If you are looking to change career, you may not have considered becoming a driving instructor. Becoming a driving instructor can allow you to be your own boss, can allow you to set your own hours. Not only that, you will meet a wide variety of people from teenagers who are just starting out, to older people who have decided to that now is the time to learn to drive. However, to be a driving instructor, you will need to have certain personal qualities and meet certain other requirements. Below is a guide to 2 personal qualities you will need if you plan to apply to be driving instructor.
A high level of alertness
Being a driving instructor isn't the kind of job which you can coast along in. Whenever you are giving a lesson, it is essential that you are fully engaged with, and alert to, the world around you. Being alert will allow you to spot mistakes the student is making, so you can offer kind words of advice on how they can improve their driving.
Student drivers are often so caught up in concentrating on how to operate the steering wheel, gears and brakes that they can forget to pay attention to other traffic and road users. It is your job as a driving instructor to be an extra pair of eyes which can spot hazards which the student may have missed. When warning a student about a hazard, you should not chastise them. Instead, you should use the hazard as a learning opportunity by explaining how to spot dangers and how to react to them.
A lot of patience
Many people who can drive, forget just how difficult it can be to master how to control the gears and steering wheel. It is likely that anyone who is just starting out will be anxious about driving a car and if they make a mistake when out on the road, a learner driver may become upset. As a driving instructor, you will need to be able to be patient and calm in the face of all of this. If you become frustrated with your student because they keep making an error, this will only add further pressure to the situation. Your calmness should be a model which the student can copy. If they notice that you do not become flustered when mistakes are made, it will make it much easier for them to relax even when things go wrong.
If you would like to find out more about becoming a driving instructor, you should contact a driving school near you.