Job lot: the driving instructor

By AIDAN RASMUSSEN

Alan Butler, 60-ish, has been teaching people to drive for 29 years. The Mt Roskill resident has been working on a contract basis for Apple Driving School for the past two years and earns $25-$26,000 a year.

What sort of qualifications/experience do you need to be a driving instructor?

The qualifications are run through Land Transport Safety; you have to have a driving instructor's certificate. It's 29 years since I've been through the procedure. There is a new syllabus that shows all the practical ways of how to learn to drive and how to teach to drive.

Is it harder to get a driving licence now?

Yes. They are more demanding in that they make sure you search and check your mirrors, check sideways, look for hazards - they are looking for a higher standard of general driving. People have to do a little more than they used to, like driving on and off motorways.

What qualities does a driving instructor need?

Patience, understanding of people, the ability to explain how to do certain things, like controlling the clutch, to have a sense of humour and to enjoy what you do. Most of the enjoyment comes from meeting the people. After a while you get used to the different things people will do and you can anticipate things and head off disasters. For someone starting off as an instructor it takes something like 12 months to get over the nerve-wracking part of the job.

What part is that?

When you're not quite sure what the person you are teaching is going to do from one moment to the next.

What sort of people are attracted to the job?

It attracts quite a number of different people. Ex-traffic police, some from teaching backgrounds. Some have got the idea that it will make them rich, but that's not true.

Why did you become a driving instructor?

Well, I was looking for a small business and it happened to be that I started with driving instruction. That was called Howick Eastern Driving School. I did that for 6 years and then had 16 years with the AA. I've now been about two years at Apple. I'm very happy with them as well.

What does a driving instructor do?

Trains people to drive, to be safe on the roads, to do things right and to think for themselves on the road. That's pretty much it.

Do you enjoy your job?

Oh yes, I enjoy working for Apple. You get into a rhythm of teaching, you go through the various things and it all fits into a pattern. And you have to treat every person as an individual.

Biggest thrill?

Meeting new people and meeting new challenges - because some people are challenging. There is the occasional person that falls to pieces when they come to be tested. You get some people who have great difficulty passing a test and some who have great difficulty coordinating their feet.

Any dicey moments?

Yes, I was nearly taken under a petrol tanker one day. But, having the dual controls, I was able to control it. The person was turning right and the petrol tanker was coming and they just misjudged it and started to move towards it. Most of my accidents have been people running into the back of a car. Actually, the biggest danger for driving instructors are people who have their licence. People are becoming more and more self-centred on the road and they just do whatever comes to mind. It is those things that a driving instructor has to be ready for.