Does anyone know how long you have to be a qualified main line drive for before you can become an instructor? My company keeps saying to me it’s 4 years which they say comes from the ORR but others who were on my same driver course and have since moved company have been made instructors. I have been driving for 3 years.
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Becoming an Driver Instructor
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Johncleesefan
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I believe it’s 3 years with my company too. I too have been driving for 3 years but am thinking of putting in for a DI position at 5 years as to me it feels too soon. Are you gonna go for it?
Personally I don't think you have enough experience to be a DI after only 3 years driving.
You are still learning the job yourself, so many different driving conditions you have not experienced.
You need to know all your routes blindfolded to be honest, it's your licence on the line not the trainees.
It is personally rewarding to train someone from new but can be very tiring, you need to be aware 100% of the time. Things can go wrong very quickly..
You need very good personal skills, you have to hard with some soft with others.
You need solid ground rules, the trainee should do as you say, you discuss any issues later.
Always expect the unexpected
I could go on but I think you will get the idea
You are still learning the job yourself, so many different driving conditions you have not experienced.
You need to know all your routes blindfolded to be honest, it's your licence on the line not the trainees.
It is personally rewarding to train someone from new but can be very tiring, you need to be aware 100% of the time. Things can go wrong very quickly..
You need very good personal skills, you have to hard with some soft with others.
You need solid ground rules, the trainee should do as you say, you discuss any issues later.
Always expect the unexpected
I could go on but I think you will get the idea
4yrs at my TOC.
I would add that if you were considering an Instructor role then knowing the rules, regulations, procedures and what the ORR can and can't dictate to the TOCs is an essential skill. I would also strongly suggest that being able to source the correct answer is also an essential skill.
I would add that if you were considering an Instructor role then knowing the rules, regulations, procedures and what the ORR can and can't dictate to the TOCs is an essential skill. I would also strongly suggest that being able to source the correct answer is also an essential skill.
Bizarrely, I am aware of one TOC where three years driving experience is needed to be a DI at our place (and that has been pushed once or twice by people being given instructor jobs too early) - but only two years to be a driver manager or trainer at the training school.
@cossie4i & @ComUtoR - agree 100%.
As a DI you have to be able to field questions convincingly and not only a thorough knowledge of the rules, routes, traction and your own limitations (and that of any trainee when working one to one) but a good basic knowledge of the Group Standards and the company's own standards is very useful to protect yourself. Some companies put DIs in positions they shouldn't be put in.
@cossie4i & @ComUtoR - agree 100%.
As a DI you have to be able to field questions convincingly and not only a thorough knowledge of the rules, routes, traction and your own limitations (and that of any trainee when working one to one) but a good basic knowledge of the Group Standards and the company's own standards is very useful to protect yourself. Some companies put DIs in positions they shouldn't be put in.
dctraindriver
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Very responsible role. Kudos to those who do it, I have to agree I think 3 years is too early but I guess there isn’t a massive take up on the role. I wouldn’t want to have that responsibility on top of what I do now.
Some advice...
Don't wait till you get to 5yrs. If your TOC allows it at 3yrs then you are potentially wasting 2yrs for no reason. If you are apprehensive about being an Instructor with only 3yrs experience then that may reflect in your ability to teach and affect other parts of the role.
What I would strongly suggest is to express an interest to your Manager and state your intention to become a DI. They can offer advice and put you on the path. We have a 'buddy system' at the moment for new Trainees waiting for a DI. that mentoring role is used for Drivers who have the potential to become an Instructor. There may be courses at your TOC that will help you on the path too. Maybe a secondment for a project or even a secondment into your Training School etc will help you gather the skills you need. It will also help push your confidence up too.
The Instructor role is more than just Trainee/Instructor and you really do need a high level of competence and have strong non technical skills to be successful. Start working towards your goal. The 2yrs you are holding off to apply can be used constructively. Learn more about the role, increase your competence and start to grow beyond just being a Driver. Learn about the industry and start learning about group standards.....
At my TOC the requirements to become an Instructor are available to download and read. Look into those (if you are able) and start working towards them. When you hit the interview stage then you will be forewarned and forearmed and there will be no question of your ability to become an Instructor.
The thing with instructors is the quality can vary massively. In my experience you often find the people who would make the best instructors either don't want to do it, or they try it for a bit then give it up. There are some fantastic instructors out there, some good ones, some not so good ones, and some downright awful ones.
I think your chances of getting the job rest mainly on the turnover of drivers at your depot and whether they take on trainees or only qualified drivers. If you work at a depot with a high turnover of staff and trainees sitting around waiting for DIs, you'll generally find they'll give the instructor jobs to pretty much anyone who expresses the slightest interest, whereas if you work at a place with a low turnover the company can afford to be far pickier about who they give the job to.
Personally the instructor job has never appealed to me, mainly due to the paperwork and the politics. I also recall an instructor being put through absolute hell when his trainee had a serious incident outside of the instructors control. The instructor was subsequently exonerated but I would never wish to see another colleague be put through what he was. I'm not trying to put anyone off the role, but don't be under any illusions about it either. I'm sure it can be very rewarding and satisfying too.
I think your chances of getting the job rest mainly on the turnover of drivers at your depot and whether they take on trainees or only qualified drivers. If you work at a depot with a high turnover of staff and trainees sitting around waiting for DIs, you'll generally find they'll give the instructor jobs to pretty much anyone who expresses the slightest interest, whereas if you work at a place with a low turnover the company can afford to be far pickier about who they give the job to.
Personally the instructor job has never appealed to me, mainly due to the paperwork and the politics. I also recall an instructor being put through absolute hell when his trainee had a serious incident outside of the instructors control. The instructor was subsequently exonerated but I would never wish to see another colleague be put through what he was. I'm not trying to put anyone off the role, but don't be under any illusions about it either. I'm sure it can be very rewarding and satisfying too.
That is indeed another side to it - do you want someone driving on your licence? Most of our cabs don't have an emergency brake plunger and we are lucky if we can see the speedo & AWS. The RAIB report into the incident (KGX?) with the trainee in the seat is worth a read. There was a similar but more low-key incident on Northern at Preston, the 'minder driver' took the rap for that one, and then all the minders and DIs got issued a few pages of guidance - guidance that was missing when the Preston incident happened. Don't think you will be even slightly immune to being hauled upstairs for tea & biscuits because you are an instructor, you tend to find that incidents involving green cab pass holders get dealt with higher up the chain than DTM level anyway.
Mintona
Established Member
One of my managers asked me to apply for DI a couple of years ago, but I didn’t feel ready to do it at that point. I still don’t really, I’m not sure if I ever will. I’ve always said I’d like to do it one day but that day doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon.
You would know if you were ready/willing to do it. If you took the job and found you hated it you could feel trapped - going for an interview at another company having recently been a DI then jacked it in could produce one or two awkward questions.
I would also ask myself if I thought that I would get the backup I needed from the driver managers if I happened to have a very poor trainee - the last thing you want is to feel trapped into banging your head on a wall as a working relationship with a trainee broke down but the managers tell you to "just carry on". Regardless of how many hoops trainee candidates have to jump through these days to get the job I reckon ~5% of them just aren't up to it.
I would also ask myself if I thought that I would get the backup I needed from the driver managers if I happened to have a very poor trainee - the last thing you want is to feel trapped into banging your head on a wall as a working relationship with a trainee broke down but the managers tell you to "just carry on". Regardless of how many hoops trainee candidates have to jump through these days to get the job I reckon ~5% of them just aren't up to it.
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