I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who have blogs about driving, particularly instructors. This is one such blog, my opinions are mines alone.

So first things first, a bit of housekeeping and information for you.

 My name is Alex Martin and I am a Driving Instructor.

This all began a few years back in the mists of time, when looking for a career with prospects I stumbled onto website which offered to let me be my own boss, set my own hours, work with people, and make enough money to do the things I wanted to do.

So far so good.

A bit of research, a few phone calls and some discussion with family and friends later I decided to take the company up on their generous offer to train me.

This training takes longer than I expected and meant that after a year of theory practice and re-learning how to drive properly(bad habits are easy, getting rid of them is hard!) I still hadn't met a single pupil.

 From here I worked with my Trainer to learn how to coach a pupil, bring out their own skills and refine them to make them a safe driver, as well as covering the full syllabus of driving and maneuvers. It was only half way through this that I got myself one of those little cars with the "L" plates and met some real people who wanted to learn, working with them to develop their skills, and working with my Trainer to improve my own.

 The next step is the dreaded "Part3" exam of Instructional Ability. This has a horrific first time pass rate of around one in four, and with only three attempts allowed before having to resit the entire course, the pressure is on. Thanks to my Trainer and my Pupils my own skills had developed to a level where I passed on my first attempt.

 After a year of training, still working at my previous job, putting in long hours and spending weekends with new pupils rather than going out, I was relieved. I have since come to realise, that is only the beginning!