My Quest to become an ADI

[DampDog]

You are spot on with the ADI badge, my mistake when I wrote it

My Father is living in Cyprus now and his vision is too poor to carry on driving but he has given me lots of advice.

I will order the ADI handbook, good advice thanks.

One thing that helped was using a training buddy. Depending who you use for your training they may well have other trainees at a similar point and put you in touch with them. Roll-play is a great tool when learning to instruct. I'd also recommend you get yourself onto the 'Driver Training Today' forum, there are loads of instructors old and new that will help you out.

 

[Dr Who]

Will do, thanks for the advice. As an ex trainer I hold great value in role play as a practice method as you can make your mistakes without jeopardising live students.

 

[DampDog]

Will do, thanks for the advice. As an ex trainer I hold great value in role play as a practice method as you can make your mistakes without jeopardising live students.

It's a life saver in driver training as you can have quite severe faults demonstrated without risking the car or anyone else. Likewise at the other end of the scale some pretty subtle but repetitive faults can be added to see if you're paying attention.

Golden rules. Identify the fault, analyse it and be specific about the remedial action. What most people miss is testing it. It's no good spending 5 minutes dealing with a fault just to have the pupil not understand you or ignore what you've said.

 

[Dr Who]

Thanks Dampdog.

Got my theory test next week, fingers crossed.

 

[DampDog]

Good luck with that. Theory is easiest part by far, so long as you know your stuff you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[Trifid]

Indeed. If you are slowing the car using the gearbox, then chances are, you're not in the appropriate gear to react if you need to. If you need some immediate power then you need to be in the best gear to give you that power.

I know this is an old post, but please explain how going through the gears at the appropriate speed means you are not in the correct gear for immediate power? Especially as opposed to dipping the clutch and then selecting the correct gear for the speed you reached when braking? Not that I have ever suddenly needed unplanned power while half way through braking...

 

[Dr Who]

Good luck with that. Theory is easiest part by far, so long as you know your stuff you shouldn't have any problems.

Only the Hazard Spotting fills me with dread!

Some of the videos are incredibly poor quality, however the new CGI ones should be a lot better.

 

[Dr Who]

I know this is an old post, but please explain how going through the gears at the appropriate speed means you are not in the correct gear for immediate power? Especially as opposed to dipping the clutch and then selecting the correct gear for the speed you reached when braking? Not that I have ever suddenly needed unplanned power while half way through braking...

When you engage a lower gear to brake it is generally at the top of the rev range to provide maximum braking effect, if you then need to accelerate, you will need to change up again quickly.

The main reason for not going down the box one by one when braking is that it is no longer required for effective braking so 1 gear change gives you better control of the vehicle than 4-5.

Additionally, why go 3rd-4th-5th when you can just go 3rd-5th in most cases?

More time with hands on the wheel is better, less wear and tear on the engine AND, staying in one gear, foot off the accelerator, clutch not disengaged uses less fuel when slowing down. Every time you depress the clutch, the fuel kicks in to keep the engine running.

Hope that helps

 

[Trifid]

When you engage a lower gear to brake it is generally at the top of the rev range to provide maximum braking effect, if you then need to accelerate, you will need to change up again quickly.

On a track yes. On the road you don't really want the excessive noise of being right at the top of the rev range. Going up to a maximum of 2/3rd the rev limit on down changes should be sufficient for being in a good gear 'to accelerate' (still can't think of any scenario where I would be once braking to then need to floor it - surely I was braking for a reason?)

The main reason for not going down the box one by one when braking is that it is no longer required for effective braking

I 100% agree. In a emergency you are better of using 100% of the brakes and dipping the clutch as it nears idle speed.

so 1 gear change gives you better control of the vehicle than 4-5.

Not so sure. Once you get to idle speed you need to dip the clutch until you are at the required speed and then select the gear. Coasting is bad is it not?

Additionally, why go 3rd-4th-5th when you can just go 3rd-5th in most cases?

Maybe because I don't do this much but block up changes results in a less smooth changes as the engine speed is not matching the road speed. Why not accelerate a bit in each gear as well? Will be more efficient in terms of fuel.

More time with hands on the wheel is better, less wear and tear on the engine AND, staying in one gear, foot off the accelerator, clutch not disengaged uses less fuel when slowing down. Every time you depress the clutch, the fuel kicks in to keep the engine running.

Indeed. But again when slowing down, once you hit idle speed the clutch needs to be engaged. Also I find people tend to select the gear and then lift the clutch mid corner.

Hope that helps

Thanks for your response. For the record, I do both depending on what is best for the situation. I can see, if teaching one or the other, I'd go for the block down changes.

 

[Dogbreath]

On a track yes. On the road you don't really want the excessive noise of being right at the top of the rev range. Going up to a maximum of 2/3rd the rev limit on down changes should be sufficient for being in a good gear 'to accelerate' (still can't think of any scenario where I would be once braking to then need to floor it - surely I was braking for a reason?)

I completely agree, nothing wrong with this at all, and in fact means you are always in the most appropriate gear for maximum possible acceleration, in the unlikely event of needing it.

When you engage a lower gear to brake it is generally at the top of the rev range to provide maximum braking effect, if you then need to accelerate, you will need to change up again quickly.

The main reason for not going down the box one by one when braking is that it is no longer required for effective braking so 1 gear change gives you better control of the vehicle than 4-5.

This is contradictory. If you are changing down as you are braking, you are always in the best gear for max acceleration. If you only use the brakes, and then block shift down to a low gear when you have slowed sufficiently, you aren't in the correct gear for best acceleration for most of the entire manoeuvre.

 

[DampDog]

Only the Hazard Spotting fills me with dread!

Some of the videos are incredibly poor quality, however the new CGI ones should be a lot better.

Have you got one of the Hazard perception DVD's to practice with? Most of them are pretty similar and will help you get the hang of it. Iirc it's only 14 clips, pass mark 57 out a possible 75

 

[Dr Who]

Have you got one of the Hazard perception DVD's to practice with? Most of them are pretty similar and will help you get the hang of it. Iirc it's only 14 clips, pass mark 57 out a possible 75

Using Theory Test Pro via my ADI, hell of a lot more than 14 clips, been scoring 90+% so I am very hopeful

EDIT: Not getting into a debate about use of gears here as I am doing this the way I will teach my students and pass my test, not the way a few forum members think it should done otherwise it will end up with a 14 page debate Simply 99.9% of the time a block change is suitable and preferable as there are way too few situations when braking where you will suddenly need loads of power on tap, and almost zero times when you will need engine braking. If you do it will likely be due to ineffective observation or vehicle brake failure, or possibly a need to move out of the way because some idiot is locked up behind you and heading for your boot. If you want to debate that, start a new thread

 

[DampDog]

EDIT: Not getting into a debate about use of gears here as I am doing this the way I will teach my students and pass my test, not the way a few forum members think it should done otherwise it will end up with a 14 page debate

If you're hitting 90% you should be fine.

Likewise I've done the "gears to go" vs sequential debate more times than I can remember. What you do when you're own car is up to you both techniques do the job.

As an "Instructor" you teach "gears to go" because it's in the syllabus and is current best practice. If they change it, you will teach something else.

 

[Dr Who]

If you're hitting 90% you should be fine.

Likewise I've done the "gears to go" vs sequential debate more times than I can remember. What you do when you're own car is up to you both techniques do the job.

As an "Instructor" you teach "gears to go" because it's in the syllabus and is current best practice. If they change it, you will teach something else.

Spot on.

 

[Dr Who]

Well the Part 1 is out the way, despite a zero on a very dodgy hazard clip haha

 

[timbob]

Good work Dr Who, sounds good so far!

Having been through the ADI qualifying process myself a few years back, I thought I'd post with a few bits of advice - you may have it figured out already, but something might help...!

I would look for an independent trainer, don't go anywhere near one of the big names. Someone who will take cash in hand session by session, and only cover what you need. I did a whole bunch of casual sessions with an ex-ADI friend for a pint each Friday down the pub to get my Part 2 driving up to standard and on my first official session with a trainer, he told me to book my Part 2 test straight away - we started straight on my Part 3, which undoubtedly saved me a lot of money.

Have you discovered driving instructor tv? Blaine Walsh runs it, and it is 100% worth the sign up fee for the videos. My trainer didn't recommend it to me, I found it myself, and found it absolutely invaluable. I was/am an experienced teacher in other areas, so never found "learning to teach" a problem, but those videos more than anything showed me how to play the system on the Part 3 test, and get inside the head of the examiner.

All in all, I got qualified for around a grand (including test fees), so it's definitely doable.

I am always very skeptical as to whether driver instruction is financially viable.

Do the financials really stack up? I can never work it out.

Interesting... I found it tricky, and I think the industry is increasingly becoming based around two camps:

- People charging proper prices, working hard and making a living off reputation and a good client base

- A good sized proportion of instructors taking part in the lesson price war, discovering they can't make it pay, lasting two years and then giving way to the next wave of newly qualified instructors.

The long and short of it is that I worked out on my big spreadsheet that it cost me about £7 an hour to run my car (fuel/tax/servicing/etc). Some providers are handing out 5 lessons for £55 - which leaves the instructor working for £4 an hour. Out of that £4 an hour, he/she needs to find £150+ per week to pay the franchise fee before earning a wage. I knew of instructors with boot fulls of empty Red Bull cans, teaching 60+ hours over a 7 day working week (so out the house for 80+ including travelling between lessons) and effectively paying themselves a £10k salary after fuel.

I tried to go down the first route, and found a lot of people (even direct/close friends of the family) asked what I charged (£24 an hour in 2012) and never contacted again. Some did go with me, were satisfied, passed first time with no minors or whatever, recommended me, and my client base did start to go over the space of a couple of years.

Around that time, I was offered a permanent salaried post teaching off the back of some part time self employed working a school that paid at the very top end of what I could hope to earn instructing, so I quit and went in that direction, so never got a chance to see how it worked out in the end.

I think the OP is in the best position he could be in - working off his own back to qualify, and having a part time job to carry on working until he's in a position in a year or three's time to quit, having built up his client base.

 

[DampDog]

Well the Part 1 is out the way, despite a zero on a very dodgy hazard clip haha

Well done, onwards and upwards...

 

[Dr Who]

Thanks guys, am using a mate who is a local adi for lessons and he is also letting me sit in the back of his car for 2 hours a day to observe him. Will be buying my own car and having dc's fitted, no driving school association as clients round here are plentiful. I also have some contacts in local schools which should help. Will checkout the instructor tv.

I intend to do an introductory lesson for a discount but then £25 per hour. My mate is doing 10 hours a day 6-7 days a week right now and is desperate to get me through to help him out, so £25 an hour should be fine here.

Will keep you guys updated, thanks for the support.

 

[Dr Who]

Just booked my part 2 for 5th June... gulp!

 

[DampDog]

Good stuff, onwards and upwards as they say. Just make sure you have your manoeuvres down pat and don't throw it away with silly minors. (remember you'll be asked to do them all, including a right reverse)

I quite enjoyed my part 2, it is quiet intense but if you don't over-think it and just drive it's enjoyable.