What you need to know                      What you need

To become an ADI, you must first apply to the DVSA online. The application could take several weeks to process, so we suggest you make it as soon as possible.

The application criteria will consist of:

  • You must have held a full British license for at least 4 years
  • Be able to read a car number plate from 26.5 meters (90 feet approximately)
  • The license must be free of endorsements. However, certain allowances may be made. The DVSA would need to assess this.
  • Be in good health with no driving restrictions imposed by the DVLA
  • Any applicant with a serious criminal conviction will not be accepted
  • Any applicant being banned from driving for a drink-drive offence will not be accepted

Once the application has been approved, you have two years to begin training.

You must pass all three examinations. These are:

Part 1 = The Theory and Hazard Perception test

Part 2 = The Driving test

Part 3 = The Instruction Ability test

After passing the three tests, you may be entered on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors as an ADI.

After completing the course and qualifying as an ADI, approximately 12 to 18 months later, you will be invited to sit a compulsory ‘Standards Check Test’ (SCT)

A DVSA-appointed examiner will sit in your car and observe the driving lesson. He or she will watch and listen to you carry out the lesson while making notes. The examiner is watching to see if your lesson is structured to the pupil’s specific needs and level and for competence in various aspects of your teaching techniques.

The only purpose of the SCT is to ensure that an acceptable standard of instruction is being carried out. This should be no more or no less than what you would normally do for any other driving lesson.