With ongoing train strikes and prices continually on the rise, using public transport is more difficult now than it ever has been. This is encouraging many people to invest in themselves by learning how to drive. In fact, Google searches for ‘driving lessons near me’ have increased by almost 50% in the last year.
As the demand for lessons increases, there has never been a better time to make a career change and become a driving instructor.
Many people have begun their journey through driving instructor training with Bill Plant Driving School. Looking to find out more? Here are some key stats to pique the interest of any future driving instructor.
Birmingham is the most accessible place for learner drivers to get a lesson, with 17% of our instructors based here.
Bill Plant Driving School has national coverage, ranging from the remote to the metropolis. Almost one in six Bill Plant Driving School instructors are based in the West Midlands – more than any other region of the UK, with a large proportion of these based in Birmingham.
London and the Southeast make up 14% of our instructors, whilst our instructors in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and South Yorkshire make up 12% of our total.
7% of our instructors are based in Scotland, which is considered to be one of the easiest places to pass your driving test. The top 10 areas with the highest pass rates in the UK are all in Scotland, with the pass rate ranging from 76% and 83%.
15% of our new instructors were based in Birmingham, more than any other city.
As the UK’s training provider of the year for 2023, we have many new instructors starting all over the country.
However, Birmingham has seen the most significant increase in 2023 so far, making up 15% of our new instructors this year.
In the past 24 months, 14% of our new instructors came from Derbyshire and South Yorkshire.
The North West of England has the most learner drivers in the UK.
The North West booked more driving lessons than any other region this year so far, with 21% of all bookings taking place here. There was also a 19% rise in searches for driving lessons in Chester, Manchester, and Liverpool, which could make it an ideal place for driving instructors to generate their business.
Although the North West had the highest percentage of bookings, Brighton, Portsmouth, and Southampton saw the biggest rise in searches, with a 22% increase in Google searches for driving lessons in 2022.
The South and the South East of England are where driving instructors can earn the most money.
At £30 per hour, working a 30 or 40-hour week could earn you between £35k and £40k per year. But in the South and the Southeast of England, the average driving lessons are 5% higher than in the rest of the UK, meaning the earning potential for a driving instructor in these areas can be lucrative.
Being a driving instructor isn’t just another job. It’s both flexible and rewarding, meaning you can choose your own hours to fit your schedule and help people achieve a milestone in their lives.
Become a driving instructor with our award-winning training.
Bill Plant Driving School was proudly voted as the training provider of the year for 2023. You can begin your career with two options: an intensive course, or a flexible course.
The intensive course costs you £1495, and is perfect if you want to get your driving instructor career up and running as quickly as possible. The flexible option, priced at £2395, is more suited to those in full-time employment, those with family commitments, or simply those who would rather learn at their own pace.
Bill Plant Driving School will offer you 10 hours of expert training for your driving ability test, and 40 hours of specialist training for your instructional ability test. We will also provide you with an online platform to practise for your theory and hazard perception test and once you’re qualified, access to low-cost CPD courses.
You can also opt into our 20 hours of free PDI (potential driving instructor) training, where you can earn while you learn as part of the Bill Plant Driving School franchise. This will also help you prepare for part three of your training: the instructional ability test, while also making money as you go.
How can you become a driving instructor?
Behind every good driver is a good instructor; becoming a qualified instructor has never been easier. To become a driving instructor, you only need three things: to be over the age of 21, have less than six points on your driving license, and have held a full UK driving license for at least three years.
In addition to the above, you must complete a DBS check. Following this, to become an ADI (approved driving instructor), you will have to pass three tests: a theory test, a driving ability test, and an instructional ability test. These will cost £81, £111, and £111 respectively, and are paid directly to the DVSA.
After passing these three tests, you can register for an ADI certificate, which costs £300 and lasts four years, and you can begin working as a fully qualified instructor!
