For many people who wish to learn to drive, it can be difficult to choose between a local instructor and a national driving school.
The West Midlands city of Birmingham presents no shortage of options – so, it’s perfectly understandable that you might feel overwhelmed.
Still, if you’re wondering, “what are the best driving instructors near me?”, it is crucial that you choose the right one, given the very real impact it can have on your learning experience.
Here at Select Drive Driving School, we’re proud to be an experienced, local driving school that prioritises personalised learning. But beyond that, here are some of the vital things to know about the differences between local instructors and national driving schools. View our Driving Instructor Services here.
The Key Differences: Local vs National Driving Schools
Here’s your “cut-out-and-keep” guide to some of the fundamental distinctions between independent, local driving instructors and their big national counterparts:
- Local Driving Instructors
If you favour more personalised and flexible tuition when you’re learning to drive, a local driving instructor is likelier to give you this.
Independent local driving instructors also tend to build more of a rapport with their students. Indeed, they are often more invested in their students than the nationwide schools, as they know that every individual student success will help build their local reputation.
What’s more, a local driving instructor is likely to be especially familiar with Birmingham’s roads, test centres, and driving routes. Given the notorious complexity of the city’s driving environment, that’s not exactly a small factor to consider.
- Big Driving Schools
Opt for one of the big national driving schools, on the other hand, and you might not even always have the same instructor, given the high turnover of instructors for many of these driving schools. This could lead to an inconsistent learning experience.
The major nationwide driving schools are also often inflexible when it comes to lesson times. In general, they frequently place a greater emphasis on quantity than the all-round quality of the service they provide.
Why Local Matters in Birmingham
So, let’s focus a little more on Birmingham. As we touched on above, the UK’s “second city” is infamous for its complex road network and busy traffic, embodied by such sites as the “Spaghetti Junction” (Gravelly Hill Interchange) and the Hollywood Bypass.
It could therefore greatly help, when you’re Googling a term like “driving instructors near me” as a Birmingham resident, to prioritise local instructors who understand the nearby test routes and common challenges, and who possess a deep level of local knowledge and experience.
Don’t forget, too, that there tends to be a stronger sense of accountability with locally based instructors, than there is with national driving schools.
For a small, local driving school with a Google Business Profile, every online recommendation and review will make a difference to the business’s reputation.
So, your chosen local driving school will likely be anxious to give you the best possible experience (and to quickly make amends if it fails to do so).
How to Choose the Best Driving Instructor in Birmingham
Here, then, are some steps you can take to help decide on the most suitable driving instructor in Birmingham:
- Check the instructor’s qualifications and approved driving instructor (ADI) status. Any car driving instructor in the UK who wishes to charge people for lessons must be a qualified and approved driving instructor or a trainee driving instructor.
- Read online reviews and testimonials. The direct words of past learners with a particular instructor can reveal a lot about the latter’s teaching style, patience, reliability, and professionalism.
- Ask about their pass rates and experience. If a given instructor is happy to tell you about their pass rate that is higher than the national average, as well as their many years of helping people like you to learn to drive, these can be further positive signs.
- Look for flexible scheduling and lesson packages. For people who have especially busy lifestyles and not-always-predictable schedules, the availability of such flexible options might further convince them to go with a particular instructor.
Conclusion
Overall, when you’re searching for “driving instructors near me”, you will have good reason to expect a better experience when you choose a local driving instructor.
Book with Select Drive Driving School, then, and you can look forward to expert, patient, and high-quality tuition from a trusted driving school.
So, why not book your first lesson today – and start your journey to driving success?
