to you.
Additionally, family and friends can be a good way to get some extra practice sessions in without forking out more cash. However, if someone lets you use their car for practice try to repay the favour by taking them out for a meal or covering the cost of gas.
Things to think about when meeting an instructor
If at all possible you want to meet your potential instructor before handing over any money. Don’t bother meeting with a representative of the school or anything like that. You need to get a feel for the person you’ll be spending time with. Here are some questions to keep in mind when you are looking at driving instructors.
- What is their attitude like? People learn best when they get along well. Like with any teacher, a driving instructor should be patient, able to express themselves clearly, and make you feel at ease.
- Are they local?
- Are they available at your preferred times?
- What do they charge?
- What do they provide with their lessons? (In-car training, does the lesson time include pick-up and drop-off?)
- What is their policy on cancellations? Do they reschedule at no extra cost? Or will you end up paying a fee or the full price of the lesson anyway?
So now you should know everything you need to get yourself a quality driving education. Enjoy those lower insurance premiums.