I PASSED MY DRIVING TEST!!

Way back in January I wrote a blog post called New Year Update where I revealed I had finally applied for my provisional driving license so I could officially get myself on the road. It seems like SO much has happened since then, and believe me, it hasn't all gone swimmingly. First off, I had the job of picking a decent driving instructor. Being completely honest I had no idea who to go for; all driving instructors offer different packages and deals, some are more qualified than others and they all have different cars that they use to teach you in. With all of this in mind, I decided to go onto Facebook and look on one of those community pages.. you know, where people in your area post anonymous messages about everything from who they fancy to reccomending places where you can expect a top quality three-course meal (I wish I was joking).

So after scrolling through what seemed like thousands of pointless posts, I came across somebody who was looking for driving instructor recommendations. I looked through the list of everybody's recommendations and checked out the instructors' websites until I finally thought I'd found THE ONE. Now, everything went smoothly on the first lesson, the instructor turned up on time, (more about that later) he seemed friendly and most importantly he was very patient. However somewhere along the line all of this changed; he became consistently late, he hardly spoke to me during lessons and we spent hours on end driving around a teeny tiny housing estate doing the same thing again and again. To cut a long story short I felt I wasn't progressing as I should, but only did I realise this when I'd gone through 30 hours worth of lessons with him. All in all it was a complete nightmare but at the time I was still trying to convince myself that he was the professional and perhaps I wasn't where I should have been because I was a dodgy driver. Anyway, he did absolutely nothing for my confidence and would often use his brakes without even letting me deal with the hazards that were thrown my way. I decided to go ahead and book a test as the waiting list can be up to six weeks long and he didn't seem to have a problem with me doing that at all until I seemed reluctant when he mentioned that I needed to book at least another 10 hours with him (at this point I think I internally LOL'd and was like "dream on, mate.") So after all that, I talked it through with my mum and my brother and they both told me I should ditch him. I basically just sent him a text explaining that I need to take a break from driving (first lie) and that I'll be in touch when I'm ready for more lessons (second lie). I honestly felt AWFUL saying that, but it's not in my nature to be all open and honest and I would have hated for it to be awkward if I actually did come clean and tell him what I thought of the whole experience.

Anyway, the search was then back on to find another instructor who wasn't going to rip me off and would actually teach me everything I need so I could become a safe and confident driver. This time I took a recommendation from one of my English teachers I had at college who said this man was "the best instructor EVER" and he was SO RIGHT. Even after one lesson with him my mum said she noticed the difference in my confidence and he just made me feel so much more at ease. I decided to book twelve hours with him and save two hours back for the day of my driving test so I could get some last minute practice in. We had to pretty much start from scratch and go over everything as I had so many gaps in my knowledge which, yes - I am going to blame solely on my previous instructor. He was honestly one of the nicest people I have ever met and with his help, I was able to pass my driving test FIRST TIME with only three minors... YAY!

I guess the moral of the story is to never put up with something just because it's the easiest option. Remember, you are the one paying for a service and you have every right to be treated with respect. I found it most unprofessional when my first instructor would turn up nearly fifteen to twenty minutes late every single lesson and it just felt like he was taking the absolute mick. In some ways I do regret letting him treat me like that and of course I regret paying for thirty hours of lessons with him, but on the other hand, I'm so glad I changed instructors when I did because I highly doubt I would have passed so soon without being roped into having more and more lessons!