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Bad driving instructors

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Reply 20
I had two bad ones but my last one was brilliant, if I'd have stayed with either of the other two I think I'd still be learning now (I passed 18 months ago.)

- 1st instructor: Turning up late and finishing lessons early, sometimes on the same lesson so I'd end up getting 20 minutes less than I paid for sometimes. If this is unavoidable due to personal circumstances or something then that's fine, but he never said anything to that effect and didn't make the time up at the end of another lesson. He kept telling me to book my test and then not to book my test, I was starting to feel like a jack in a box. Making calls on my time and not making up the time; once turned up saying that there were problems with the brakes on the car (so why not cancel the lesson?! I didn't want to do the lesson when he said that but if I hadn't I'd have ended up being charged.)

- 2nd instructor - Made me dread every lesson. Talking on the phone and texting while I was driving, which as well as being appalling behaviour when I'm paying for someone's time; is illegal.
Old thread but thought I'd share-

My first instructor was horrible. I only had 4 lessons with him, he would be really flirty and inappropriate whilst he was driving me to and from home, saying he would take me for dinner if I passed my theory and that he'd give me a hug. Then whenever I was actually behind the wheel, he would shout and criticise (but not in a constructive way), saying things like "WHY have you done so and so? That was a bit stupid of you wasnt it?" and just generally make me feel really bad.

I swapped instructors and my new one is lovely, she never shouts or gets angry and is very laid back and good at explaining things. So glad I changed as she's really helped build my confidence.
I had a pretty cool driving instructor - a proper old grumpy Bristolian guy. He was lovely but such an old school misogenist - he once asked me if I was driving badly because I was on my period, and then looked totally confused when I said that was out of line :p: I can imagine that he'd get a lot of complaints in the wrong hands, but I'm pretty chilled out about that sort of thing and just made fun of him for it...

A friend of mine had a driving instructor who seemed to do a line in psychology, after spending half a lesson interrogating her as to why she was afraid of going around corners (literally) and winding up trying to psychoanalyse why she was afraid of going around corners (metaphorically)....
Reply 23
I hate my driving instructor so much, why im still with her i do not know. The story begins with a lot of shouting, accompanied by more shouting and a nice dose of moaning, that is what my lessons consist of nowadays.
I never get praised for doing things correctly, all my flaws are pointed out but problem is its not constructively critizised... for example she accused me of not looking to the right at a roundabout when you know what i did!! Then when i make elaborated head movement just to prove im looking she tells me not to!?!

Anyway, moan over... i just dread the lessons & i really lack the confidence because of her.

Failed 1 test, got another booked... if i fail changing instructor no doubt.
Im a tolerant person hence why i stayed with her but i can't take anymore of the grumpy-ness/mocking-ness and demeaning attitude.

Lesson of the day, if you dont like your DI CHANGE
My instructor got sacked for DUI the day before my test. I had a new guy just for that one day who was way better! Also my old instructor had never taught me the stuff about the inside of the car etc so on the way to my test we pulled over and the new guy taught it all to me. I still managed to pass first time. I learnt with BSM.
Original post by llessur123
My auntie is a driving instructor, and I'm pretty sure some of the pupils are worse than the instructors. People come out in their pyjamas, don't pay, don't wash, cancel 10 minutes before the lesson, don't cancel and just don't turn up. The worst is when people buy 10 lessons then spread them out over 10 months and complain when they don't pass.

So, don't blame the instructor all the time. Although I'm sure there are ****ty ones too. It's strange hearing it from the other side.


I think you're taking this a bit too personally, it's a light hearted thread about bad instructor experiences, that's all ...

I had one driving instructor who turned up once, said he was poorly and couldn't do my lesson - fair enough. The following week, he didn't turn up, I rang the company and they said he no longer works for them! Nice of him to let me know, idiot. He also used to take me around the same area for about 20 lessons (that's when I changed instructors) Would never let me drive from home/to home - he would drive to the area we were gunna practice in, and then we'd switch :lolwut: I'd never gotten into 4th gear with him either!
(edited 11 years ago)
my first instructor took me to the same housing estate for 14 lessons, used to shout at me if i made mistakes (even in my 2nd lesson!) and used to constantly bitch about daft things previous students had said & done (he even accidently bitched about something I'd said thinking it was someone else). The last straw was when he didn't turn up for a lesson I'd booked as he'd "forgot to write it in the diary". Luckily my last instructor was AMAZING!
My first instructor told me how to close a door, put a seatbelt on and read the terms and conditions (She worked for red) and why she was meant to be dressed smartly but wasn't (it was a Saturday). She also spent ages telling me how to place my hand when changing gears and made me look at the lines when steering. As a result I couldn't steer in a straight line. So I switched instructors and he told me to look ahead and there is nothing wrong with my steering! It's taken longer to get me out of the habits she taught me, plus I had zero confidence. I really look forward to my lessons now:smile:
Reply 28
Original post by minthumbugs
My first instructor told me how to close a door, put a seatbelt on and read the terms and conditions (She worked for red) and why she was meant to be dressed smartly but wasn't (it was a Saturday). She also spent ages telling me how to place my hand when changing gears and made me look at the lines when steering. As a result I couldn't steer in a straight line. So I switched instructors and he told me to look ahead and there is nothing wrong with my steering! It's taken longer to get me out of the habits she taught me, plus I had zero confidence. I really look forward to my lessons now:smile:



Lol my first instructor was exactly like that! He was telling me how to close doors, put on seatbelts, to look in mirrors when i open my door and how to pull the seat forward/back. Wasted 2 hours of my life with that ******, lol, i already knew how to drive before i took lessons with him, he never used to let me drive over 10mph on a 30mph, even though i can drive properly :L.

Second instructor was the best, used to let me play music out on way back after lessons, have one hand on steering, one out the window lol, seat leant back, shades on. He even used to buy drinks whilst on lesson when it was hot days! He also used to let me horn at girls whilst drivin past em :wink: And he sold me a pass plus certificate without doing the course :biggrin: £50 lol! :cool:
Reply 29
Oh, and he also used to let me drive 50mph in 30mph roads lol, and he used to hate cylists, so used to let me race by em fast whilst overtaking, was so much fun. Best lesson i had with him was when we stopped after traffic lights on way home, had music and shades on. A mercedes CL63 AMG pulls up on the side at the lights, i start revving at the guy lol. Instructor was just laughing and laughing, when the lights hit green, i wheelspinned the car LOL and started racing him, i was beating him for about 5 seconds, then he zooomed past me, felt a bit shameful at that moment lol :/

So much fun i had with him, he's a legend! :smile:
Original post by VtecMB3
Lol my first instructor was exactly like that! He was telling me how to close doors, put on seatbelts, to look in mirrors when i open my door and how to pull the seat forward/back. Wasted 2 hours of my life with that ******, lol, i already knew how to drive before i took lessons with him, he never used to let me drive over 10mph on a 30mph, even though i can drive properly :L.

Second instructor was the best, used to let me play music out on way back after lessons, have one hand on steering, one out the window lol, seat leant back, shades on. He even used to buy drinks whilst on lesson when it was hot days! He also used to let me horn at girls whilst drivin past em :wink: And he sold me a pass plus certificate without doing the course :biggrin: £50 lol! :cool:


My first instructor did this. When it came to actually driving I couldn't get the biting point and I stalled 100s of times and he just didn't help me. He didn't know my area well at all although he had advertised that he did cover my area. He drove me to a road really close by and parked a few metres behind another car. I didn't move forward at all in that lesson. Then the guy I am learning with now I drove around for 20mins in the first lesson and he really pushes me to the max in a good way.
Reply 32
Need some advice on my instructor guys!

Had about 10-12 lessons and haven't done all that much! Just mirror, signal, manoeuvre. Driving on main roads. Drove in 1,2,3,4 gear. Done mini roundabouts, hills, clutch control, but that's about it.

Two of my friends started with the same instructor at the same time and they've done loads more, including parallel parking, turning around corners etc.

Every week they ask me what I've done and I always say nothing, which is starting to annoy me. I know I must be rubbish, but wondered if I should swap driving instructor because I don't learn properly with this guy or something?

Oh and he's always late, to me and my friends. But later with me. Been on time once. Latest was 40 minutes late. (He's 20 minutes late now...)

Opinions please?! Don't know what to do..
Reply 33
Change
Original post by Jess9
Need some advice on my instructor guys!

Had about 10-12 lessons and haven't done all that much! Just mirror, signal, manoeuvre. Driving on main roads. Drove in 1,2,3,4 gear. Done mini roundabouts, hills, clutch control, but that's about it.

Two of my friends started with the same instructor at the same time and they've done loads more, including parallel parking, turning around corners etc.

Every week they ask me what I've done and I always say nothing, which is starting to annoy me. I know I must be rubbish, but wondered if I should swap driving instructor because I don't learn properly with this guy or something?

Oh and he's always late, to me and my friends. But later with me. Been on time once. Latest was 40 minutes late. (He's 20 minutes late now...)

Opinions please?! Don't know what to do..



So you havn't done junctions? I am surprised you haven't done roundabouts yet. Why don't you just ask him why you haven't done certain things? I have only just done turn in the road on my 10th lesson..
Original post by sarahthegemini
I think you're taking this a bit too personally, it's a light hearted thread about bad instructor experiences, that's all ...

I had one driving instructor who turned up once, said he was poorly and couldn't do my lesson - fair enough. The following week, he didn't turn up, I rang the company and they said he no longer works for them! Nice of him to let me know, idiot. He also used to take me around the same area for about 20 lessons (that's when I changed instructors) Would never let me drive from home/to home - he would drive to the area we were gunna practice in, and then we'd switch :lolwut: I'd never gotten into 4th gear with him either!


I'm not taking it personally, just showing the other side of the story. I posted this 5 months ago anyway.
Reply 36
Well my instructor is okay I think, he's not brilliant but not awful. He has a thing for whinging at me about my steering and panicking too much about his car and it's bugging me "Watch my paint on this bush" - never mind the car about to force its way through the gap next to me...

He says I'm not following the kerb when turning out of a junction (which I'm not, with my own reasoning - i.e. there's crud in that kerb so it's going to damage the tyres), he had me driving along 'as close to the kerb as you can get' yesterday, and I said "as close as comfortable or as close as possible?" and when I sort of refused he said the issue was with me! Never mind the fact I sort of don't want to incur charges for damage to his car!

Turning left he panics and says I'm driving on the wrong side of the road/over the centre line when there's nothing about and he wonders why I hate push/pull steering! it makes no sense to me, I prefer fixed input!

He also tells me I'm coming in too close to a kerb but he says that just as I'm about to pull back out and straighten up when pulling up, it's really discouraging! Grabbing the steering once didn't help, but that's taking it personally!

For the last 5 (my first 5) lessons (that are half price at £10) we've been driving around in circles on this little estate near my house, his reasoning is he can't trust me on busier roads, reality is that tenner would just cover fuel of a normal lesson and so he doesn't want me driving around open and different roads, ho hum - now it's up to £20 a lesson so I should get to move away from the arse end of my road! We've been up to 3rd gear and 32mph (in a 30, whoopsy - 10%+2mph I say!) but other than that I don't think he's bad, I mean I feel comfortable moving a car now so look to be moving on from circles next week! He says I'm not his worst!
Reply 37
When I started my driving lessons, I already knew how to drive; my dad had been teaching me since I was 12. Even so, I had some of the worst times of my life with my driving instructor.

First off, he was very set in his ways. I knew how to drive pretty decently already, but for some reason he kept trying to teach me to drive WORSE than I did. He told me off everytime I turned my head to check for blindspots whenever I changed lanes. When I asked him about the possibility of a car being in my blind spot, he said that if its not in the mirror, its not there (WTF?). Also whenever I was on the main road and some idiot was coming from a side street at race speed, looking like he was gonna ignore a stop or yield sign and crash into me, I braked just in case. This also didn't sit well with my instructor, as he claimed that if another car is supposed to stop, it WILL stop.

The guy who administered my driving test (in my country, theyre two different people) was also a complete douche. In the czech republic, along with a written test and driving test, you also have to answer two of 25 questions pertaining to the mechanics of a car, which the guy chooses for you, so you have to learn all 25. My questions were: 1) What function do brakes serve in a car? and 2) What is ABS?

You'd think that it would be impossible to get this wrong, but the guy was completely ANAL about every single detail. I had to list the different types of brakes (disc, drum), their advantages, disadvantages, how they worked etc. He got me when I said that disc brakes were air-cooled, he cut me off and said "and drum brakes are cooled by what?! water?! oil?!?" Threatened to fail me on the basis that I had no idea how brakes worked... Dick.

There's too much to list here, but if you can gleam one thing from this rant, let it be this: NEVER try to get a czech driving license...
Original post by amyshamblesxx
My first instructor was horrible. I only had 4 lessons with him, he would be really flirty and inappropriate whilst he was driving me to and from home, saying he would take me for dinner if I passed my theory and that he'd give me a hug. Then whenever I was actually behind the wheel, he would shout and criticise (but not in a constructive way), saying things like "WHY have you done so and so? That was a bit stupid of you wasnt it?" and just generally make me feel really bad.

My instructor is a bit like that. I don't say anything back because I know I'd probs crash the car because I can't argue and drive at the same time :tongue:
Once I was driving & my instructor saw one of his old pupils, he asked me to pull over, he got out of the car and talked to her for 15 mins, didn't add any of the time on at the end either. It annoyed me so much. He also texts when I'm driving. Once I was going to turn right into a road, and there was a cyclist coming the other way which I didn't see, I turned, almost hit the cyclist and my driving instructor yelled at me, blaming me for it - he was texting someone when it was all happening and wasn't looking at the road. Luckily I saw the cyclist at the last second, it wasn't ideal though, if I had continued to turn I would've hit them.
Original post by Cherriesxo
My instructor is a bit like that. I don't say anything back because I know I'd probs crash the car because I can't argue and drive at the same time :tongue:
Once I was driving & my instructor saw one of his old pupils, he asked me to pull over, he got out of the car and talked to her for 15 mins, didn't add any of the time on at the end either. It annoyed me so much. He also texts when I'm driving. Once I was going to turn right into a road, and there was a cyclist coming the other way which I didn't see, I turned, almost hit the cyclist and my driving instructor yelled at me, blaming me for it - he was texting someone when it was all happening and wasn't looking at the road. Luckily I saw the cyclist at the last second, it wasn't ideal though, if I had continued to turn I would've hit them.


...but you would be too blame for it :confused:

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