Things you struggle with mostly while learning to drive

Just wondering if anyone has changed instructors (not very early on) and how it went?
I'm a bit worried about a new instructor making me start completely for scratch, because it would be a huge waste of money. I've done 14 hours now and I'm picking things up slowly, but I have done manoeuvres like reversing around a corner, parallel parking, 3 point turn. These are the things I'm most confident at because it's just reversing very slowly and a bit of clutch control. But in terms of actually driving in a straight line, approaching main roads, steering enough, braking enough etc, I'm not doing great.

I panic quite a lot when my instructor makes my go onto the main road, and I'm a bit slow so he gets really frustrated and has to grab the wheel for me and then he has to brake suddenly for me too sometimes. Then he asks me to pull over and he basically tells me off. I understand why he's telling me off, but it's like... I KNOW I'm a bad driver, you don't need to keep telling me.
And then at the end of the lesson he's really frustrated if we've had a bad lesson and he keeps going on and on like "yeah I'm not happy with that steering why aren't you gliding properly and your speed too you don't pick up I'm not happy it's not good" like.. he is right yeah.. but it's really demotivating and I suffer from anxiety and am just picking myself up from depression, and I literally feel like crying when he has a go at me. Today he literally even started to imitate me, he was like "as soon as you got to the main road you were like 'oh no I'm panicking' and didn't even look both ways and didn't even steer" and he was like imitating me in a really whiny voice (I barely even talk during lessons so I don't actually say anything when I'm panicked, he was just making fun of me). I don't even know how to respond when he has a go at me, I just say "mhmm.. ok.. yeah.." like I'm listening... but what am I supposed to say? And then he looks at me as if he wants me to say something or as if he thinks I'm not listening. Anyway it really knocks my confident and I feel so depressed and demotivated afterwards.

In terms of teaching, he is good at teaching me manoeuvres like when we're just doing something on a quiet road and not interacting with other cars, but when I mess up on a main road or when turning into junctions or near other cars he just makes me feel so bad. I know other people who are nervous drivers and their instructors seemed to shout a lot too. I just feel like maybe all instructors are like this? If your instructor doesn't shout at you much, then I think it's because you're a pretty decent driver anyway and you're not doing anything particularly dangerous and you're learning things quickly.

Anyway I'm thinking about looking for a new instructor after my next lesson with him on Wednesday, but I'm concerned that a new instructor will make me start from scratch, especially considering I'm pretty bad at some of the basics like knowing when to turn and steering straight etc, but I can do reversing manoeuvres confidently.

So have any of you guys changed instructors a bit late on? Most people know after the first few lessons if they don't like their instructor, but I think he was nice at first because he thought I would start picking things up faster, and as lessons have gone on it's like I'm making slower progress than he expected and it seems to be frustrating him.

From the sounds of it, you should definitely switch instructors. You're paying him to teach you, not get pissed off at you. You're obviously going to make mistakes, you're a learner for a reason. Everyone learns and picks things up at different paces, and as an instructor, I imagine he should know that.

I started my lessons in the summer this year in London. I had just finished my first year of uni so I moved back home and figured that summer would be perfect to start learning as I'd have a lot of spare time. I did about 23hrs with that instructor before going back to uni. Moved back to uni in September, and booked lessons with a local instructor. When I booked, I didn't speak with him directly, it was the company. When he came to pick me up, I told him I'd had about 23hrs prior & he said the company didn't tell him and that he thought I was a beginner. In that first lesson, we switched seats and I basically just drove around for a bit so he could see my progress. I also had a leaflet thing from my previous instructor that marked my progress, which he read and he said it helped. Fast forward, I've done about 12hrs with him since October and the transition has been really good. He hasn't tried to milk me for money, I didn't have to restart from scratch or anything and I've got my test booked for Jan. So when you do switch, make sure you tell your new instructor that you have some experience so that you're not wasting time (and money) learning things you already know.

Thanks so much for this. I have one of those progress booklets too actually so that should make it easier to transition. So it sounds like it won't be that bad changing instructors then. I used to really enjoy the lessons first, but as he got more frustrated with me I've started to dread going to them.

It's just going to take a while for me to find a new instructor again who I think I'll be happy with.

Good luck with your test!

Yeah you'll be fine. Each instructor teaches a little differently so you may even find that your new instructor teaches you how to do something in a much simpler way than you were previously taught. I was hopeless at reverse around a corner and parallel parking, because I was taught to dry steer. When I showed my new instructor how I do those manouvres, he said he felt bad that I was taught to dry steer and remember so many reference points. He showed me a much simpler way to do it and now I'm confident with reverse around a corner, which is great considering I was so bad at it before.

I'm sure you'll find a much better suited instructor in no time



Thank you!

Thanks for replying. Were you a nervous driver? And did you feel like you were repeating things when you got a new instructor or starting things from scratch again? I feel like in the first one or two lessons especially, they would ask me to start from the basics and see that I'm not really great at the turning and steering etc and treat me as if I'm a complete beginner again. It's costing me a lot that's why I don't want to waste my money by changing instructors... but at the same time I'm not confident enough to confront my current instructor so I would rather just leave him.

Aw bless, hope you get back into your lessons soon !

Ah that's good, well done!


Posted from TSR Mobile

Yeah hopefully

Thanks

So I finally broke after 15 hours with my instructor and started crying lol
I'm just glad I built up the courage to tell him I don't want to see him anymore, felt like I was in an abusive relationship lool. He was so patient and nice at first but then grew frustrated because I'm quite a slow learner and for the last 4 or 5 lessons he's been unbearable and I've felt so upset after every lesson. Today he was just going on and on about how I should have picked this stuff up by now and he has a booklet where he marks me out of 5 on each thing we do and he was like look I'm giving you 1 or 2 for everything you're never going to know how to drive on your own. Like I know all of this is true but what can I do? And then he decided to start shouting one word at a time to prompt me like he told me to go on the main and he goes GEAR GAS 3RD 4TH NOW SLOW SLOWER BRAKE CREEPING PACE WHERES THE BRAKE and I have so much anxiety already that this just panics me and freaks me out. I'm just a slow learner and I get so nervous but he makes me feel so stupid and scared of driving I'm literally still crying right now.
Anyway I'm hopefully going to find a female instructor now I think that's what I need, but I'll probably take a break from driving until next month now. This is the second instructor who's made me feel stressed just on the basics and I'm worried I'll just get demotivated now and give up for another 2 years like I did last time because I was so scared of what a new instructor would be like.

Are you with a female instructor? I've had 2 men now and I just think they're all going to end up very frustrated with me.
It's nice to know I'm not the only one still struggling after so many lessons... It feels like a real waste of money as well.

That's what I do with steering, but he says my other hand just becomes dead and floppy because I don't know how I'm supposed to use it. When I take turns off I do it slowly bit by bit so I don't turn too fast and he gets frustrated.

So annoyed that I've failed twice now with the same examiner! I genuinely though I passed second time round.

The examiner gave me a "serious" for stalling at a roundabout. (I was behind the line and not even on the roundabout)

Yeah i tend to watch youtube videos when i don't understand something

Yeah exactly I feel like maybe he should just be instructing me better instead of shouting at me. Like my old instructor wasn't that great either but he had like a practice steering wheel he used to keep in the back seat to take out and show me how to steer properly while I was doing it myself on the real wheel.

Problem is female instructors are a bit harder to find in my area. Most seem to be men

So annoyed that I've failed twice now with the same examiner! I genuinely though I passed second time round.

The examiner gave me a "serious" for stalling at a roundabout. (I was behind the line and not even on the roundabout)

Hey everyone

How are you lessons going? Does anyone have their test coming up before xmas?

I'll need to go back to lessons after xmas after a 6 months break. Looking forward to going back but still don't see me ever passing