This list contains tips and tricks to make your coaching experience more enjoyable.
If you are unable to drive, hire a professional instructor.
An instructor who is a professional driver can help at any level, but especially at the beginning. Professional Bayswater driving instructors can assist your learner in the basics and help them establish good habits.
You should always sit in the back seat of your car during lessons so that you can hear what the instructor is saying.
If you or your learners have difficulty with a particular aspect of driving, such as reverse parallel parking, professional help can be provided. A driving instructor should be available for 2-3 lessons from the beginning, followed by a few lessons to check-in and prepare for the restricted test.
Plan your lessons beforehand
This is especially important when the learner is still learning the basics.
You should ensure that you have a plan that is appropriate for their abilities, experience, and confidence. You should identify the skills you are interested in learning so that you don’t try to cover too many topics each session.
Do not allow opportunistic driving to begin (i.e. You shouldn’t allow the learner on trips they were not going to take until they have mastered the basics of driving and are competent in handling other traffic.
Once they are confident in their abilities, you can help them gain experience driving in difficult conditions such as on rural roads, in the rain, or at night. It is safer to be there for them when they are in difficult situations.
Do not take too many lessons
Keep your first lessons brief. For someone new to driving, thirty minutes can be too long to focus behind the wheel. The first lessons are as easy as driving around the block a few times and talking through the controls.
After your learner can indicate correctly and check mirrors, you can then extend lessons up to an hour.
Be sure to give clear instructions and that they are given promptly
Give them plenty of notice about what you expect them to do during the lesson. Keep any instructions short and simple.
Allow your learner to absorb what you are saying and then allow them to follow your instructions (while maintaining control of the car). To support your verbal instructions, use clear hand signals to indicate left or right.
Accept mistakes. They’re an important part of learning
Making mistakes is okay. You will not be perfect the first time. You will make mistakes. That’s part of learning. Your job is to guide them through their mistakes and make sure they don’t cause any harm.
Your learner may be making too many mistakes and becoming distressed, this could indicate that the driving task has become too difficult or that the lesson is too long. It is better to end the lesson and start over than continue making things worse.
Be sure to know what “good” looks like
It is much easier to teach your learner how to properly do things from the beginning than to fix any bad habits just before the restricted test.
It is important to have a solid understanding of the rules to reinforce the correct things and the skills that will be tested in the restricted test. This will help you ensure that you have covered all aspects of your practice sessions.