We give you some food for thought about the Trainee licence. Is it worth getting, and what are the pro's and con's?

Before you can apply for a trainee licence, you must complete 40 hours training for your part 3 teachers training test, which would consist of classroom and in-car training.

To qualify for the licence, the PDI must have a "sponsor". A sponsor is a qualified driving instructor who will supervise your training untill you pass. The sponsor can work on behalf of a national driving school, or an independent driving school.

The most important benefit, is that it allows the Potential Driving Instructor (PDI) - or trainee- to gain valuable teaching experience and get paid for it. One thing that must be stressed, that its often abused. That means you should not rely on it as a means of income. Ideally, you should not be teaching for no more than 15 to 20 hours a week. The rest of the time should be spent on studying for your Part 3 test.

A trainee licence lasts for six months, in which time you must pass the Part 3 Practical Teaching Ability Test. Licences are rarely granted an extension to that time period.

You may be thinking, do I apply for a trainee licence?

From the feedback on our Forum, some PDI's have found it very beneficial, while others have taken the 40 hours training and passed the Part 3 qualifying exam without having the licence. There is no definitive answer, its down to personal choice.

In a recent poll of qualified instructors on our Forums, were asked:

When you were training, did you have a trainee licence, and did you find it helped you for your Part 3?

58% (34) said Yes I had a trainee licence, and found it was helpful in my training.
37% (22) No I didn't have a trainee licence, as I thought I could do Part 3 without it.
3% (2) Yes I had a trainee licence, but didn't find it very helpful.
From a total of 58 voters.

I will also say, that there is a certain amount of bad feeling with some ADI's with regards to PDI's. They feel that PDI's take business away from them, and the public are taken for a ride by charging the same rate to client as a qualified ADI. But this is no fault of the PDI but purely the employer.