Grumpy Instructors

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

doing my C+E training this week, started monday, covered reversing today, so far its going reasonably

the instructor was nice as pie yesterday, was correcting mistakes, but not getting shirty about anything, told me I should have no problems at the end of the week if I carry on.

today was a different story, however, I am doing 2-1 training and me and the other bloke were both catching hell from this instructor.

I was just after some opinions, of how people found their instructors over the course of their training, because there were moments, today when I felt like cancelling the rest of the week and packing it in, as this is one of my few weeks off work and I really dont need the abuse.

He was shouting, tutting, shaking his head, asking rhetorical questions that dont need answering, and just being generally unhelpful. Half the time in my view, he was giving us instructions too late, then complaining at us that we arent doing our mirrors, signal, mirrors, braking, gearchanging etc all in enough time to negotiate the junction. Is it any surprise?

As drivers under instruction, we all make mistakes, and often repeat them several times, particularly as the day wears on and we get more tired. It may be stressful trying to teach people who seemingly keep making the same mistakes, but surely the biggest part of an instructors job is keeping cool and maintaining a level of professionalism throughout the day. After all how much are we paying for this ‘privaledge’, its almost like we become an annoyance to them.

Was feeling good about things yesterday, but today my confidence for the on road segment is absolutely shot to hell. Spare a thought for me and my co-driver this Friday in South Oxfordshire.

What are others views on grumpy instructors? Am I just taking it too much to heart, after all I realise these people are there to correct our mistakes, but there is a right way and a wrong way for everything…

2

:frowning: We all have OFF DAYS
But even so, take him to one side and ask for an explanation :wink: after all the course costs around £1000, a lot of money to pay for being mocked.

But then again, he might be different again tomorrow :unamused:

3

Hello Wildgoose mate,

I understand where your coming from although my instructor is spot on. He has got a little heated with me when I first started training with him Passed my class c with him training me and I was a nightmare at the start lol. He soon knocked me into shape though within 2 days (I felt like a bit like you mate its normal). I am now being trained by him for my C+E and because I already drive like I was trained too its a lot easier on my ears with him lol.

Going back to my class c… It does annoy you a bit when they start reacting to your mistakes. After all your paying for it and have had to book your days off to do it… Your sacrificing everything to do your training but stick with it mate. Don’t take it to heart. Just shake it off and don’ worry as much, relax and take your time. Look at the big picture! You will be a professional driver soon :smiley:

One thing I will say is I couldn’t be an instructor as it would be way to much stress to teach. They deserve a pat on the back doing that job.

Keep it up :smiley:

Cheers, Nige

4

Big Nige:
One thing I will say is I couldn’t be an instructor as it would be way to much stress to teach. They deserve a pat on the back doing that job.
Cheers, Nige

I dont deserve a pat on the back as I enjoy the job. I say job, but what I mean is a vocation - I would choose to do this as a hobby.
Do I get stressed with trainees? - NO - only with the incompetant DSA :exclamation:
My hobby is teaching advanced driving as an unpaid adviser with one of the UK leading organisations.

IMHO any instructor who does not make their trainees feel at ease or make the training enjoyable should quit.

5

Hi ROG, Thats a fair comment mate straight from the horses mouth so to speak. Good onya mate. It must take a certain kind of person to do your job. My uncle was a driving instructor for around 40 years and he said he loved it. He is now retired.

Nige

6

He was shouting, tutting, shaking his head, asking rhetorical questions that dont need answering, and just being generally unhelpful.

NO instructor has a right to shout at his trainees (Unless sit is STOPPPPPPPPPPPPP!) in an emergency :laughing:
Remind him that you are a paying customer and have paid a lot of money to learn a new skill and he in turn is being paid to teach you this skill. If you are not getting the hand of it straight away then it is his job to make sure he unerstands why you are not getting it and make sure he explains it more clearly - or in a different way - so that you do understand and get it right.
Tutting and head shaking are signs that he is lost for words - and he certainly should not be.
I must admit I have been frustrated many times by particularly bad drivers but have tried my hardest not to show it and keep on trying to do a good job.
Have a word with him. Remember it is your money and you are paying for him to sit there. You are not doing him a favour by being there.

7

I walked out on my instructor. Drove back to base, got out and went home.