AA Driving Lessons

Recently I had a call from a potential learner driver client who told me that I had been recommended as an Instructor to him by someone who passed their practical car test when I was still giving AA Driving Lessons.

According to the caller, the person who recommended me could not speak highly enough of me, because they had been very impressed with the services I had offered them as an AA Driving instructor, the quality of learner driver tuition had been first class, I was never late for driving lessons, nor did I cancel training sessions booked which they said had been very structured, tailored to their individual ability and most importantly I had been able to record onto DVD their mock driving test and the last few AA driving lessons they had taken before the test which had been very helpful in making sure that they not only understood what they were doing wrong, but the remedy that we had used on the post mock lessons. All this according to the caller meant that the recommending person passed their driving test with flying colors (3 minors according to the caller, as I don't remember how many driving errors were committed).
All this the learner driver caller said had made them decide that they were going to use me as their instructor beginning January 2009 to achieve their new year's resolution of getting the full UK driving licence.

I checked with the caller what area of London they lived, whether they wanted manual or automatic driving lessons and informed them of the current hourly rate of tuition, checked that they were in possesion of a current and valid UK provisional licence, all of which they were happy with, and I was about to book a date in my diary for the first appointment, when they asked if AA driving Lessons were still conducted in the airconditioned Ford Focus car, to which I said yes, but that I was now an independent driving instructor, and while I no longer held a franchise with the AA organisation, I still offered all the services mentioned earlier and currently was using a Ford Fiesta as school car.

To my surprise, the caller said they would not be willing to take any tuition with me, because they specifically wanted AA Driving lessons. To cut a long story short, the person hung up the phone, and I did not secure the pupil because they were looking for lessons from a particular driving school.

Tuition with branded National Driving Schools

So the question is this, are you guranteed better quality tuition from the likes of AA Driving School, BSM, RED, LDC, Bill Plant just because they have a strong national presence and are established as a brand? The simple answer is no.
What many people don't know is that Driving Instructors are all self-employed and hold franchises from these national driving schools, are not employed, nor report to a boss at these organisations. In fact the driving instructors pay these organisations money to 'work' for them!

What this means is that the experience one gets when taking AA driving lessons for example depends solely on the instructor one gets, and has nothing to do with the brand name, which is why you see so many varied reviews of these motoring organisations. Some have good experiences, while others don't.
The only consolation you have when using a national driving school, is that you can complain, and get an instructor changed, and sometimes a token compensation for your troubles. Don't get me wrong, you will be paying a premium for taking Tuition with an organisation such as the AA driving school, BSM or RED, and usually the quality will follow, but it is never guaranteed, and you can get the same or better quality of driving tuition if you choose the right local independent ADI.

If you are one of those people who likes to stick with brand names, don't be surprised if you don't get the quality you are paying for, as you are dealing with human beings, and should request a change as soon as possible, on the other hand, you can find very good driving instructors working in your locality who will not cost you an arm and a leg, provide the service you desire, and will work their socks off to help you pass the driving test!
AA Driving Lessons are not just the only way of getting quality learner driving tuition nor does a brand guarantee you will pass or give the DSA examiner a better impression of you as a test candidate.

If you would like affordable quality manual driving lessons in North West London, then call me on 07956233032. I don't offer automatic lessons

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More reading
The truth about driving school franchises.
Where to find cheap driving lessons.