(Weston Association of Professional Driving Instructors)

Incorporating North Somerset & District areas

NOTHING OF VALUE IS EVER FOR FREE

The ‘Free’ or ‘Subsidised’ lessons will be built into the overall cost of obtaining a full driving licence. These may include the use of TRAINEE or NEWLY QUALIFIED DRIVING INSTRUCTORS, a habit of sitting in the car chatting, home teaching or video watching (saving on fuel and car depreciation costs). Lower prices also mean more hours the Driving  Instructor will need to work to cover costs and earn a living. The resulting fatigue is likely to affect the quality and therefore effectiveness of any training given.

The Fully Qualified and Experienced Approved Driving Instructor will quickly recognise and be able to address training needs, which will dramatically reduce the overall number of lessons required and therefore costs.

Driving is a Practical Skill, so your training should involve mostly driving, covering a wide range of roads, junctions and experiencing many and varied situations, at all times of the day and evening, with plenty of feed back (praise for the good and constructive help otherwise).

Knowledge is an essential part of safe driving and most of this can be gleaned from DSA and other DVDs and Publications, carried out in your own time (no cost to you). This will help greatly in your decision making when out driving, with the practical experiences and Driving Instructor guidance helping to reinforce.

One big mistake is to attempt a Driving Test too early. Both you and your instructor should know that you are ready; otherwise a test failure will result in more lessons, test fees and feeling more nervous on subsequent test(s).

To qualify for the ‘Free’ or ‘Subsidised’ lessons, you may be expected to pay for a substantial sum up front and may not benefit from these until late in your training. You may not get on with your Instructor! Will you get a refund should you decide to change? What will happen to that money in the event of the Trainee Instructor failing to qualify and therefore unable to continue, going bankrupt or even dying? (All have happened locally in recent years).