Driving lessons, is this really bad progress?
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Original post by FunkeyMunkey
Wow.. I hear you, might have to get a new instructor. But your super fast, that would have been tooo fast for me. Thanks!
I think its good to dip your toe in the different stuff so to speak. Makes it less daunting and even if you do it badly at least you have a marker to improve from.
I stalled it today just pulling off at the start of the lesson
Hi, i'm not sure whether it's the worst progress in the world but i've just had my 2nd lesson, first with my new instructor and first real one where i did some actual driving and not a quick drive on a dead end road and for the one hour we went through quite a lot compared to what i've read some other people have. I went up to 3rd gear, did a lot of junctions and even went up a small, winding hill and next week i'm taking on a super busy roundabout near my house which is basically the link between my area and all areas behind it and Birmingham city centre, so it's always busy. I wouldn't worry about where you're at at the moment, all instructors are different and go at their own pace but to me there'll always be a concern about whether or not an instructor may delay certain things which they may secretly feel you could handle, as they want you to have as many lessons as possible with them. My instructor doesn't seem that way at all though and i'm really grateful about that, after one proper lesson i can safely say that i think driving is awesome.
Original post by Bellissima
driving instructor with a mini?! i obviously got ripped off 
i don't know if it's ALL minis but i know some do, maybe the more modern ones?
and only 4 gears!??! does that feel weird?
i don't know if it's ALL minis but i know some do, maybe the more modern ones?
and only 4 gears!??! does that feel weird?
I saw a driving instructor who used an audi, wish I knew about him before I learned how to drive
Original post by PapaShmurff
I saw a driving instructor who used an audi, wish I knew about him before I learned how to drive
i think i'd have be too scared of crashing it to move the car if i started in that!
Original post by FunkeyMunkey
:O you're kidding, thats really good. I'll take your advice on board. I've been told that its average 40 hours to pass.... to be honest I think it'd take me around that long because I'm not that great (or so I think haha). And I pay £18 btw, and I'll definitely do the crash course it sounds good! But is it 5 hours constantly??
That is a reasonably price actually, its probably more expensive for me as i live in London. I went with sure pass. You can do the hours when ever you like but i did like 3 hours one day, then 2 hours, then 4, then 5, then another 5 just before my test. You can have breaks in between. I booked a 20 hour course however 1 hour was actually for the test which i did not realise until after.
hey. i had probably around 50 hours of driving practice and i still failed my exam first time, then i took about 5 lessons one after the other a few days before my second exam and i passed.
anyway my point is that it sometimes takes waay longer than you'd think to learn. i guess it also doesn't help that you're learning on roads that don't let you get past third gear because of how much traffic there is in the first place, and i think learners in london usually pay loads for their lessons as well which is unfortunate. i paid £21 per lesson and overall it took me 10 months to pass because i did 1 lesson a week and missed out a month after i failed first time (i also did a few extra hours here and there which is why i had around 50 hours).
so the experience is different for each person and only you can decide if it's taking too long. oh and do't be shy to ask your instructor what their plan over the next few lessons is. that way you can probably judge better on whether they're ripping you off. oh and also, feel free to ask your instructor when you're going to move on to another bit of practice e.g. a different manouver etc. that way if they are ripping you off they'll know that you've cottoned on to what they're doing and are not being fooled by it.
basically, don't be afraid of questioning your instructor. if they're legit then they should explain what they're doing and why you're making such slow progress.
phew, sorry about the essay and good luck driving!
by the way, if you are thinking of doing a crash course then i'd try and space the hours out as much as possible because i know from experience that it takes stamina to keep driving for a long time. 2 hours solid is about as much as i can take as a new driver otherwise i start to lose concentration and get tired. i don't know if that's because i'm still a relatively new driver or if it's just me. so you can try doing 3 hours to see if you can keep it up but i wouldn't really recommend having a 5 hour driving lesson.
but hey, it's up to you what you do. just try not to exhaust yourself. oh and make sure that you're fresh on the day of your exam - when you take it that is. i recommend an hours driving practice before if you want, but no more.
anyway my point is that it sometimes takes waay longer than you'd think to learn. i guess it also doesn't help that you're learning on roads that don't let you get past third gear because of how much traffic there is in the first place, and i think learners in london usually pay loads for their lessons as well which is unfortunate. i paid £21 per lesson and overall it took me 10 months to pass because i did 1 lesson a week and missed out a month after i failed first time (i also did a few extra hours here and there which is why i had around 50 hours).
so the experience is different for each person and only you can decide if it's taking too long. oh and do't be shy to ask your instructor what their plan over the next few lessons is. that way you can probably judge better on whether they're ripping you off. oh and also, feel free to ask your instructor when you're going to move on to another bit of practice e.g. a different manouver etc. that way if they are ripping you off they'll know that you've cottoned on to what they're doing and are not being fooled by it.
basically, don't be afraid of questioning your instructor. if they're legit then they should explain what they're doing and why you're making such slow progress.
phew, sorry about the essay and good luck driving!
by the way, if you are thinking of doing a crash course then i'd try and space the hours out as much as possible because i know from experience that it takes stamina to keep driving for a long time. 2 hours solid is about as much as i can take as a new driver otherwise i start to lose concentration and get tired. i don't know if that's because i'm still a relatively new driver or if it's just me. so you can try doing 3 hours to see if you can keep it up but i wouldn't really recommend having a 5 hour driving lesson.
but hey, it's up to you what you do. just try not to exhaust yourself. oh and make sure that you're fresh on the day of your exam - when you take it that is. i recommend an hours driving practice before if you want, but no more.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by teresa.ob
That is a reasonably price actually, its probably more expensive for me as i live in London. I went with sure pass. You can do the hours when ever you like but i did like 3 hours one day, then 2 hours, then 4, then 5, then another 5 just before my test. You can have breaks in between. I booked a 20 hour course however 1 hour was actually for the test which i did not realise until after.
I live in London too
Original post by VETwannabe
hey. i had probably around 50 hours of driving practice and i still failed my exam first time, then i took about 5 lessons one after the other a few days before my second exam and i passed.
anyway my point is that it sometimes takes waay longer than you'd think to learn. i guess it also doesn't help that you're learning on roads that don't let you get past third gear because of how much traffic there is in the first place, and i think learners in london usually pay loads for their lessons as well which is unfortunate. i paid £21 per lesson and overall it took me 10 months to pass because i did 1 lesson a week and missed out a month after i failed first time (i also did a few extra hours here and there which is why i had around 50 hours).
so the experience is different for each person and only you can decide if it's taking too long. oh and do't be shy to ask your instructor what their plan over the next few lessons is. that way you can probably judge better on whether they're ripping you off. oh and also, feel free to ask your instructor when you're going to move on to another bit of practice e.g. a different manouver etc. that way if they are ripping you off they'll know that you've cottoned on to what they're doing and are not being fooled by it.
basically, don't be afraid of questioning your instructor. if they're legit then they should explain what they're doing and why you're making such slow progress.
phew, sorry about the essay and good luck driving!
by the way, if you are thinking of doing a crash course then i'd try and space the hours out as much as possible because i know from experience that it takes stamina to keep driving for a long time. 2 hours solid is about as much as i can take as a new driver otherwise i start to lose concentration and get tired. i don't know if that's because i'm still a relatively new driver or if it's just me. so you can try doing 3 hours to see if you can keep it up but i wouldn't really recommend having a 5 hour driving lesson.
but hey, it's up to you what you do. just try not to exhaust yourself. oh and make sure that you're fresh on the day of your exam - when you take it that is. i recommend an hours driving practice before if you want, but no more.
anyway my point is that it sometimes takes waay longer than you'd think to learn. i guess it also doesn't help that you're learning on roads that don't let you get past third gear because of how much traffic there is in the first place, and i think learners in london usually pay loads for their lessons as well which is unfortunate. i paid £21 per lesson and overall it took me 10 months to pass because i did 1 lesson a week and missed out a month after i failed first time (i also did a few extra hours here and there which is why i had around 50 hours).
so the experience is different for each person and only you can decide if it's taking too long. oh and do't be shy to ask your instructor what their plan over the next few lessons is. that way you can probably judge better on whether they're ripping you off. oh and also, feel free to ask your instructor when you're going to move on to another bit of practice e.g. a different manouver etc. that way if they are ripping you off they'll know that you've cottoned on to what they're doing and are not being fooled by it.
basically, don't be afraid of questioning your instructor. if they're legit then they should explain what they're doing and why you're making such slow progress.
phew, sorry about the essay and good luck driving!
by the way, if you are thinking of doing a crash course then i'd try and space the hours out as much as possible because i know from experience that it takes stamina to keep driving for a long time. 2 hours solid is about as much as i can take as a new driver otherwise i start to lose concentration and get tired. i don't know if that's because i'm still a relatively new driver or if it's just me. so you can try doing 3 hours to see if you can keep it up but i wouldn't really recommend having a 5 hour driving lesson.
but hey, it's up to you what you do. just try not to exhaust yourself. oh and make sure that you're fresh on the day of your exam - when you take it that is. i recommend an hours driving practice before if you want, but no more.
Don't be sorry! Thank you so much for the advice! Btw I'm from London and I pay £18 ph
It's not bad progress I think it's okay. You said you have done mini roundabouts, have you done proper roundabouts yet?
Btw I asked my instructor about those intensive driving courses and he told me he hates them, not because of the obvious (stealing business) but because they have a ridiculously low pass rate, like 10%. And when you're on them, you're doing it with someone else too, so you'll be driving and another learner will be sat in the back whilst you're driving. But they don't tell you that. Don't do it.
Btw I asked my instructor about those intensive driving courses and he told me he hates them, not because of the obvious (stealing business) but because they have a ridiculously low pass rate, like 10%. And when you're on them, you're doing it with someone else too, so you'll be driving and another learner will be sat in the back whilst you're driving. But they don't tell you that. Don't do it.
I'm on about 32ish lessons (some have been 1.5 hours so probably about 40 hours) and I'm booking my test soon, aiming for beginning of July. I thought I was making really slow progress but I now feel a lot more confident. I think my instructor did go through things quite steadily, I didn't really do much at all for my first few lessons! The thing is, driving is the most dangerous thing you will probably ever do (or an a day-to-day basis anyway!) so it's worth doing it properly and not rushing it. My parents did speak to my instructor to see how long she thought it would be as it was getting quite expensive and we were considering changing instructors. It sounds like you are making slowish progress and should maybe think about speaking to your instructor to ask if you're slower than other people (I know it's a bit awkward!) Do you know anyone else who had the same instructor who you could compare with?
Passed my test yesterday with only 4 hours tuition (3 minors), but it really varies person to person, make sure your driving as constantly as you can. learning intensively is always cheaper and faster, i got a months temp insurance and drove as much as i could while staging in the lessons to learn the proper technique. but just don't worry or blow it out of proportion, good luck (take the theory asap not hard after a couple of mocks online)
^ Sure you did. 
The funny thing is that on my first lesson I got up to third gear.
Original post by QWDEQWDWQ
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Today I had my 4 th lesson and got up to 5th gear and did duel carriage way they should be teaching you to stick at national speed limits and go with the car you can tell when the car wants you to change < and I've got my 5 th lesson Tomoz
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