Grumbles from the Gearbox
Loneliness
Loneliness can be a killer _ Be aware.
Ever felt lost and all alone in a crowd?
Loneliness of the ADI.
People who see the idea of becoming an ADI a good option for a future career start out with high expectations from all the advertising and promotional material they see. They expect an easy life and to make bundles of dosh, and then reality come crashing in!
Sadly the qualification process is not as easy as it may seem, and this causes many to drop out along the way with only around 33% passing all three exams, completing the qualification and gaining the coveted green ADI badge.
*'only about 1/6th of trainee instructors last a year in the job and leave with big debt'*
On qualification the new ADI meets up with the reality of the job, and for many the loneliness of the first year gets to be too much for around half of them. They throw in the towel and and go back to their old way of life, or try a new venture. Be warned if thinking of becoming a Driving Instructor, only around 1/6th of those who start out to train for this job make it to one year in. And they leave with big debts!
The problem is that the public see the job as a nice social event that happens once, or twice a week full of smiles and chat, hopefully thanks to their former instructor being such a nice and dedicated professional. The reality is a big shock, working long hours as the public only see the lesson hours, they do not see, or consider, the travelling time between pupils appointments, trips to the garage, looking for a loo or a bite to eat, all on top of highly stressful situations. This of course is in a confined space, and working to a strict timetable.
Then we have sourcing work and managing a diary along with the servicing, daily check and weekly maintenance. There is keeping up to date with the bookkeeping , sourcing teaching materials and staying relevant in what, and how we teach with CPD. There is the stress of the Standards Check Test that scares the living daylights out of many with the threat of losing one's licence to teach and income on the whim of a stranger. Add in the requirements to satisfy the demands of the current Covid 19 pandemic and the ADI has a monumental amount of pressure in the job.
Considering all that, we have huge pressure building up. The Covid19 lockdown with 5 months, for some maybe 6, or 7 months for others, with no income and we have a time bomb ticking away. The current estimate is that there are currently over 1500 ADIs dropping out of the profession, with many, many more to follow. ADIs have decided in their droves to quit the job and find something else to do. Many have taken up Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's et al's offer of full time work and regular hours, some have just decided that it is not worth the £300 to renew the licence when the 4 year renewal notice comes round.
The final nail in the coffin is being locked out of the test centres for the winter.
The prospect of standing in the freezing cold, with driving wind and rain while the pupil is on test is more than many can cope with. So many ADIs have underlying health issues, and the dvsa want to protect their own staff with the same issues, so their solution is to lock us ADIs and all the other trainers out of the building and deny us, their biggest customer support group, shelter. The fear of going through this is causing many to consider retirement, or early retirement. It has been said that when the examiners change to the new 6 a day test rota, even access to the toilets will be removed as they will not have time to let us in! I wonder how many will be left when March 2021 comes around and the waiting lists will be to October or possibly November. How will the dvsa explain this issue as it will be one of their decision making and on their conscience, and what happens the next time they ask the ADI for help to get a point over?
So the next time you see a colleague at the test centre, do me a favour and don’t just stick your nose into the smart phone and check your messages or FB, check your colleague is ok, ask how they are doing, and really listen to what they have to say. Maybe things are not so good, perhaps they are having a tough time and need a chat for 20 minutes or half an hour. After all, that may easily be you or I in 3 months’ time.
In Richard's Corner, our pastoral carer Rich Wootten has based his reflections this month on loneliness and the ADI and can be found via this link
to his page. Remember, if you need to get in touch for a word or two, then please use the link for his email and he will get back to you as soon as he can. In the meantime, keep safe and look out for each other.
Here are a few links to consider.
Get Help with Loneliness:
www.theaadi.co.uk
The DVsA response to recent media criticism about the current test waiting times is to throw in the kitchen sink - but, is this the right solution?
Are the DvSA morally bankrupt?
Why bother, the job is not what it used to be?
Where on earth does the dvsa thinking come from, we know where it belongs?
The AADI is offering to help the dvsa with its poor public image to help clear up some confusing issues on the driving test for driving instructors and learners in the UK and make their lives easier.
AADI advising the dvsa, and they are at last listening.
Did the dvsa go too far opening new theory centres when tests are not available?
We are all Ambassadors for our chosen profession
Dear dvsa,
DVSA thanks for all the recent emails,... keeping us ADIs up to date. I should like to discuss with you a few of the points that you have raised.
"It is all our fault (the ADI) that the booking system is in chaos and our fault that candidates are not turning up for the test".
how the dvsa fails its customers on a daily basis
