Have you always wanted to be your own boss and have the flexibility to work the hours you want? Then maybe becoming a driving instructor is the career path for you.

Here at Bill Plant, we aim to make the instructor feel part of the team as well as having the autonomy of being your boss and working the hours you decide. We try to make becoming a franchisee an easy process as possible. We understand that it is fundamental to be your own boss and to run your own diary, but you also get the full support of the dedicated Bill Plant team. And all this comes at a competitively priced weekly franchise fee.

This is why Bill Plant Driving School has been the fastest growing driving school in the UK for the last 5 years.

We are currently offering the first 6 weeks franchise free for all new ADI’s and PDI’s  so now is the time to join Bill Plant Driving School. It’s time to fulfill those dreams of being your own boss…..

Benefits include:

• Brand new Vauxhall Corsa Club 1.3CDTi - includes insurance and maintenance
• Free accident/illness cover
• Free Company share
• First 6 weeks franchise free
• Free corporate wear

You can read more about becoming an instuctor here.
For more information you can email us or you can call our dedicated team on 0800 389 2254.

Petrol and diesel fuel has been falling from its all time high in recent weeks but it still horrendously expensive so it is still worth hearing of methods by which this precious commodity can be saved.

A simple way is to reverse into a parking space in order that you drive out of it in a forwards direction. Not only is your vehicle in a safer position, you will remember this from your driving lessons; there are benefits to your car too. It is known that it takes an average five year old car a minute and a half for the engine to warm up and the most efficient way to warm it up is by driving it. Reversing out of a space when the car’s engine is cold uses around 20 to 25 times more petrol in the first few seconds than it does when warm. If you do this several times a week the cost savings in fuel and wear and tear on your vehicle engine can be huge.

You will have been taught the reasons for reversing by your qualified driving instructor, practiced it many time during your driving lessons and had to perform this in the practical driving test, why stop now? Be safe and save money.

What is not in doubt is that modern cars are structurally far superior to models widely available in years previously, but the width of the pillars to achieve this has grown, in particular the one that divides the windscreen and the side windows, known as the “A” pillar, the downside is that his pillar obstructs the vision of thousands of drivers.

Your Bill Plant qualified driving instructor will have made you aware of the potential restriction the “A” pillar may cause in your ability to scan the road ahead. As a reminder to all drivers you should make sure that nothing is hidden from view by the pillar before making a manoeuvre as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are easy to “lose” in the space behind this. Make sure you take time to look around the pillar, not just take a quick “snap-shot” look which could allow a cyclist to be hidden from view.

Never forget that good all round vision is essential to safe driving, vital in fact and remember that as a driver of a motor vehicle, the onus is on you to ensure that nothing is there.

Driving a motor vehicle is not about just one technique, as your qualified driving instructor will have taught to you when you were taking your driving lessons. A good, safe drive is about a mixture of techniques, but high on the list must be the need to use the vehicle’s brakes in a smooth and progressive way.

The way we drive begins to change as we become more confident, often within a few months after taking the practical driving test, not if you practice advanced driving techniques. Good drivers develop observation and anticipation, braking or slowing earlier as the need arises.

Many drivers leave their braking late, possibly causing that “cascade” of lights so often seen, a good driver will have left enough gap to allow gentle braking, letting the speed of the vehicle fall away without the need to brake hard. It is better by far to learn to read the road ahead, you can do this by taking the free Hazard Perception Test on Bill Plants website. Not only do you get early warning of developing hazards, you can respond by adjusting your speed using only your throttle, this technique will also help save fuel.

We all have to be concerned regarding the current high cost of fuel, whether that is standard petrol or diesel, even though in many cases this precious commodity is paid for by a company. So what can we do to improve the fuel efficiency of our vehicles?

Some simple tips to use less fuel are; firstly drive the way that you did when you were under the care and control of one of the qualified driving instructors. Lift your foot off the accelerator earlier on your approach to traffic lights etc thereby reducing your braking. Be sensible about accelerating; vary your foot pressure on the accelerator pedal so you don’t have to brake as often or as hard. Surprisingly to many, one of the pillars of fuel efficient driving is accelerating briskly to a safe cruising speed and then taking the highest gear quickly. Most drivers tend to go straight from accelerator to brake, which is when fuel consumption suffers. Plan your arrival at roundabouts so that you decelerate for a longer period in a higher gear. Save that fuel and save yourself money, become an advanced driver.

Driving is a problem-solving activity where we must coordinate both our mental and physical skills in order to be able to accomplish our task.  A good driver has learned how to concentrate, observe, think ahead and react, and handle their vehicle all within the space of a few seconds.  This is enough to make any new driver nervous.  We are taught many of these skills by our driving instructor who points out hazards, how to perceive things, and how to assess risk to ourselves and our vehicles in an effort to avoid driving hazards.

Once we start to drive alone we become more relaxed and gain confidence, and experience.  We discover our strengths and weaknesses and try to remember everything we are taught.  We need to make sure we are prepared for every potential problem and we need to remember that a road is never really empty.  In order to do that we must make sure that we can see the road clearly, be alert and not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and keep our concentration on our driving.

When trying to watch out for hazards, there are some questions we may subconsciously ask ourselves as we drive.  Is the hazard a curve in the road that we cannot see beyond?  Could it be a pedestrian or another vehicle?  How fast are others driving?  How fast am I driving?  What if you come to a combination of hazards?  You must always be on the watch for potential hazards in the road when you are driving.  To miss one may be a fatal mistake that could’ve been avoided.

Being in business on your own is something that most people would like to happen at some time in their lives, so why not make it become a reality? Achieving this is not as difficult as it might be if you take up the outstanding offer of becoming a franchised driving instructor with The Bill Plant School of Motoring.

Firstly you would receive full instruction from the Bill Plant Driving Instructor Training College, tailored around you so you do not lose valuable income, completing parts 1, 2 & 3 of the Driving Standards Agency tests to become a fully Approved Driving Instructor. After qualification you can take up a franchise with Bill Plant Ltd., and be part of national driving school with over 300 cars on the road. Full support is part of your franchise and the stress is taken out of running your business. What are you waiting for?

There is absolutely no substitute for getting driving experience with your Bill Plant Driving Instructor, but there are modern aids in the form of CD’s available through the Bill Plant School of Driving online shop.

The Driving Test Success practical pc CD ROM will give you the confidence to become a safe driver and it will enable you to practice, revise and refresh the essential driving skills taught to you by your Bill Plant Driving Instructor.  With this tool you will be able, through the virtual 3D car, be able to practice, under instruction, the many vital driving routines on your PC all in your own time at leisure. Using the step by step guide you can prepare for your test using professional advice, safe driving practices and techniques. This CD ROM is one of many others that can be found at the online shop, helping you become a better safer driver.

By joining the Bill Plant School of Driving you will be amongst a group of like minded people who have flexible working hours that enable you top fit your family around work, how many other people can say that? We will ensure that you are registered with the Driving Standards Agency, which is a legal requirement for you to become an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI). There are some requirements before you can enrol in our Training College, these are; to have held a full driving licence for at least four years out of the last six, not been disqualified during the last four years, no criminal or motoring convictions

We have a proud record of teaching people to become successful Driving Instructors, following qualification most working as a franchisee within our school of driving, others joining large fleet operators or transport companies passing on their knowledge to the employees of the company. Whichever route you finally take you will not regret taking a Driving Instructors course at the Bill Plant Driving Instructor Training College.

We do not just teach young people to drive, we can and do offer lessons for the older driver, sometimes this can be for someone who is experienced but wants to upgrade their driving skills, possibly to take the Institute of Advanced Motorist test.

All our driving instructors have extensive knowledge and skills for teaching learner drivers and they understand that instructing an older driver requires a different approach from teaching a young novice driver. An older person can display nerves in exactly the same way as anyone and our instructors approach them with the same sympathy as a seventeen year old getting behind the wheel for the first time.

If you are an experienced older driver, but want to upgrade your skills, you can be sure that you will listened to and respected, your good driving points, as well as your bad driving habits will be discussed to enable you to become a better driver.