There are many people who want to become driving instructors, both for cars and motorcycles. This is because the entry barrier is low. Someone can be employed by a driving school or decide to work independently. The training to become a driving instructor takes approximately six months. Various exams and an internship must be completed. Someone who has been admitted must still follow further training. The salary of a driving instructor is not very high. There are many people who are interested in working as a driving instructor. There are approximately forty thousand people in the Netherlands who work as driving instructors. Some of them work part-time. Others do it full time. The profession of car instructor is particularly attractive because the threshold is low. People just need a diploma and a car. Especially in times when unemployment is rising, it is a nice alternative for many people if they cannot find other work. Something that also appeals to many people about the profession is the contact with people and the opportunity to schedule their hours independently.
Exams for driving instructors
As a driving instructor you are required to take a WRM exam. This must be done at Innovam Industry Qualification Institute (IKBI). Those who pass the exam receive the driving instruction certificate under the Motor Vehicle Driving Instruction Act 1993 (WRM 1993). The IKBI, together with the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, ensures that sufficient requirements are imposed on driving instructors. The government is doing its best to reduce the number of road deaths in the Netherlands and is succeeding well. One way to do this is to properly inform driving instructors. The requirements for driving instructors were therefore further increased in 2009. Previously, instructors had to take a mandatory application test to determine whether they still met the requirements. They had to take that test every 5 years. Since 2006, this requirement has been abolished and each instructor must complete approximately twenty hours of additional training over a period of five years.
What training must a driving instructor have?
Someone who wants to train as a driving instructor must have completed at least a pre-vocational secondary education course. The requirements imposed on a driving instructor are much stricter than those imposed on people who want to get their driver’s license. A training course takes approximately six to eight months. The costs for these courses can amount to approximately eight thousand euros. The training must be completed at a recognized training institute, so inquire sufficiently about this when you take a training course.
Driving instructor training
In the first phase of the training, a person’s theoretical knowledge is tested. This is an exam that consists of approximately sixty questions and the driving instructor has an hour and a half to complete this. The student must then take a practical ride under the supervision of an instructor. The instructor then assesses whether the student is sufficiently suitable. This assessment, together with the result of the test, determines whether someone may continue with the training. The second phase of the training is then completed with a theoretical test. This mainly concerns lesson preparation. During the third phase of the training, someone does a short internship with a driving instructor. An examiner assesses how someone is doing. Among other things, the instructions someone gives, the method of coaching and time allocation are taken into account. Once approved, someone can then get to work. That does not mean that the work is there for the taking. Due to the economic crisis, many people are working as driving instructors. At the same time, supply is decreasing. Taking driving lessons is expensive and that is why fewer people take lessons. The salary of a driving instructor is also relatively low.