Driving School? Here’s How to Find a Great One!

Driving school is about more than learning to drive, it’s about learning to drive well and understand all the codes of the roads. While many learn to drive with a big brother, sister or parent, there’s arcane knowledge only your driving instructor can bestow upon you.

Wait, let’s be precise, we’re not looking for any old driving school and instructor, we want the best. And one that won’t freak out when you accidentally hit the gutter… a few times (sorry Mum!).

That said, here’s what to tick off your list to find them.

How to find a good driving school

When it comes to essential services, word on the street can be super helpful in separating the wheat from the chaff. Read online reviews, ratings, and testimonials from other students.

You want to know who’s getting kudos and who’s getting thrown under the bus, figuratively speaking. It’s a good way to start your search because people lovvvvvve complaining online. And at a time like this, these complaints come in handy. As does the positive feedback, obviously.

After all, we’re talking road safety here, which is no joke. But it’s not all about hearsay…  

How to find a good driving instructor

Once you’ve shopped around online you may find a few driving schools or instructors stand out. Besides what others online are saying about them, here are some key criteria they should fulfil:

Qualifications

It’s not a given that a ‘driving instructor’ is qualified, so ask to see their driving instructor’s licence. They should also have a Working With Children Check given learners are often minors.

If they’re legit they’ll appreciate you wanting the best teacher and they’ll respect you for it.

Dual controls

You’re new on the road and you accelerate when you’re meant to brake. Your driving instructors has their own set of controls (which btw is a legal requirement from your state authority, such as the Roads and Maritime Services in NSW). They hit the brakes, saving both your lives and everything is hunky dory.

While dual controls are mandatory, there are ‘driving instructors’ out there ‘teaching’ without them. This is another reason you need to make sure you have a well-qualified teacher. You should also be able to choose between manual or automatic to suit your future driving needs.

Experience

While not an absolute must, it can be nicer to have an experienced instructor with several years of teaching. Because let’s face it, teaching is like cheese, it just gets better with time.

Talk to them about how long they’ve been driving, what sort of students they’ve taught and where, and how they think they can help you achieve your goal.

A highly experienced teacher will be better positioned to equip you with the skills you need to drive well and pass your test. So too someone you get along with – make sure there’s a personality fit too.

Flexibility

You’ll spend time learning to park in a controlled environment before heading out on the road. You won’t always be parking or driving in the same location, so you need an instructor who’s flexible about all kinds of driving environments.

Also check for flexibility with bookings, in case you ever have to cancel or postpone a lesson. Check your instructor will accommodate without charging you extra, provided it’s within an agreed notice period. You don’t want to end up paying for a lesson you couldn’t take.

Approach

Flexibility applies here too… Your instructor should follow clear course guidelines with a structured approach according to a defined set of goals for you. Every driver learns at their own pace and has areas of strengths or weaknesses. So your instructor needs to be open to tailoring your lessons to you.

If someone like a parent is supervising your driving outside of school, your instructor should give them guidance to help you achieve your goals.

In addition, you can also look for an instructor who does the following:

• Keys2drive. This is a one hour free foundation course to get you ready to learn to drive. Look for an instructor who’s qualified to give you this lesson too, as it just makes things easier to get started with the right teacher from the outset.
• ‘Beyond Test Routes’. Your instructor must be familiar with and use this program, which takes a more integral approach to teach driving that isn’t only focussed on passing the driving test. This program was developed by the Australian Driver Trainers Association and is said to better prepare you for real life driving situations beyond the test rules.
• System for reporting progress. Your instructor should have a progress card they update after each lesson and communicate the outcomes with you and your supervising driver (i.e. parent/other).
• ‘Low risk driving’. An instructor should teach you to be aware of hazards and drive defensively. Read up on defensive driving skills you need to know and check out this example video.

Driving school lessons

Some schools offer short snappy lessons of thirty minutes or endless three hour lessons. Neither is ideal. You want your lessons to be one to two hours long. It’s enough time to get in the saddle, take new lessons on board and have a chance to practice and remember them.

Three hours can be too exhausting to remember things clearly while thirty minutes is barely long enough to go around a couple of blocks with traffic lights.

Before you buckle up, read up on these road rules you would never have expected to exist!

Find a driving school and instructor

Now that you’ve got a starter list, here are some resources to start looking for a suitable driving school.

• Find my driving school
• Find my instructor (or school)
• Yellow Pages
• Driving lessons 4 you

And while we’re on the topic, read driving lessons during COVID.

Life is an open road – so drive it well

Passing a driving test is one of the biggest milestones – you want to get it right the first time. But even if you don’t, know the road ahead is endless and getting the driving skills you need will stand you in good stead for the rest of your life.

Another thing you can benefit from is car insurance. Insurance is your assurance of a much better financial outcome if your car is damaged or stolen – you won’t have to foot the bill alone.