One of the challenges of being a sole-trader, self-employed driving instructor, is that you are aware of being alone. The latest DVSA survey of driving instructors (September 2024) indicates that 70% of us fall into this category.  At times, our confidence dips a bit, we start to doubt ourselves. It may be that we have a run of test fails, or perhaps our Standards Check is coming up.  Perhaps we have a difficult pupil or their parents to deal with. Whatever the reason, for many this can be stressful to say the least, as there is no-one around them to consult.

With the BIG TOM Franchise you are allocated a mentor, someone who you can get in touch with should you start to feel this way. This is a superb advantage as you will be gaining support from a person who has been in the industry a while, they have the expertise and they know how you feel.

Take the example of driving standards, you might start to doubt yourself about how good the “push/pull” steering is supposed to be, or maybe you worry about how detailed your commentary drive is.  A pupil asks you a question about the use of mirrors and the answer doesn’t spring to your mind. Perhaps you are driving in a location and don’t feel 100% certain of how a driver is supposed to navigate around the area. Perhaps a parent threatens to use social media against your business after a dispute about pricing.

There can be many situations that develop and as we are all human, it is understandable that at times we might start to feel quite low, demotivated, unsure and perhaps even wonder if we are in the right job. So having this mentor to contact on the franchise is a massive help and will guide you to get back on track again.