Every driving instructor has their own style of teaching, but there are some pretty consistent qualities that you should find that practically all instructors have. When searching for a driving instructor make sure to keep all of the following traits in mind to avoid choosing somebody who may not be up to the task of teaching you.
Strong Knowledge
First and foremost you want an instructor who is completely aware of all of the rules of the road, as this is the knowledge that they are going to have to impart on you. They should be feeding you little bits of information as you drive in addition to asking questions. They should also be able to answer practically any driving-related question that you pose to them.
Patience
Learning to drive is a different process for everybody. Some people pick all of the concepts up really quickly and practically whiz through all of their lessons, whereas others find everything a little bit more of a struggle and so need to practice a lot more to get things right. A goo driving instructor should be able to adapt to the needs of the student and demonstrate patience in order to teach them effectively. If you have an instructor who seems to demonstrate too many signs of frustration if you are having trouble, they may not be a good fit for you.
A Good Communicator
A driving instructor will be teaching an important skill, which means they need to be capable of delivering their message clearly and concisely. Your instructor should not ramble around a point, instead telling you what you need to know in a way that you understand. They also need to be confident when communicating, as they are going to be spending the majority of their working day with other people. If they are not confident when it comes to delivering their message, they are going to find that their students don’t place trust in what they have to say.
Time Management
A driving instructor will need to understand how to get from A to B during the course of their day, as they will be scheduling in a number of different learners. If the instructor has poor time management skills they may end up being constantly late for their student’s lessons. This time will have to be made up at some point during the day, which may result in a shorter lesson than what you paid for. Look for punctuality in your instructor and be wary of anybody who keeps turning up late.
Flexibility
As any educator will be able to tell you, there are many styles of teaching that you need to be aware of in order to help as many people as possible learn what they need to know. As such, a good driving instructor will be able to demonstrate some semblance of flexibility when it comes to their teaching style. While they will usually have their preferred teaching methods established, they should also be able to adapt if the student seems to be learning slower than they might expect.