I’ve had a varying experience with instructors in my quest to acquire all my licences.
I’m in the process of getting the provisional entitlement for lorries and am going through my PCV at the moment (can drive well on lessons but still need to pass a test!) having had the provisional entitlement for 10 years but not done anything with it as have been scheduling buses for most of that time. I am now seeking to change direction completely having mulled over doing so a couple of years back.
I had a number of instructors when getting my car licence - and some of these were shouty/abusive and did nothing to build my confidence - after my first test I ditched one such instructor.
I found a small driving school and had a few lessons with a semi retired lady instructor and then passed on the second go.
I’ve tried three times now to get my PCV - twice with large bus companies and now the third go, self funded with a training school. With both the bus operators I was one of a number of trainees in the bus and my time learning was limited to one/two drives per day and I wasn’t making any progress at all - the barbed comments from the instructors did nothing to build my confidence and in both instances I got nowhere near a test let alone any sort of progress towards taking one.
You begin to have doubts about getting anywhere and that does affect your confidence. I’ve even been told by one such instructor that I’m not a natural driver. The same person then proceeded to tell me how strings were being pulled to keep me there, and that if I was a normal trainee I’d have been sent packing some time ago. With such insight maybe he should consider a career as a motivational speaker?!
So going for a self funded third attempt I was somewhat anxious at what awaited. This anxiety was misplaced. It’s the first time I’ve enjoyed learning to drive and they’ve done a great job of building up my confidence, so much so that I will have no hesitation in going back to them to acquire both my truck licences. I’ve had to travel some distance to go to them, but when I calculate the mileage I’d do crossing the county every day I’d end up covering the same mileage and would be learning in much older vehicles.
It does pay to do homework on where you go before committing - in my case I was coming onto this thread long before I signed up as a member and this informed who I’ve gone with.