Anyone here drive an automatic / have an automatic license

it'll be better if you get a manual license as it means your able to get manual and automatic whereas if you restict yourself to automatic lessons/test then in 4 years time want a manual then you need to spend more money just to do the lessons.

I know but I can't see when I would need/want to drive a manual. I don't think I'd ever want to drive my parents car even if I could drive manual because it's a huge people carrier. If I wanted to learn manual in the future it would be easier as I would have road experience and would just have to introduce gears into the equation. I just want to pass as soon as possible so I don't need to take a train and 1hr30mins of walking to get to uni everyday.

This may never apply to you however most jobs that require driving a company are 99% manual.
Also from what Iv'e seen manual lessons are cheaper and the same goes for manual cars. plus by going for a manual license in the first place gives you automatic for the same price. So honest manual lessons are better.

Your problem is fear of driving, not the transmission of the car. I suggest you do more driving to get more used to the roads rather than concentrating on manual vs anto.
Its pretty stupid to only get jobs where you don't have to drive a manual car. How would you know what cars a company has and would you leave a company just because they changed their cars from auto to manual? You need to grow a pair and get real.

I think I'm going to just learn automatic for now and, depending on how long it takes to get me to test standard, possibly start manual lessons once I'm comfortable with the road. I literally just want to be able to get to uni and back, I don't see driving as a hobby or a source of pleasure lol. Same way I use an electric whisk when baking rather than mixing by hand because I don't get pleasure from it and just want it over and done with.

Waste your money then,

Waste your money then,

Just make sure you're not tied into getting a manual car once you pass otherwise you'll be up slack alley

You'll find learning a manual after driving an automatic quite difficult, it'll be a totally different way of driving. Once you've learnt auto you'll probably stick to it.
If you want to drive auto only there's nothing too much wrong with that in itself. You're limited in what you can drive but a lot of cars are auto now and modern auto boxes are quite good. Just don't become one of those people who are so disinterested in driving that they get preoccupied with other things, because they are the worst kind of people.
With that being said, I don't think learning to drive an auto will save you much time. A couple of weeks maybe. Clutch control just takes a few hours practice, where as observations and road reading are purely down to experience and aren't improved by only having two pedals to think about. A number of 'experienced' drivers get scared of motorways even though you can often just keep it in top gear, simply because you have to be so aware of what's going on around you.

How so? Automatic lessons indeed cost more per lesson, but you'll need fewer lessons (you'll skip the need to learn gears, clutch control etc and have a much easier time learning roundabouts because you only have to focus on the road, rather than changing up to 2nd at the same time). Therefore, the cost balances out.
If you want to do automatic OP, go for it. My sister did hers in automatic recently as I was getting a new automatic and she was going to be put on as a named driver (I used to drive manual, fancied trying an auto... now I never want a manual again ) - she was contemplating manual but I said to her, she can always do automatic now, get a load of road experience in this car for a good while, and then if she needed to do manual for whatever reason in the future then she already knows everything else, now she'd just need to do a few manual lessons to learn gears and she can go in for her manual test. Just make sure you're not tied into getting a manual car once you pass otherwise you'll be up slack alley

na, learn to drive properly or not at all.
you'll end up paying exactly the same amount, taking exactly the same amount of time. yet you can only drive automatics instead of being able to drive anything. gear changes and clutch control are not a problem after you've had a few lessons.
Its just an easy option and seems like a waste of money if you ask me

Thank you for your reply. The only reason I would want to drive a manual is if I find automatics too expensive to buy/maintain. However I've found a few within my budget already and can probably save up before I get a first car. I'm already quite an apprehensive person (I'm studying Biology at university and even using the equipment in the lab makes me nervous). I think I will be a much safer driver in an automatic.

Thank you for your reply, I'm glad your sister has the same idea as in my head I'm 100% for learning auto but everyone else is saying otherwise which is making me doubt myself. What was your experience buying an automatic? Are they more expensive to buy/run/insure/tax?

I don't think it will take the same amount of time as I'd have to learn how to do hill starts, how to change gear (still haven't done that), how to stop and how to slow down before I've even left a straight road.