Anyone working as a Driving Instructor?
 

I am contemplating going to part time work as my wife starts drawing her SS at 62 and goes to 2 days/week to stay busy and pay for her health insurance. I won't starting drawing mine until 67.

I would like to shift gears though and do something different and have a more flexible schedule and more days off. I would need to work enough to pay basic bills and my health insurance.

I am checking into getting certified as a drivers ed instructor and possibly MSF instructor as well. There is at least one company in our town that teaches both. Our state has gone to private companies doing all drivers ed, even at the high schools.

Anyone doing this as a paid gig?

I instruct at the track with the PCA and enjoy working with students.

Umm, instructing licensed drivers on a track and those that are wanting to get licensed are very different. My cousin was a driver's ed instructor after school and on weekends. She did it for 7 years for extra money, along with her high school teaching gig. She only did it for the money and got tired of it.

Personally, I think it would be irritating and stressful. However, if you are the patient type, it may work.

I have a buddy who does this (teacher) and a family friend who does it as well. I have not heard anything horrible about it as a gig. I think you are approaching this the correct way. I taught my son to drive with a very relaxed, fun, approach. If I was a stress case, it would have sucked. Instead, I enjoyed it and so did he. You sound similar.

Can students of drivers ed text or chat on their smart phones while being instructed?
...or while taking their driving test?
No?
Why not? Everyone else does.

Check out the pay because here in SoCal it is really really low. Walmart greeter low.

Look into driving for Lyft or Uber. One of my kids is a teacher and does this casually in the summer months for extra travel $$. Work as much or as little as you want and during peak hours the income is decent.

When I retired, I was recruited to be a MSF Instructor........I passed.....Most of the work was on weekends, a long ways away and not much pay.......

Regarding paying for Medical Ins........I have many friends in that boat, cost can be anywhere from 12-30K per year for a couple........Not cheap at all........

Where do you get the car with the extra brake pedal on the passenger side?

Can you get one for the back seat that doesn't actually apply the brakes for when taking the MIL somewhere?

I have a company provided vehicle and as such we must go through yearly driver-training refreshers online, then a drive-along every 3-5 years that is led by a co-worker. I'm one of my company's instructors.

I'm a Certified Smith System Driving Instructor. I'm not certain of how flexible they are regarding workload or travel, but I'll probably look into doing it for them when I retire in about 15 years.

The initial class to become an Instructor was 1 week, M-F 8-5. We met Monday at 8am, by 9am we were behind the wheel. We drove every day, in real traffic, all day till Friday at 5pm. It was most excellent and has changed how I exist behind the wheel in its entirety.

Here in the USA, we desperately need follow on driver training. Generally speaking, drivers are taught at 15-18 years old. You know, when our attention spans are awesome, and we have great empathy for others.

Yet, everyone is an excellent driver. Just wait and read the responses after my post.

By the way, this is NOT for beginning drivers. This is Advanced Driver Techniques that demand above average abilties.

Look into it and see if it interests you.

https://www.drivedifferent.com/

The MSF classes here are all weekend for the beginning course and until fully retired, that would not work. The driver training is more weekday based, 2 hour classes 3 days per week then driving with students. I know the pay won't match what I am making now but if I can work less, pay for my medical and have some fun it would be ok.

My wife is 61 and paying for her own medical given that she works in a very small dental office with 5 staff. She is currently over $600/month with a silver level plan. A couple of years ago it was in the $300's. I'm not trying to start an Obamacare thread so please don't send it there.

About five years ago I took the deposition of a guy who left teaching because he couldn't handle the kids but he continued to work as a driving instructor and he liked it. It paid better than substitute teaching and he took as many hours as he could get. From what I recall it was the one job he had that he really liked. I think it's a good idea to explore.

There are different ways you can work. Many companies want you to be independent contractors and work only when someone schedules you. That probably wouldn't include insurance as part of the job, but the hourly rate would be higher.

Maybe you could also look into being a delivery driver, courier, or medical transportation driver part time. My mother in law joined some sort of seniors group and they have a bus that runs around picking up all the seniors. The driver gets to know all the people and seems to enjoy his shift. I know it's hard to fill jobs like that with good, reliable people. You might find something like that a couple of days a week.

Well, I managed to not crash as a teenager.

For whatever reason, people are learning/problem solving disabled.

For a few, they are learning the longer they drive.

Then there are those that get over the basics, and never apply the mind to it again.

There are simple things like looking for coordinated stop lights and adjusting speed and acceleration to stay moving.

Or looking for the triggers of an empty light and stopping accordingly.

Nothing in my S.C. driver's test covered the triggers for stop lights, yet knowing these things allows better time, fuel, and brake management.

I learned these things by recognizing patterns, no one told me.

I could have learned some of these things much faster with a little instruction.

every time my wife drives...

badum bump!

Real life experience.... just a few minutes...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaUYQZR-y7I

SEARS driver's ed still hiring? :D

I took my class there. The highlights for me: when sears security came and arrested someone in my class for stealing something downstairs in the store.

Two test questions I remember and got mad at when I was a smarta$$ 16 year old:

1. A car with power brakes requires _______________ distance to stop than a car without power brakes
a.more
b.less
c.same

My answer as a 16 yo: D. not enough info- depends on the car.

2. S.I.P.D.E stands for _____________________

a.Situation, Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute.

My answer as a 16 yo: D. Stupid arse letter contraption. Who the eff' remembers such complex mnemic devices and uses them when stuff is going down in real time.

(32 years later... and to prove me wrong- I still remember the SIPDE thing. Never use it, but I remember it)

See, the students are jerks- be careful!!!!:)