Driving instructors left waiting months to qualify

The DVSA has seen an increase of people applying to become driving instructors

Trainee driving instructors in Berkshire have said they are waiting months to get qualified as there are not enough examiners.

Figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) showed more than 19,000 people applied to start the Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) qualification process in 2024-25 - a 17% increase compared with 2023-24.

Lindsay Snyman, 39, from Bracknell, started training in January 2024 but will only be taking her final assessment in November, adding the waiting time has put "a lot of pressure" on her.

A spokesperson for the DVSA said it was unable to comment on driving instructor waiting times as they do not hold this information.

But they advised trainees to use the "book to hold" service which "gives them an accurate picture of where the demand is and can ensure that it deploys examiner resources in the right areas".

They said 88 instructor tests were booked in Reading as of 30 September.

Ms Snyman said: "When my son was learning to drive at 17, we couldn't find him an instructor as they were so fully booked, but a friend suggested us doing the journey together where I would learn to be an instructor while he would learn to drive.

"I started the process full of hope, but my son actually passed his test long before I'll even be qualified."

She said missing the two-year deadline to complete her qualification is always in the back of her mind, which would mean having to start the process all over again.

Simon Lavender, 43, from Reading, decided to train to be an instructor after 20 years in the data industry.

He passed part one of the test but said there were no available tests in the next six months to complete part two – despite looking further afield.

Keith Gambles, a driving instructor who mostly works in Reading, said it was taking so long because "there are not enough examiners" to carry out the tests.

"It's a total mess, there's a battle for learner drivers as there's not enough instructors, and then we can't get enough instructors out there as there's not enough examiners to test the would-be instructors," he said.

Recent figures from the AA also showed waiting times for learner drivers had nearly doubled between September 2020 and 2024.

Since 2018-19, DVSA has seen a 152% increase in the number of those applying to start the ADI qualification process.

Tom Stenson, from ADI National Joint Council, said it had seen many trainee driving instructors experience problems booking part two and three tests with some "waiting for nine months" for a test.