Imagine the following situation: you are relaxed and self-assured, and you have decades of driving experience. The next logical step is surely to teach others. Then you do begin the qualification process – and that confidence is soon brought to reality. A Chilled driving course is offered in three phases. Each of them tests something different. Pass them all and you have really earned the badge. One step ahead and you will be back to the drawing board.

The stage one subjects your own driving to a microscope. No Sunday-afternoon driving. Examiners evaluate technical accuracy in different road situations – and here is the weird part. Habits which you have been doing unconsciously since the age of twenty-odd years are suddenly made conscious the moment someone starts marking them. It is strange how simple things are. That is not failure, it is just the examination effect taking its toll.

Stage two changes gears completely. Instructional psychology, theory, fault identification. It is here that a good number of candidates have come to a sudden wall. It does not matter much that one is a good driver. The issue arises as to whether you can describe driving – break it down into small steps that someone who has never driven can understand. The memory of muscles does not automatically translate into the clear communication. It is a real struggle to bridge that gap.

The third stage is the one that most individuals are not expecting to see and that is the opportunity to accept paying learners even before full qualification has been achieved. You are a trainee instructor and you are basically learning on the job. There are candidates who will perform well under this set up. The others get the impression that they are putting the plane together in the air. The two experiences are valid and each develops practical skills that cannot be developed in a classroom.

The time taken is usually six months to one year. Such a figure is always shocking to those who anticipate a fast turnaround. But think of what is really being constructed a professional capacity in which bad judgment on a bad day can have a direct impact on the safety of another person.

Money is money, and it should be discussed in the beginning. The prices of training packages are enormous. There are providers who charge all three stages as a single fee; and providers who charge each stage individually. Lower prices do not necessarily imply lower quality, however, the low price that is not usual should be questioned before any commitment is made.

Individuals get to this profession in various ways. Some want flexibility. Others crave independence. Some of them were at one time themselves timid students, and deeply influenced by a great teacher, and now desire to transmit that on.

Those last ones? They nearly always end up being the top of the business.