What's it like being a driving instructor?
There aren't many Driving Schools that will provide you with this level of honesty, so grab yourself a drink of your own choice and get ready for some plain speaking home truths!!!
The first thing you that you should know is that you need to have held a full UK driving licence for three years and be over the age of 21 before you can start thinking about becoming an instructor, it doesn’t matter if it's an Automatic or Manual licence.
If that sounds like you, then you have the basic requirements to begin your instructor tests!
It requires the right person
In order to acquire the necessary qualifications, there are three tests you need to take. The first test is computer based and will examine your knowledge of theory and hazard perception. The second is a practical driving test and the third is a practical test of your ability to instruct. The second and third parts are known to be the toughest and once you pass part one, you have a two year period in which to complete all three tests, or else you have to start again.
The tests can be quite difficult, so make sure that you've thought it through properly: Do you have good road safety knowledge and excellent driving skills? Are you able to give clear instructions and able to adapt your teaching style?
Becoming a driving insrtuctor is not an instant process, It can take anything between six months and two years to complete all three, and sometimes even longer!
Do your research
Instructor training can be quite expensive, so make sure you've done some thorough research before embarking on your tests. After you passed the qualifying tests, you'll be self employed, you'll probably end up working unsociable hours.
You'll have to deal with loss of money through cancellations, sometimes aggression, various emotional states, other road users behaving badly and you'll have to remain calm AND professional throughout.
BUT, if you can do all these things, then you will enjoy the feeling you get when you see someone you have trained, gain their full drivers licence, there’s no feeling in the world quite like it.
Our driving instructor training packages
Instructor 101
£1500
Pay in advance, 50 hours
- 10 Hours Part 2 Training
- 40 Hours Part 3 Training
- Official DVSA Training Materials Included
The Full Package
£2350
All in one, everything included, pay in advance
- 1 ADI Part 1 Test Included Worth £81
- 1 ADI Part 2 Test Included Worth £111
- 1 ADI Part 3 Test Included Worth £111
- 70 Hours Part 2 and Part 3 Training Worth £2100
- Official DVSA Training Materials Worth £29.99
The most trusted automatic driving school in the UK
Drewmatic are currently amongst the Top 10 best rated driving schools in the UK according to the popular, and very well known, review company, Trustpilot.
And we are incredibly proud of that! Thank you.
Some of our most frequently asked questions
Why automatic?
- If you take a careful look around, in some of the national driving instructor Facebook groups, you'll see that more established manual instructors are making the switch to Automatic.
- The motoring world is changing, it’s evolving and with the onset of hybrid, electric and hydrogen powered vehicles the manual gearbox is dying out.
- We're staying well ahead of the curve at DrewMatic, which is why we've been so successful, so quickly.
- If nobody wanted Automatic, why have we been so successful at it!!??
- The days when Automatic Driving Licences and lessons were ‘niche,’ are long gone.
- Automatic Cars ARE the future, the days of Manual are coming to an end, soon Manual will be seen as the niche and MANUAL cars could well disappear from UK roads within 10 years as motorists ditch the gearstick for automatics.
- It’s all thanks to the rise in popularity of hybrid and electric models that only come with auto gearboxes.
- Brit buyers are already moving towards automatics for improved fuel economy, according to the latest industry data.
- Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal demand for autos is outstripping the rest of the market by three times.
- And last year, more than 600,000 automatics were registered, up 50 per cent from 2013.
- Mike Best, from leasing site ContractHireandLeasing . com, said if current trends continue manuals could be extinct in the next decade.
- He said: “New automatic transmissions are extremely intelligent. It's now common to see seven and even nine-speed automatic transmissions.”
- “They enable smooth, efficient driving at low revs, therefore burning far less fuel and reducing emissions.
- “Manuals often create bad driving habits such as over-revving, riding the clutch and using the wrong gear. These are things that cause wear-and-tear, as well as increase fuel consumption and emissions.”
- Philip Nothard, retail and consumer specialist at CAP HPI, said running costs over three years for popular models like the Ford Focus, Nissan Qashqai and BMW 5 Series were now fairly equal regardless of transmission.
- He told The Sun Online: “Automatics are becoming a lot more acceptable in the consumer world — it’s no longer a clunky auto box.
- “Running costs are negligible and depreciation is better for automatics. Manuals are only really for petrolheads, but the roads are so busy now that it’s easy to have an auto.”
- High-end manufacturers such as Ferrari and Porsche have been phasing out the manual option for years, but now more mainstream manufacturers are ditching the stick because of reduced demand.
- Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said UK drivers were still “doggedly devoted’ to traditional stick-shift as just seven per cent of the 1.5million driving tests taken last year were in automatics.
- But he added: “Traditionally the automatic was regarded as more expensive to buy and thirstier to run, but the technology has improved massively in recent years to the point where it can actually offer better fuel economy than the manual alternative.
- “Interestingly, many automatics give the driver the option of switching between automatic and manual control at the flick of a switch, which might well be the way autonomous driving systems get introduced in the fairly near future.”
What kind of package do DrewMatic instructors get?
- High Work Levels, We Outrank EVERY Driving School In The North East For Automatic Passes And There’s NOTHING Toxic About Our School, We’re Staffed 100% By Driving Instructors
- Franchise Fee Is £50 Per Week
- 4 Franchise Free Weeks Per Year (after 6 Months’ service- and you DON’T have to save for it by paying an increased weekly franchise- unlike others that we could mention.)
- Free DrewMatic Top Sign
- We Pay For Your Vehicle Signage And Decals
- No 4/40 or 4/44 Beginners Deals, EVER
- Free Standards Check Training from DVSA Grade A ORDIT Qualified Instructor Trainers
- Trainee Automatic Instructors get a dedicated local mentor once they’re earning to show them around and to teach them local test routes and local test centre ‘etiquette’
- Only Two Weeks’ Notice Needed If You Ever Want To Leave
- One Free Franchise Week For Every Automatic Instructor You Recruit
- TWO Free Franchise Weeks For Every Big National Driving School Automatic Driving Instructor That You Recruit
- Access to an Automatic Vehicle, if you need one, while we build your diary, then help to source your own*
- We can chat with you and give you some options to escape your current franchise contract that are tried, tested and work
- PROPER Support. Not just some faceless office clerk who knows NOTHING about being a Driving Instructor
How qualified is my instructor trainer?
- DVSA ADI Standards Check Grade A
- DVSA Fleet Registered.
- ORDIT Registered Instructor Trainer.
- ORDIT Premises Inspected.
- BTEC 4 Professional Award in Coaching For Driver Development.
- DIA Diploma in Driving Instruction.
- DIA Advanced Examiner.
- DIA Advanced Instructor.
- City and Guilds 7303 and 7304 Teaching Certificates.
- SAFED Trainer, Assessor and Tutor.
- Energy Savings Trust Trainer.
- RoSPA Tutor.
- IAM Advanced Driving Test.
- IAM Masters Test (Distinction).
- DIA Advanced test.
- DIA Special Test.
- Cardington Special test Grade A (no faults).
- RoSPA Advanced Test: Gold Award.
- LGV: B+E, C1, C1+E, C, C+E.
- PCV D1, D1+E, D, D+E.
When will I be able to carry out my lessons?
We will always try to fit your lessons in and around what is convenient for you. whether you’re currently out of work and want to train more intensively or if you’re quite busy and can only spare a few hours a week, or whatever, we can make that work too!
What's the pay like?
It’s pretty full pay all the way, the hourly rate in the North East is £27 an hour, £40 for 90 minutes and £50 for 2 hours.
If you’re looking to join us from out of the area, we will match the local rate across the board. Which is significantly better than the 4 hours for £40 the big names MAKE you do. You’re better off financially with us too.
Are PDI and ADI instructors welcome?
Oh God, HELL YES You Are !!!
Is all training one-to-one?
It Certainly Is!!
Where do you operate?
We have instructors who operate from the South Banks of the Tyne and all the way down to Guisborough and Stokesley.
We’re pretty much most places in the North East.
We especially need instructors for North Tyneside, Northumberland and Newcastle.
A driving school worth shouting about
With more male and female automatic driving instructors than any other North East based automatic driving school covering Sunderland, South Shields, Peterlee, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Darlington and the surrounding areas, Drewmatic are on hand to help you pass your driving test.
It's very well known that whenever anyone asks where they can find an Automatic Driving Instructor near me, a Driving Instructor For Automatic Car, or Automatic Driving Lessons near me, Drewmatic are almost always quoted as one of the best, and most trusted Automatic Driving Schools.



