Motoring Discussion > Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Fenlander Replies: 16
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New Wed 10 Oct 12 15:31 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - Fenlander
Isn't there someone on here who was a driving instructor up to not that long ago?

Anyway wondering how important it is than an instructor is listed on the DSA website?
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New Wed 10 Oct 12 16:41 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - Robin O'Reliant
In what context do you mean?

If it's to check that the person is actually an ADI he will have a green certificate on the windscreen with his photo, name and roll number on it, or a pink certificate if he is a licenced trainee.
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New Wed 10 Oct 12 18:47 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - Fenlander
Really wanted to know what standing the DSA listing had. Was it essential, desireable or not of real significance?
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New Wed 10 Oct 12 19:31 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - Robin O'Reliant
Not of any real significance. The only sure way of finding a good driving instructor is by personal recommendation. I assume one of your daughters is coming of driving age? Some of her peers must be in the system or have recently gone through it, ask around to see who has or had an instructor they felt comfortable with and who they felt explained and demonstrated what they were trying to impart in a clear and patient manner.

Some of the top graded instructors cannot keep pupils because they have all the theory and the knowledge but their clients hate them.
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New Wed 10 Oct 12 19:36 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - Fenlander
>>>assume one of your daughters is coming of driving age.

Indeed. Just had a false start with one guy and the most favoured guy I'd like her to use now (and he has good local feedback) isn't on the DSA list so that caused me to wonder.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Wed 10 Oct 12 at 19:36
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New Wed 10 Oct 12 19:41 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - Robin O'Reliant
>> >>>assume one of your daughters is coming of driving age.
>>
>> Indeed. Just had a false start with one guy and the most favoured guy I'd
>> like her to use now (and he has good local feedback) isn't on the DSA
>> list so that caused me to wonder.
>>
"Good local feedback" is the killer punch. Of course it's always possible that his style may not suit Miss Fenlander, but if others are happy to recommend him that's the clearest indication you can get that he's worth his money.
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New Wed 10 Oct 12 21:56 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - Bromptonaut
>> Some of the top graded instructors cannot keep pupils because they have all the theory
>> and the knowledge but their clients hate them.


True of other fields of teaching too. All the academic knowledge in the world ain't worth much if you cannot communicate it.

Pretty sure my own DI back in the seventies had several personae.

The one for teenage males involved dirty jokes and observations on women passing by. I suspect he had a different 'patter' for nervous housewives and another for his young female students.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Wed 10 Oct 12 at 21:58
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New Thu 11 Oct 12 10:55 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - Fenlander
Thanks for the advice. We'll try this new recommended guy and hope she sticks with him. I'm finding daughter learning to drive thing more than a little stressful.
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New Thu 11 Oct 12 16:33 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - No FM2R
Its also important that she likes the person and is comfortable with them.

He says, somewhat obviously.
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New Thu 11 Oct 12 23:22 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - legacylad
My driving instructor pal has DSA level 6 on the side of his car.
Not sure if this makes a difference to pupils wanting lessons, but tonight he told me that next week he has 46 one hour lessons booked, and PassPlus all day Sunday. Not surprised he covers almost 60k miles a year.
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New Fri 12 Oct 12 18:11 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - IJWS14
I believe that they must be DSA approved to CHARGE for lessons.

In his second job my father was an instructor (level 6) - his advice to us was to speak to the head examiner at the local test centre and ask whose pupils were best prepared for the test.

Led us to a very good instructor after the one my daughter used proved to be not so good.

As an aside I see there is a national group charging about £5 an hour less now than he did when he retired for the second time about 8 years ago.
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New Fri 12 Oct 12 18:40 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - Robin O'Reliant
>>
>> In his second job my father was an instructor (level 6) - his advice to
>> us was to speak to the head examiner at the local test centre and ask
>> whose pupils were best prepared for the test.
>>
>> Led us to a very good instructor after the one my daughter used proved to
>> be not so good.
>>
You got lucky. Any examiner found recommending a particular driving instructor would be out on his ear.
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New Fri 12 Oct 12 19:22 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - Robin O'Reliant
One further word of advice. If at some stage you decide to take Miss Fenlander for extra tuition yourself, ask her instructor if you can first sit in on a lesson. I was always pleased to allow this as it let the parent know exactly what standard their offspring had achieved and what routes they were capable of tackling without dual controls. It also meant i didn't have to put up with, "I thought you were supposed to know your job, she's had three lessons already and when I took her round Hyde park Corner at 5 O'clock last Friday she nearly killed us".
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New Mon 15 Oct 12 08:48 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - IJWS14
>> One further word of advice. If at some stage you decide to take Miss Fenlander
>> for extra tuition yourself,

What I did was not to tread on the instructor's toes - How they use gears and speed is to a certain extent tailored to passing the test so don't try to change anything the examiner is teaching her - e.g. they are supposed to drive at the speed limit, not just below it.

I concentrated on road awareness and reading traffic / anticipation, so much so that my son believes he failed on test because the examiner thought he took a gap that was a little tight, not there so can't really comment but he was always OK with me in the car.
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New Mon 15 Oct 12 08:39 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - IJWS14
Ah... But he wasn't recommending . . . . . .

just saying whose candidates were best prepared.


I know it is a fine line.
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New Mon 15 Oct 12 12:24 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - Fenlander
Yes I will be careful to respect the instructor's methods. I've already been in email contact with him to confirm the practice sessions with me are to add a little road time and he must tell me if they affect the way he is teaching her.

Last edited by: Fenlander on Mon 15 Oct 12 at 12:24
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New Mon 15 Oct 12 12:38 
 Driving Instructor - DSA listing important? - Bromptonaut
Agree with Robin.

I took both of ours out for practice and was careful over, for example, waiting in gear and clutch down at lights. Apparently that's thought better than student going into overload as green comes up.

One thing I did enforce was gear change points. Instructor was having the lad change up, in a diesel 207, at just over 2k/rpm. In Berlingo I insisted on my rule - 3k.

Both passed first time, The Lad just a fortnight ago. He's now more relaxed driving and doing it much better than when under observation.

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