It is a criminal offence to receive money in receipt for driving instruction if you are not an approved Driving Instructor with the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency). But how would you know if a person is approved?
There are 3 relatively quick ways to check but not foolproof and 1 rather more reliable method which I will come on to in a moment. I would personally advise you attempt all of the following before paying a penny.
Firstly look for the "badge" in the windscreen, like this one here in mine.
It will have a photo of the Driving Instructor, and an expiry date. Of course, these things can quite easily be forged but it is a starting point.
Secondly I would check online. Enter your postcode on this page and it will provide a list of the Approved Driving Instructors in your area. The DVSA are careful to declare that it might not necessarily be a complete list but again, it's a starting point.
In the above case, the victim made contact with a Driving School outside of Bourne, and they supplied an apparent Driving Instructor who was not from Bourne. I would suggest that this is not ideal. That person will not be listed on that DVSA link above when you put your postcode in, as the listing is directly linked with the "Driving Instructor's" own home/work address. So employing the services of a tradesperson outside of your local town does in itself present an element of risk in this particular regard.
However, the next method is, I think, less known but good. Considering that you are about to embark on a course whereby you will be spending a great amount of time with this person, one on one in the confined space of a car, you would be wise to get some degree of "trust" in this person.
Part of the process to be an Approved Driving Instructor with the DVSA and obtain that "badge" I mentioned before, is an Enhanced Certificate from the DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service). There will ordinarily be a similarity in terms of dates (but not exact) between the "badge" in the windscreen and the 'Date of Issue' on the Enhanced Certificate. I can't speak for all Driving Instructors but I would have no problem with showing a prospective customer my (original) Enhanced Certificate - it will say on it "Name of Employer: DVSA". If the apparent Driving Instructor co-operates with your request, it will take less than a minute to check and I would suggest is a pretty reliable method of checking the authenticity of their status. However, there is another less formal, but arguably pretty reliable and more traditional method available.
Have you seen their driving school car in your area, are you aware that s/he has given talks on road safety in your local schools, have you actually heard good things from other local residents about the person? Is there information online that you can easily discover about the person and their work locally eg LinkedIn, a YouTube channel, a blog, reviews on a Facebook page. Not all business people will fully engage in these types of activity but it is a measure of the transparency by which they run their business - it is in effect a shop window that enables you to see at first hand, how they conduct their business.
The victim from Elsea Park was not speaking to a driving school in Bourne, they were not providing a Driving Instructor from Bourne - it turns out, they were not even providing an Approved Driving Instructor and now her only hope is the possibility of compensation as and when the case goes to court.
This blog highlights that there has recently been a rogue driving instructor in Bourne and for all we know, there maybe others. It aims to provide you with details as to how you can check that your Driving Instructor in Bourne is authentic. If you have any queries regarding this matter feel free to comment below or alternatively contact the DVSA direct on adireg@dsa.gsi.gov.uk
BIG TOM Driving School in Bourne 01778 309 773
http://www.bigtom.org.uk/intensive-driving-course-bourne/
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