What Certificate?
A Driving Instructor Certificate IS NOT a guarantee that you’ll have any success at passing your test!
Think about it…
Your dog needs a license, but it does what exactly for him? What? He’ll wag his tail harder when he sees you?
A marriage needs a license, but does it stop domestic violence; make the wife a better cook; make the husband drink less beer?
When I hear Driving Instructor Certificate I often think of asking married people “So… I trust that you have a marriage licence? How is that working out for you?”.
Yes, it’s important to get proper K53 instruction and knowing that your instructor knows his stuff so you can be assured that you’re getting the correct training. I fully agree with you there! No problem.
What I DO have a problem with is meeting a new client, she gets into my car and the first words out of her mouth is: “I HATE DRIVING!”. This, coming from a person that has been with a certified driving instructor, which I later learn, is the same instructor from whom I have now “inherited” this, 17th client – a client that has been belittled and insulted, been exposed to severe impatience, shouting, name-calling…the list goes on.
In cases like these I can’t help wondering how it is that an instructor like that keeps his job. Do people just not complain? Are clients intimidated into silence? Is their sense of self-worth so trashed by this guy that they would forfeit their money rather than go back to more insults and feelings of shame and made to feel stupid?
Yes, people, regrettably there are guys like that out there…CERTIFIED guys!!!
You see now why a certificate isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on? It doesn’t give you the assurance that the guy has ANY people skills whatsoever, or that he’ll be enthusiastic about doing his job. What he DOES have is the knowledge which you technically pay to receive, most probably limiting this knowledge to exactly the bare minimum you’ll need to hopefully pass your test. Make no mistake, although fewer in number, there are VERY good instructors out there too.
17/8/2010 EDIT: Currently, driving instruction is not regulated and no formal instructor training or teaching training required. Getting a certificate requires that I fill in an application form, get a health report and I’m forced to have dual controls fitted.
Maybe it’s just me, but I’d rather offer much more…such as 27 years of accident-free driving knowledge that I can carry over while teaching you K53…and doing so passionately, from many angles and using many principles beyond K53, because I actually care for your safety.
When the girl I’ve mentioned earlier, told me that her mother wanted to see me I didn’t go into a flat spin. Why? I know I touch people’s lives and my passion is contagious and legendary (or so I’ve been told). You know what her mother said to me? “THANK YOU! You changed my daughter’s attitude towards driving COMPLETELY. She LOVES driving now!”.
When other people say things like: “For what you offer, you charge waaaaaaaaaay too little!”, I answer with: “Yeah, I know, people wouldn’t be able to afford me.” … and I’m met with “O, how I miss our fun and banter!”
When they say: “Why didn’t I just come to you in the first place?”, I answer with: “So you could grow and know good when you experience it”…and I’m met with a serene, all-knowing smile.
When they say: “I feel like crying when I think that I’ll never see you again after I have my licence”, I answer with: “No need for tears, I’m just an sms away if you ever want to do coffee”…and I’m met with: “It feels like I’ve known you all my life…like you’re family!
Former clients greet me like the friend I have become to them, I get hugs, they share recent news about their lives, their jobs, their families, their driving progress. I get to meet their new babies, I hear about the honeymoons, I get to see photos of the new puppy, hear how granny’s health is much better…
Now maybe it’s just me, but as much as I may want to believe it, I don’t think a Driving Instructor Certificate creates the relationships I have with clients or that it will make a difference to my passion for what I do and the way I’m viewed or valued by the many people I’ve trained.
MOST important of all, it’s NOT about me – it’s about YOU, and how we work together to grab your success with both hands.
Call me Old School, call me Maverick, call me anything you want…
I believe driving should be fun – you may never know the difference till you try!
