"The old way is not always best"!

One thing I have learnt over the past 10/12 years is know your clientele. In the diving industry it was simple, give them 2/3 fantastic dives and a good time in-between and they will come back year after year.

In the last two years, I have been an ADI, and it seems it is a similar story here, but unlike tourism, some people think it is best left to the old ways. This is how I do it, if you don’t like it go someplace else, now maybe twenty years ago fear enough, but in the brief two years I have been in the industry, there is an awful lot of competition.

Now there is allot to be said about recommendations, and this is one thing that will not change, but people’s shopping habits have changed, they want more for their buck.

As for pricing, I do not give my services for free, and charge accordingly, but with clever marketing you can offer great deals without losing too much profit in the short term.

At the moment I franchise and this works for me for now. I also have my own website, to which I change some of the content on a monthly basis, plus dynamic features like videos. My pupils also have their own pages, which works well too.

 I also have a Facebook page and use it to thank, praise my pupils on their achievements, and promote my business. My Facebook account is also linked to my twitter and LinkedIn accounts. In my opinion social media is the way forward for advertising, but alas some disagree.

In the car I also use technology; I use a TAB for my lesson plans, plus in car video. My pupils love the tab idea and I get great feedback for all of it.

Guys it’s not rocket science, and I am not being a tech geek, ask yourself what is the average age of your pupils, am I or am I not teaching on their own level, and not coming over as an old fart with a couple of pictures.

Another trick is to adapt to them, but it sounds as if most ADI’s already do this, from reading comments on forums. I for one like to learn from these as well as my own experiences.

I for one, is looking forward to emerging technologies to help me, plus adapting some of the old techniques too. As long as I do this and listen to most of my peers, I am looking forward to a good career as an Approved Driving Instructor

Night Driving lessons

Rider intimidation

Dunchurch Crossroads

Your first driving lessons

Some mothers do ave em driving lesson clip

http://www.youtube.com/v/mRNm0_TAj_4?autohide=1&version=3&showinfo=1&attribution_tag=W9faShqcgxVD4jmCUTuMHA&autohide=1&feature=share&autoplay=1

Safe Driving and riding for Life

http://www.youtube.com/v/Oly6m5JmvTI?version=3&autohide=1&showinfo=1&autohide=1&feature=share&autoplay=1&attribution_tag=FoaWobuYFgoE0R5FgsSLJg

More bad awareness and planning here, sitting on a Zebra crossing. If they had planned ahead then this would not have happened, i planned for it 50 mts back just in case. 

1967 mustang coupe.wmv

http://www.youtube.com/v/EZZDECgshpQ?autohide=1&version=3&autohide=1&attribution_tag=kfCItN6rh58PRPiATDSEWA&autoplay=1&showinfo=1&feature=share

In car video system now fitted.

Well i eventually done it, i have invested in two in car camera's, from MI. I have done this for a number of reasons. As an instructor i like to use all of the teaching tools i can, with the camera's i can show a pupil exactly what happened and where, for example if i put on the brakes due to a wrong pull out, i can show them how close the car was, and then ask them why it is not a good idea.

Another reason it sometimes we encounter some unsavoury drivers, both in front and behind, if something happens i have video proof.



You can check out the system i now use here. http://www.store.mi-witness.co.uk/mi-witness-hd-camera-driving-instructor-in-car-camera-package.html

In car video system now fitted.

Well i eventually done it, i have invested in two in car camera's, from MI. I have done this for a number of reasons. As an instructor i like to use all of the teaching tools i can, with the camera's i can show a pupil exactly what happened and where, for example if i put on the brakes due to a wrong pull out, i can show them how close the car was, and then ask them why it is not a good idea.

Another reason it sometimes we encounter some unsavoury drivers, both in front and behind, if something happens i have video proof.



You can check out the system i now use here. http://www.store.mi-witness.co.uk/mi-witness-hd-camera-driving-instructor-in-car-camera-package.html

What does work-life balance look like for driving instructors?

Hi guys
I have pasted this form The Professional ADI page, as there is no Blogger share on the page.

Everyone’s interested in work-life balance, but most of the tips and interventions we hear about are targeted at office workers on a nine-to-five schedule. According to research, though, not having enough time for family and spending too much time on the job are the top work-life balance worries for all workers, regardless of their schedule. The good news is that research also shows that being able to plan and schedule your own work leads to better work-life balance, and this is where driving instructors have a clear advantage over a lot of other workers. So here are four ideas for creating – and maintaining – work-life balance on a nonstandard schedule:

Your work-life balance doesn’t look like everyone else’s work-life balance.
Having a good work-life balance doesn’t always mean finishing work in time to collect your children from school and having evenings and weekends off. When you work nonstandard hours, you’re more likely to have mornings and early afternoons free, and this can be a gift. Breakfast with your family, bringing the children to school or to medical appointments, and attending daytime school events are all activities that office workers on a standard schedule struggle to fit in. Running errands on a weekday morning is less stressful than navigating busy shops during rush hour or on weekends. For the fitness-minded, being able to exercise outdoors in daylight hours or use an off-peak membership at the gym is a more rewarding experience than pounding the pavement in the dark, or sweating it out with the post-5:00 p.m. crowds on the treadmill.

Flexibility is important, but sometimes you need to be inflexible.
We tend to set boundaries around our work hours to make sure nothing interferes with them. Doing the same thing for your personal life means you won’t miss out on the important things. Ring-fence top priorities (family events, important leisure activities) and protect that time the same way you would an important work appointment. You’re your own boss – make sure you treat yourself with the same courtesy you would extend to anyone else working for you.

Priorities change.
Revisit yours every few months and do a work-life balance audit. This is a good way to notice if work hours keep creeping up on you, or if your ring-fencing tactics aren’t working; you can reassess your strategy and try something new. For instance, it can be useful to ask a friend or family member to ‘police’ you and gently point out when your priorities and your actions don’t match up; other people can sometimes see us more clearly than we can see ourselves.

Work-life balance isn’t just about the negatives.
There are two sides to work-life balance: conflict, and enrichment. We tend to focus on reducing conflict between our work and non-work activities, and we forget to think about all the ways in which our jobs and our personal lives have a positive impact on each other. Does finishing off the work day on a high note send you home in a good mood? Does raising children or caring for elderly parents help you to be more patient with your clients? When you help a client acquire a key life skill and boost their self-confidence in the process, does that carry over to your interactions with friends or family members? We all build up sets of skills, resources, and support in our work and our personal lives, and often they can be transferred across the two without our even realising it.

---

Dr Alexandra Beauregard is a lecturer in Employment Relations and Organisational Behaviour at the London School of Economics. Her research interests are centred on the interface between paid work and home life. To date, her work has focused on the causes and consequences of conflict between these two domains, as well as the organisational and legislative contexts in which work-related and personal responsibilities interact. Works in progress include an examination of the effects of family adjustment on turnover among truck drivers working away from home for long periods of time.

Mustang GT500 car review - Top Gear - BBC

Bugatti Super Sport speed test - Top Gear - BBC

B.A.S.E. jumping from a sailboat mast

Awesome, with a capital "A"

Wow what week with so much going on. so much positives

but also a little bit of bad driving and attitude.

Lets start with the good stuff, this week i welcomed Gill Hawkes to the learning ranks, and what a fantastic first lesson it was.

Well done to Jo, who passed her driving test this week in Northampton, well done young lady, all the hard work and nerves with more than worth it, drive safe and enjoy your first year at Uni. You know where to find me if you need any advice of help.

Now it was nearly the perfect week, but some idiot had to spoil it. I witnessed person run over an old man and toddler on Friday, the person was reversing and didn't even look, they stopped to say sorry, then when i asked their details and went to get a pen they drove off. Cowards!!!

Luckily the man only suffered a few cuts and the child was ok. Plus i managed to get the Reg of the car.

Any how thanks guys for another great working week......

Before you hit the Road!!!!!!

Another week, another blogg

Another week, another blogg. This week we Welcomes Rebekah, Joshua, Charlotte and Benjamin to the learning ranks, a big welcome to you all.

A big well done to all of my pupils who got great A/AS result’s on Thursday, and an even bigger well done to Sadie who not only had to open the dreaded exam envelope but also had to sit and pass her Theory test, well done young lady great news all round J

On a more negative side, i am still seeing the results of poor instruction, plus hearing feedback about people who think there instructor is just taking the money. Unfortunately that’s life and i for one am reaping the benefits of this by getting referred pupils, who in their opinion are not getting what they pay for. But it could also mean pupils could for no fault of their own fail tests.

Lots Of Awesomeness

Wow another awesome week, I'm liking this, liking this allot. Well this week saw a new person joining the learning ranks, so a big welcome to Nathan.

We also saw some fantastic manoeuvres, and some very nice overtaking on duel carriageways, so well done Ashley, Michael, Sadie, Hope, Lucie, Nathan, Jo, Callum, Hannah and Josh for some great work. Awesomeness all around :)

Bill Plant rapped for misleading franchisee ads - DIA

Bill Plant rapped for misleading franchisee ads - DIA

This Week

Well another awesome working week, lots of great pupils, doing great things. We also welcome Elizabeth to the ranks this week, a female shepard no less, a rarity in the farming world. After brushing shoulders with Matt Baker on Countryfile, she now drives me around the great british countryside :)...

I would also like to thank all of the people who have liked my facebook page this week, i really do appreciate your support. On the twitter side, thanks to the awesome musician, songwriter Josh Stone @The_Stone_Army for the follow, back at ya young lady!!!

A little road sense goes a long way

Hi All, now before i start this is not a dig at people but is sometimes makes me a little cross that some powered forms of transport, do not need any training.

The vehicle in question is the mobility scooter, now I'm am not saying they should be tested as such, nor am i saying people should not use them as they provide independence for thousands of people, but they are often used on the road. Twice today i have had one just pull off of the pavement in front of me with out looking it was safe. I had to swerve in both cases, but the second one could have been nasty, as i was pulling out of a junction at the time, and before you say it, yes i saw the person and they were not close enough to the kerb for alarm, but worth noting.  I stopped ask the person why they didn't look, and was given a bit of a mouthful, which quickly halted when i mentioned i was an Approved Driving Instructor.

One of the things i was told, was  "you need to look where you are going",
To this i replied "yes i know did you?"
"No" was the reply.
So that was followed up by "what if it was someone less on the ball or careful, you could have been hurt"
"Sorry" was the reply.

We had a quick chat and i said it "ok no one was hurt but please do look before you go into the road" Job done, a little community spirit and education.

We can all learn from this, experienced and learners alike, look out for the unexpected as you never know. But i do think a littler road knowledge (highway code) before going out on such things might not only help us in cars, but could also keep them safe too, as they are more vulnerable than car users.

Fantastic deals for this summers lessons...

Learning, learners and bad ADI's all in one week...

Wow, that was an interesting week, firstly i would like to congratulate Ellie Gooman, for passing her test first time this week in Banbury. Secondly i would like to Welcome Hannah and Kim my learner team, you a both welcome guys....

Now on to the interesting bit, i have been an instructor in one form or anther for 10 years and it always astounds me, how the bad ones get away with it, especially in my latest incarnation as an Approved Driving Instructor or ADI. Where our abilities are so closely scrutinised.

I recently received a couple of referrals and in both cases there were obvious errors from the previous instructor, Pupil ones instructor marked off things on the progress card as being completed, and when assessed an obviously not quote came out of my mouth, as i had to talk through each element of each driving skill marked as competent.

Pupil two had failed a number of tests and on inspection of the report, it was obvious the pupil two was not ready for test, during the assessment stage, it became apparent that the report was quite correct.

When pupil two was questioned about the errors, a reply of i have never been told to do that came back, well that's why you failed then, i then added it was the instructor who failed you!! Pupil two even added that one of the manoeuvres was not taught, so what would have happened if they had been asked to perform it? Failure and demoralisation of the pupil.

To both instructor's get a grip and do your jobs properly, you are either really bad at it or you do not care too much for you pupils.

The moral of this story is, all because they have the badge, it doesn't mean they are good at it, the just might be good at taking tests or exams.

OK rant over time to enjoy the sun.....

New 'laden testing' rules for driving test vehicles (Sorce DSA)

 

New 'laden testing' rules for driving test vehicles

New rules from November 2013

The Driving Standards Agency is introducing a real total mass requirement for vehicles used for driving tests from 15 November 2013.
This means that vehicles must carry a minimum weight in order to be used for the driving test.
Your test will be cancelled and you can lose your fee if your vehicle doesn’t meet the rules.

Vehicles affected by the new rules

The new rules will affect vehicles in the categories in the table below.

Vehicle category	Vehicle description
C	Rigid lorry
C+E	Articulated lorry or large lorry and trailer

Trailers affected

The rules will also affect vehicle trailers used in the categories in the table below.

Vehicle category	Vehicle description
B+E	Car and trailer
C1+E	Medium sized goods vehicle and trailer
D1+E	Minibus and trailer
D+E	Bus or coach and trailer

Requirements from November 2013

From 15 November 2013 vehicles used in these categories of tests must have a load as shown in the table. 

Vehicle category	Vehicle or trailer affected	Minimum real weight	Minimum load requirement
C	Vehicle	10,000 kg	5 x 1,000 litre IBCs
C+E ‘drawbar’ vehicle	Towing lorry and trailer	10,000 kg for lorry and 5,000 kg for trailer	5 x 1,000 litre IBCs (lorry) and 3 x 1,000 litre IBCs (trailer)
C+E articulated lorry	Semi-trailer	15,000 kg	8 x 1,000 litre IBCs
B+E, C1+E, D1+E and D+E	Trailers	800 kg	600 kg of aggregates or 1 IBC of 1,000 kg or 600 kg capacity when filled with water

Rules about the load

The load requirement is:

• bagged aggregates like sand, stone chippings, gravel or any other recycled material packages (but not toxic materials) in sealed transparent bags - the bags must:
• all weigh the same
• be at least 10 kg
• have the weight clearly stamped on them
• water, in intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) which are made from semi-transparent moulded plastic usually reinforced with a wire framework

The examiner may need to inspect an IBC used as ‘load’ for the test, so it’s important that they can visually check it has the correct water level.
You can’t use any other type of load.
The load must be secured appropriately onto the vehicle or trailer.

Minimum real weight

The ‘real weight’ is the actual weight of the vehicle and the load combined. This cannot be more than the maximum authorised mass (MAM).
The MAM is the potential weight of a vehicle or trailer including the maximum load that can be carried safely. This is also known as gross vehicle weight (GVW) or permissible maximum weight.

Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC)

These rules also apply to vehicles used for Driver CPC practical tests.
Vehicles used for Driver CPC periodic training don’t have to be laden. You can provide periodic training using a laden vehicle if you want to, but you’ll need to follow certain rules.

If you don’t have an operator’s licence

You must use a vehicle that’s loaded according to the specified load requirements if you don’t have an operator’s licence.

If you have an operator’s licence

You don’t need to use a vehicle that’s loaded according to the specified load requirements if you have an operator’s licence. You can use a vehicle carrying its normal load.

Train in laden vehicles

You can provide training using laden vehicles and use them for tests before 15 November 2013 if you want to. This includes training for:

• the driving test
• the Driver CPC initial qualification
• Driver CPC periodic training

Having an awesome day off with my little boy, maybe a few ball games in the garden later, if i can get him off of my wifes TAB :)

10 Years ago i became a scuba diving instructor, working in the Indian Ocean Lackshadweep Islands) and in the Mediterranean (Malta and Comino). 

I count myself very luck to have been able to indulge one of my hobbies as a profession. And in turn have the opotunity to have dived in two very different but eaquily stunning dive locations.

The first location (lackshadweep) was almost completely undived, with 3 species of turtle seen daily, sharks by the bucket load and shed loads of all of the other likely tropical suspect's, with a scattering of rarities along the way.

Here i also had the chance of meeting people from different cultures and religions, who lived in harmony with each other, both on the islands and mainland India, witch was like a land of smiles, no matter how little they had, they would say hi and smile.

My second location was the Maltese archipelago. Here i had the opportunity to dive all three islands but primarily Malta and Comino, with around 3,500/4,000 dives logged, 1,000 of these on Comino alone as myself and my wife co-ran the dive center there for Subway Scuba Diving.

We also help set up H20 Divers, "Scuba Diving Malta" And worked here for around 6 years.

During this time i developed my passion for photography, and ended up taking hundreds of photographs of the marine life, wrecks and
divers.

I was very blessed to have met many nice people over the years, with some of them becoming friends, i have also been luck to have had my underwater work publish, and seeing as this was not my main job just my passion, also that the underwater photo market is very competitive i am also grateful to the magazines tour operators and website owners for using my work

We returned home nearly years ago now and this is now my ongoing adventure, what with my 2 1/2 year old and my new business, there is never a dull moment.

 The Statue of Christ Depth 38mts

The awesome Blue Hole

Well what a stunning day today for a day off, if you had lesson or was teaching i hope your out enjoying the rest of the weekend.It could be allot hotter, check out the photo from my trip to death valley a couple of years ago. Wow it was warm there, even in Feb. Good new is there nice weather is set to last, so make sure you have you sunnies and sun cream for next week.

With all this nice weather, it may be time to start driving so you can go to the beech, give me a call to find out how...