Are you Setting a good example?
This is because the agents want to get the most money from them!
And first impressions last!
Would you walk into a restaurant that looked grimy?
The DVSA's criteria for becoming an ADI is that you are deemed a "Fit and Proper Person".
How that is interpreted, is by personal opinion, but the role you are undertaking is one of responsibility and professionalism.
A professional image, attitude, and attention to detail should be a paramount part of your business.
This doesn't necessarily mean you need to be suited and booted, or can't have a car that has a little dirt on it because it's been raining and spray from the road has made it that way.
But you want to be portraying and image that you are serious about your role as an Instructor and you know your stuff.
If you were to turn up to collect your new student in clothing that looks scruffy and smells awful, along with a car that has sweet wrappers and drinks cans all over the floor, paperwork thrown all over the backseat, and by the condition of the car it look like it would possibly fail an MOT, I'm sure most pupil's would be running a mile!
Consider you and your vehicle as a shopfront! Be the best on the High street.
The guidance for a "Fit and Proper Person" by the DVSA can be found here
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/whats-involved-in-being-a-driving-instructor/approved-driving-instructor-adi-register-guide
Even when you are not instructing but driving in your own time or in between pupil lessons.
Do you drive how you teach your learners, or are you breaking speed limits making it to the next pupil?
Are you using your mobile phone while teaching or outside of lessons when driving?
It's illegal either way to be holding a phone while driving, but also illegal to be using your phone while supplying instruction.
Even if the phone is hands free, which isn't illegal, is it professional when your pupil is paying good money for your services to be spending their money talking to someone else?
Are you smoking in your car? Again, it is illegal to smoke in a vehicle used for business, even if it is outside of normal lesson time and you use your vehicle for personal use, you should not be smoking in it.
We all like a bit of music, but outside of lesson time are you pumping up the beat? how does this look to the general public?
Where and how you park up! with social media being so rife nowadays a click of a camera takes seconds, yet a post all over social media lasts for ages. How many times have you seen driving school vehicles on the internet parking in two bays or on double yellow lines or on the pavement. It looks bad when the people who are meant to be teaching the future generations of driver can't do it correctly themselves.
How clean and tidy is your vehicle?
You are not expected to wash and wax your car every single day of the week, but a clean, shiny looking car will always look like you care about the condition and subliminally maybe that image of a clean and tidy car will be passed on to your pupils that is is as important part of safe driving in the same manner driving to a speed limit is.
How you reflect and image to your pupils will probably set them up for a future of safe driving. Look like you don't care, your car's condition doesn't matter and you'll probably reflect that image as well.
How often do we see vehicles driving around with a head light, side light, tail light or break light out, it's way too frequent nowadays to see this. If your vehicle is not in tip top shape you are probably setting your pupils up to have a belief that this is acceptable behaviour.
The attitude of "do as I say and not as I do" really shouldn't be the mindset of a driving instructor.
