There is an element of risk in booking someone in for an intensive course. You must consider what happens if they do not show up and have not pre-paid in full or in part. The way of obtaining the driving lesson fee, for at least part of the course, is to ask them to send a cheque for 25% of the course, to be received at the very latest 10 days before the course starts. This will allow time for the cheque to be cashed. You will be less exposed if you can persuade them to send the deposit a month in advance. Shortly after the initial phone call, send them your brochure showing your terms and conditions. Also included with the brochure should be a contract, in duplicate, showing the details of the booked driving lessons, stating the times, dates, lesson fees, etc. The contract should also make it clear that they must be able to pass the eyesight test, must have both parts of their driving licence and that the balance of the course fees must be paid in full on the day the first driving lesson commences. The client should be asked to read, sign and return one of the contracts, along with the course deposit, before the start date.
Inform them that, until you receive the signed contract and deposit, you will be unable to hold open the dates mentioned in the contract. This will encourage them to return the contract and cheque promptly. Do you really want to give an intensive course? Intensive courses can be hard work, not only for the client but also for you. If you have a particularly difficult client, whether because they find driving very difficult or you have a personality clash with each other, then up to four hours a day in their company can be very trying. There is also a school of thought that learning to drive over just one or two weeks does not give the client a good understanding of varying driving conditions. Suppose the course takes place in ‘flaming’ June – no rain, fog or night-time driving, etc. Nevertheless, many schools do provide intensive courses and there is no doubt that they can be a cost-effective way of teaching. Often, people want intensive courses at the busiest time of the year. If you can find out what the client wants, however, you might be able to take them for a couple of hours, three or four times a week without too much disruption. A good compromise, perhaps!
If they are coming from a long distance, they may want you to recommend local accommodation. If you undertake many intensive courses you may be able to cut a deal with a local hotel/guesthouse owner.
Clients may inform you that they want to do a one-week intensive course and pass their test on the Friday. You will most likely be aware that having more than four hours’ driving tuition at a time is very hard work for both client and instructor. There is also a large question mark over these one-week courses. How do you or they know they will make sufficient progress to take their test, in the allotted time? You must therefore word your contract carefully regarding such week-long courses if you provide these. If you are prepared to accept one-week intensive courses you must ensure, well in advance of the test day, that everything is in place. Obtain positive confirmation from the client that they have passed the theory test. Inform them that it is their duty to arrange their practical test for late afternoon on the final day of the course. They should be made aware that booking their test in advance of the course is done at the risk of them not being ready. Three working days’ notice (including Saturdays) is required to avoid losing their test fee. It is essential that you are notified as soon as possible once they have this date for insertion into your diary. Also keep a note in your diary when the deadline for receiving the course fee deposit is due. Further, these clients must be prepared to pay (in cash) for more driving lessons if it is apparent they will not be up to test standard by the end of the course. Finally you must make it crystal clear that, if they are not ready in time, you will not take them for their test. They book lessons and their test on this understanding. Remember again that all the above should be included in your terms and conditions and in the contract that is signed.
Put a note in your diary so that, 10 days before the course, you ring the client to confirm that you will be meeting them at the appointed time and place. Have they paid the deposit? Remind them that you will need to see both parts of their driving licence and that the balance of the course must be paid (preferably in cash) before the course commences. Also remind them that you will have to carry out an eyesight check, so they should, if necessary, bring their glasses.
Some members of the public may have read or heard about ‘Guaranteed passes on intensive courses!’ How can anyone guarantee that a client will pass at the end of an intensive course? What often happens is that, should the client fail the test, then the next test is paid for by the driving school. How can they afford that? Do they cover this by adding extra driving lessons or charging more? Do they make sure their clients are at a very high standard of driving? Do they work on the basis of ‘Some they win and some they lose’?
These courses were introduced by the DSA to improve the driving skills of people who have recently passed their driving test. The course can be completed within six hours, at which point, if satisfied with the client’s progress, the ADI completes and signs a form which is then sent off to the DSA, who will forward a Pass Plus certificate directly to the client. The syllabus includes: town driving; all-weather driving; out-of-town and rural roads; night driving and dual carriageways and motorways. Even the most gifted ADI may find it impossible to organise the bad weather. All the other modules ought to be covered. This means that, even in the summer, you should get some night driving in. Motorways may appear to be out of reach from certain areas, but this is such an important part of the course you could consider doing the course on a four-hour plus two-hour timetable or, if needs be, a six-hour timetable, with breaks to allow the driver to rest. If the ADI has designed the course successfully, the new driver should find that their skills are well and truly stretched and, on completion of the course, should feel more confident, comfortable and safe in all the varied driving environments. The added bonus is that many insurance firms will give a discount to drivers who have passed this course. The fees you charge for Pass Plus should be more than your standard hourly rate. This will reflect the fact that you will use far more fuel per hour and also take into account the extra office work you will be required to undertake and the overtime required to carry out the night-driving module. To become a Pass Plus instructor, you will have to contact the DSA and buy the Pass Plus pack from them. More information about the Pass Plus and how much it costs can be found on the DSA’s website.
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