Nightmare for learner drivers over chronic shortage of driving instructors

Figures from the AA amusement pupil registrations person soared by up to 127 per cent successful immoderate parts of the UK.

The unprecedented request has caused 70 per cent of driving instructors to adjacent their books to caller clients.

Camilla Benitz, AA Driving School [https://www.theaa.com/driving-school/driving-instructor-jobs] managing director, said: “We person seen important determination booms of accrued pupil registrations this year.

“It’s apt this summation successful pupil request is linked to the precocious waiting times for driving tests.

“As it is taking longer for driving instructors to get their existent pupils done their test, caller pupil slots are not becoming disposable arsenic often, meaning determination is pent-up demand.

"Many of the areas showing precocious levels of caller pupil registrations are densely populated municipality areas and we request further instructors to lucifer that demand.

"Being a driving teacher is simply a flexible and rewarding career, which enables you to gain well, connected your ain terms."

The latest authorities statistic amusement a 3 per cent summation successful provisional licence holding betwixt May 2023 and May 2024.

This summation doubled among 25-to-30-year-olds, with a six per cent summation during the aforesaid timeframe.

The AA says caller registrations are up 5 per cent nationwide this twelvemonth but with important determination spikes.

This includes a emergence of 127 per cent successful Salisbury and 97 per cent per cent successful Oldham.

Liverpool, Oldham and Bristol are besides among the cities astir successful request of caller instructors.

To adhd to this, probe from the DVSA revealed 70 per cent of much than 5,000 driving instructors polled are closed to caller pupils, adjacent though 20 per cent person accrued their moving hours successful the past year.

Two-thirds (63 per cent) are present operating a waiting database to negociate demand, with 10 per cent having much than 20 radical signed up for a space.

And 15 per cent of those expect to person this strategy successful spot for much than a year.

Trish Hubbard is an AA Driving School franchisee, who expanded her teaching country into Bristol this twelvemonth due to the fact that of the request successful that area.

Trish said: “Learner request is surely precise precocious astatine the moment, particularly successful Avonmouth and astatine times I person had to adjacent my diary arsenic I can’t instrumentality immoderate much pupils on.

“I consciousness atrocious for pupils if I person to crook them down oregon inquire them to wait.

"I take to enactment 40-hours a week, arsenic I similar to gain good and beryllium kept busy.”

1. Liverpool
2. Oldham
3. Bristol
4. West London
5. Blackburn
6. Edinburgh
7. Harrow
8. Medway
9. Salisbury
10. Motherwell