08/01/2026
An honest account of my journey to becoming a driving instructor
*Warning this is a long post *
I want to share a very honest account of my journey to becoming a driving instructor, because when I started, I don’t think I fully understood the time, cost, and personal commitment involved.
I left my previous job and thought because I could drive, it would be fairly easy to learn to teach others to drive. I knew driving instructors were in demand in my area as I'd struggled to find an instructor for my daughter and liked the thought of being self employed and deciding my working hours. How hard could it be??
I officially started the process on 26th September 2024, paying £8.22 for a DBS check to obtain my PRN number and begin the qualifying process.
On 8th October, I met with Marcus Astle from Andrews Driving School for a driving assessment, which cost £50. Marcus felt my driving standard was good enough that he didn’t need to see me again until after I’d passed Part 1, and he gave me access to Theory Test Pro, which was a huge help with studying.
I received approval from the DVSA to apply for Part 1 on 17th October, and booked my test in Rhyl for 22nd October, at a cost of £81.
That day was incredibly stressful. I forgot my licence, had a complete meltdown, and my dad had to meet me halfway so I could still get to the test. Despite how I felt, I passed with no problem.
I then applied for Part 2 in Rhyl (£111), but there were no test dates available initially. On 29th November 2024, I finally received a test date for 5th February. At that point, I had no job and no income. I was supported by Universal Credit under a business start-up period and worked occasional hours as agency staff for Royal Mail just to get by.
I had three training sessions with Marcus in preparation for Part 2 (29th October, 9th January, and 29th January), costing £100 per session, £300 in total. My main development areas were approaching situations too fast and not always spotting speed limit changes.
I passed Part 2 first attempt, with two driving faults. I also had remembered my driving license this time!
I then completed 40 hours of Part 3 training with Marcus at £50 per hour, finishing on 14th March, at a total cost of £2,000. I then applied for my Pink Trainee Instructor Licence to start on 25th March (£140).
Further essential costs followed quickly:
Dual controls fitted (17th March): £648
Insurance: £523.85
I started teaching pupils on 24th March.
You must have a sponsor in order to teach on a trainee (pink) licence, however Andrews driving school required me to commit to 12 months post Part 3 qualification with their franchise and that wasn't something I wanted to do.
I changed sponsor to Support Driving School on 7th April. It was a brand new driving school and Diana Todd was an absolute life saver for me as she helped me change sponsor with ease. It worked out well as I had felt quite isolated not knowing other local instructors but through Support I was introduced to Nia Hunt ( who became my Mentor) and her network of local instructors.
I have been with Support Driving School for 39 weeks. During that time, the sponsorship fee was £125 per week while I was training and working towards Part 3. Now that I have passed Part 3, that weekly cost reduces to £90 per week. The £125 included 2 hours of training and lots of other benefits so it was a bargain ( I don't think they still do this deal )
Total sponsorship fees paid to date: £4,875.
Alongside training and teaching, I worked 8 hours per week at Peacocks in Flint, while trying to gain experience and develop as an instructor. So grateful to have been given that job. I worked here until 25th June, at this point I had more pupils and could fully concentrate on teaching.
I applied for my Part 3 test on 4th August (£111) by telephone as I hoped I could requested an afternoon test (I got an afternoon test but the person on the phone said he didn't have an option to request, so may have just been good luck) I was placed on hold waiting for a date. I also applied for a second Pink Licence on 27th August (£140). A pink license runs for 6 months.
On 16th October 2025, I finally received my Part 3 test date for 5th January, which was later moved to 7th January. I passed my Part 3 on 7th January.
Over this whole period, I spent around £1,300 on additional training and lesson support materials.
Now that all qualifying tests are complete, I can apply to join the ADI Register, which costs £300.
From start to finish, this journey took just over 15 months. I am extremely fortunate that none of the tests were cancelled and I passed each exam first time.
With the rising cost of living, I genuinely don’t believe I would have been able to complete this journey had I not already been living with my parents. If I’d needed to earn a full, viable income throughout training, I simply wouldn’t have had the headspace to properly reflect, train, and develop in the way Part 3 demands. For long stretches, this felt very similar to being a student again, reduced income, ongoing costs, and constant pressure.
I’m not sharing this to complain. I’m sharing it because I think it’s important people considering this route understand the real commitment involved.
Becoming a driving instructor is not a quick career change, and it isn’t an easy one. It takes time, money, resilience, and often a level of financial flexibility that isn’t talked about enough.
I’m proud I stuck with it, especially on the days I genuinely thought I wouldn’t. As I now have a new career that I really enjoy.
Financial summary (approximate)
DBS check: £8.22
Driving assessment: £50
Part 1 test: £81
Part 2 test: £111
Part 2 training: £300
40 hours Part 3 training: £2,000
Pink licence (1st): £140
Dual controls: £648
Insurance: £523.85
Sponsorship fees to date (Support Driving School): £4,875
(£125/week for 39 weeks; now reduces to £90/week post-Part 3)
Part 3 test: £111
Pink licence (2nd): £140
Additional training & materials: £1,300
ADI Register fee: £300
Total cost: approximately £10,588
During this journey I have wrote to the BBC and my local MP to draw attention to the issues trainee driving instructors are facing, as I strongly feel legislative change is required due to the long test wait times, but also PDIs are truly at risk of being massively ripped off during training and if they fail Part 3, 3 times, they won't even have a job at the end of it.
This job is great! BUT if you want to become a driving instructor make sure you go into it with all the facts. I hope this post helps anyone who might be on their journey or thinking of starting.
