Starting up your own driving school can be very rewarding, both personally and financially. More than 1.6million driving tests are taken in the UK every year, with less than 30% of learners passing their first time. Despite the rising costs in fuel, we are very much a car-dependent nation, and so owning a driving school can be big business.
Becoming an advanced driving instructor (ADI) isn’t as simple as making a decision to start your own school, however. You’ll need to pass a three-stage exam in order to become qualified. Starting your own company can also be hard when there’s a lot of other competition out there, so many instructors opt to go down the franchise route, which gives them their own school but with a big name attached, such as British School of Motoring. A franchise will also offer training, although you will have to pay a fee and follow their rules and conventions to some extent.
Whether you decide to start completely independently or as part of a franchise, you’ll need to make sure you have the appropriate driving school insurance. A franchise may well provide you with business insurance, but you will also need driving instructor insurance to cover you, the learner driver and the vehicle while out on the road, so check if they provide this too.
Understandably, there is perhaps a greater risk of you having an accident while out with a learner driver, and normal car insurance won’t cover you in the same way.
