Driving instructor: how to choose a private driving instructor or a driving school, how to recognize a bad specialist | Explanation

Emergency evacuation to safer regions in the first months of the great war convinced many Ukrainians of the vital need to be able to drive. Someone survived suffocation in an overcrowded evacuation train, someone drove 20 hours to the west of the country, because only one of the couple was driving in the family. Many of those who did not have a car on February 24 felt an urgent need to buy one and learn to drive. Because this is not only an opportunity to save and save, but also an option for volunteering — to bring a car for the Armed Forces from abroad, for example. All those who started training at the driving school before July 24 continue their studies according to the old rules. That is, they pass internal exams at a driving school and exams at the territorial service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs according to the old algorithm. And for those who are just planning to start their studies, we would like to remind you: since July 24, new rules for obtaining a driver’s license have come into effect in Ukraine. Now this process involves five steps: take a theoretical course at a driving school and get a certificate (valid for 1 year); theoretical exam at the service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, gain access to practice; practical course at a driving school; internal practical exam at a driving school; take a practical exam at the service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and get a license. Driving schools can be changed — for theoretical training, choose one of the accredited institutions, for practical training — another. How to choose a driving instructor among the many offers of driving schools on the market, LIGA.Life was told: private driving instructor Olena Trubina; driving instructor Oleg Melnyk; Andriy Pitonov, driving instructor of Kharkiv school of driving skills «M-Sport». Why a driving instructor, when an acquaintance can teach? In order to teach others, it is important to know the methodology of the learning process, Olena Trubina is convinced: «Practice also shows: when a close person is put behind the wheel of their car to learn, the emotion of fear prevails, which interferes with learning.» Therefore, to protect yourself from unpleasant situations related to driving, it is better to learn with a professional instructor on a training car equipped with additional pedals. «So that the instructor could control, insure, and save,» emphasizes Oleg Melnyk. Driving school or private instructor? If you don’t have a driver’s license, the only way to get one is to graduate from a driving school, notes Oleg Melnyk. After all, according to the legislation, only a specialist with a certificate from the Main Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs can teach driving on the roads of Ukraine. «Only a certified instructor has the legal right to teach people to drive around the city without a driver’s license,» he explains. For uncertified instructors, there is an opportunity to teach not on the road, but on a specialized site where there is no traffic. But in Kyiv, for example, there are almost no such sites, adds Melnyk. Another common situation in Ukraine is when a person has a license, but does not know how to drive properly. Here you can already look for a qualified instructor anywhere: go to a driving school, on forums, announcements of OLH, after seeing a training car, go up and casually ask the instructor. Because the lack of certification and belonging to a specific driving school does not determine the ability to teach and does not indicate professionalism, say driving instructors Melnyk and Pitonov. 90% of the students of the private driving instructor Olena Trubina (she mainly teaches women) have a license after driving school. Yes, you can get your driver’s license, but not learn to drive properly. «Students told how they traveled around the district with their instructors for 10 lessons, but when they found themselves at the intersection in Podil, they didn’t know what to do,» Trubina recalls. According to all interviewed experts, it is best to look for an instructor through «word of mouth». Is it true that female instructors teach women better? The interviewed experts are convinced that it is not. It all depends on the personal comfort of each student. Sometimes it is easier for a woman to learn from a woman. Trubina believes that the method of teaching women should sometimes differ from the method of teaching men. Not because someone is smarter. It’s just that a woman may not know some banal things if she didn’t play with cars and go karting as a child. «For example, when you want to turn right, you turn the steering wheel to the right. When you want to turn right while reversing, you have to turn the steering wheel to the right. And this is usually obvious to men who don’t know how to drive, but played with cars as a child,» — explains Trubina. Sometimes women also look for female instructors because of unpleasant experiences with male teachers. Recently, a student approached Elena with a problem: «My instructor said that I am not capable of driving.» How to recognize a bad driving instructor? 1. He promises to «learn to drive in a week», without seeing the student behind the wheel, says Pitonov: «You can learn something in 5 hours. But the knowledge will be of poor quality and unreliable.» «I can say only about 5-6 classes how many classes a person will need to start driving with more or less confidence,» adds Melnyk. 2. He says: «After my lessons, you will confidently drive a car», because this is not true, Olena Trubina adds: «You will still be afraid, because you are unsure of yourself. But if you do not leave this business, the skill will appear, after six months the fear will disappear.» 3. Ignores seat belts and road signs, breaks the rules himself. «When I see a training car in which there are stoppers in the seat belt locks, I understand that this person should not be contacted,» says Andriy Pitonov. 4. Answers the question «Look on the Internet.» One of Pitonov’s students told him about such an incident. 5. Yells at the student because of mistakes. «When I was studying, the instructors even kicked me. Such things used to be allowed. But this is the Stone Age. This is unacceptable,» Melnyk adds. Olena Trubina advises against an instructor who allows himself to yell and curse at a student: «The learning process itself is stressful, if a person is still shouted at, rude, it can block the student.» The instructor must not lose patience. Instead, explain the same thing several times until the student understands. 6. Discusses other students with the student. «When an instructor says, ‘there was Vasya before you, he was so stupid’ — you have to leave such an instructor. The next one will say the same about you,» Pitonov is convinced. 7. Shortens the duration of the class for constant «smoke breaks». «There are such categories when we drive for 5 minutes and smoke for 3 minutes.» This is wrong,» Oleg Melnyk says. 8. Makes an appointment and doesn’t come, or assigns classes in places where the student has to travel a long time. 9. Offers a student, a complete beginner, to learn in his own car instead of an equipped educational one, says Melnyk: «In an unequipped the machine has few levers of influence. If something goes wrong, who will be responsible?’ agrees to conduct a lesson in the student’s car only when he is confident in the person’s driving skills. Knows how the student drives, reacts to a change in the situation. 10. Makes the student doubt his ability to learn to drive a car, Pitonov, Melnyk and Trubina emphasize. After all, driving is a set reflexes that can be cultivated and used. «If the instructor does not have enough patience or intelligence to convey to the student the essence of the process and help develop a skill, this person should not go to learn,» Trubina emphasizes. Pitonov adds that he is often visited students who were previously told by other instructors: «Forget about driving, in a car your place is in the trunk». «Then you have to work with these people even more not to instructors, but to psychologists. Convince and prove that everything works out and they will definitely drive,» adds Andriy. How does a good driving instructor teach? In order to learn to drive, for example, in Kyiv, when choosing a driving instructor, Olena Trubina advises first of all to ask the specialist: what will I learn after graduation the course you have? The answer should be: after training, you will leave with the following skills: parking; changing in traffic; the ability to move in different districts of Kyiv; understanding intersections, roundabouts. When a client calls Elena for the first time and starts asking questions, she always asks: «Do you have a car , which do you plan to drive after your studies?» Because if you get a lesson and then don’t get behind the wheel in the next six months, you won’t develop the skill,» she explains. The instructor must be an example in everything, notes Pitonov. Show the student in detail with explanations how to do it correctly and why. He must do accurate and timely remarks and comments, communicating with any student in a language he understands: «Some people are horrified by any term. Others, on the contrary, need complex terminology and clear explanations.» A professional instructor can raise his voice at a student in a critical situation, for example, to bring the student out of a stupor. «If in an emergency situation, shout: «Brake!» — it’s not shouting at a person, it’s a team. It can be short, loud. This is acceptable,» explains Trubina. But raising the instructor’s voice cannot refer to mistakes, Pitonov adds. A good instructor should provide feedback to the student, ask what is unclear, summarize intermediate results. When communication between the instructor and the student is established, the specialist sees, if the student does not understand something, Pitonov and Melnyk are convinced. Trubina, for example, keeps in touch with the students a month after the training, asking how the process went further. Because learning to drive is not only about practicing movements, but also about developing skills. Professional instructor will teach not only on the playground. After the initial training, it is necessary to go to the city with the students. «At first — along simple routes, then — along complicated ones. Then we drive and look for road situations that require non-standard solutions,» says Pitonov. During the first lesson with a complete beginner, a professional instructor must devote a lot of time to theory before putting the student behind the wheel. Explain the main elements of the car and the principle of driving in a real car, and not just «hang a poster and show something on it», notes Melnyk. If the student shows an increased interest in the structure of the car — open the hood, show where the engine, transmission, injection, where to add technical fluids. As for the duration of an effective first lesson, the opinions of experts vary. According to Andrii, the most effective time to learn is 2 hours. Oleg practices for no more than 1.5 hours so that «learning does not turn into suffering and does not develop an aversion to driving.» For Elena, the class lasts 3 hours: «Getting to know a person, studying him equal. I talk about the car for a long time, point to each device on the panel, we disassemble the pedals, the steering wheel, count how many revolutions the steering wheel makes. And then we start to move little by little.» So that the student does not get tired, Trubina selects information for the class that borders on practice. A good instructor must teach the student to think, independently assess the situation and make decisions. «If the instructor constantly presses the pedals and turns the steering wheel for the student — there will be no point — emphasizes Melnyk. — There are times when a person starts driving alone and calls with: «I can’t do this and that, let’s take a few more classes.» The main thing is not to continue classes with an instructor you don’t like, all three specialists emphasize. Because these are: 1) lost money; 2) lost time; 3) not progress, but regression. Pitonov is convinced: if the student does not have proper communication with the instructor, even a highly qualified specialist will not teach a person. The «lack of communication» marker is when you need to be persuaded and dragged to class. When you go to work, when the instructor has to say: «Let’s work for half an hour more, you need it.» «You have to go to class as if it were fun. You have to wait for the next one. This shows that the process is going well,» Pitonov emphasizes. Read also If you notice a spelling mistake, select it with the mouse and press Ctrl+Enter.


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