What Is PDI Training? Driving Instructor Training Explained
What Is PDI Training?
If you're thinking about becoming a driving instructor, it won't be long before you come across the term PDI training, but like much of the terminology surrounding the industry, it can sound more complicated than it really is.
PDI simply means Potential Driving Instructor, which is the term commonly used for somebody who is going through the process of becoming an Approved Driving Instructor but hasn't yet passed the final ADI Part 3 test.
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PDI Part 3 Training Courses
PDI Training Courses
Becoming an ADI isn't simply a case of being a good driver and then deciding to teach other people how to do it. There are three qualifying tests to pass: ADI Part 1, which tests your theory knowledge and hazard perception; ADI Part 2, which assesses your own driving ability; and ADI Part 3, where you have to demonstrate that you can actually teach someone to drive.
The whole process will commonly take somewhere in the region of six to twelve months, although in practice it can take longer, particularly when candidates are waiting for DVSA test appointments. Once you've passed Part 1, there is also an important clock running in the background because Parts 2 and 3 must be passed within two years of passing Part 1, otherwise you have to start the qualifying process again.
PDI Training Is About Learning to Teach
This is where I think there is a misunderstanding about PDI training, because the ultimate aim shouldn't simply be to get somebody through three tests. The aim should be to produce a driving instructor who knows their subject and, just as importantly, knows how to teach it.
One of the biggest mistakes we see with PDIs is the assumption that because they can drive, they can teach somebody else to drive. After years behind the wheel, things such as approaching a junction, choosing a lane at a roundabout or joining a dual carriageway can feel almost automatic, but that's because you've built up years of knowledge and experience. Put a beginner in the passenger seat and suddenly you're dealing with somebody who may have none of that knowledge, so saying “just do what I do” isn't going to get you very far.
A good instructor has to be able to take something that has become second nature to them and break it back down into understandable, bite-sized pieces. When the pupil makes a mistake, the instructor then needs to recognise it, work out why it happened, help the pupil understand it, give them a practical way of fixing it and then provide another opportunity to practise it. That's teaching, and it requires considerably more than simply being able to demonstrate good driving yourself.
In our experience, when PDIs struggle with this, the underlying problem is very often poor subject knowledge. If you don't properly understand the subject yourself, it's extremely difficult to explain it clearly, ask meaningful questions about it or analyse why a pupil is struggling with it.
A Real Example From Our PDI Training
We had a particularly good example of this recently with a PDI I'll call Martin. He had already received approximately 60 hours of training, which sounds substantial, and much of that training had been delivered through Zoom classroom sessions or by having his trainer sit in the back of the car while Martin delivered lessons.
During one session Martin delivered a lesson on dual carriageways while his trainer observed from the back for around three hours. At the end, Martin was given three A4 sheets explaining what he should have done better, but that was effectively where the process ended.
When we started working with him on Part 3, we returned to dual carriageways and asked a very simple question: “What part of dual carriageways do you want to focus on? Pick an area and give me a five-minute briefing on it.”
His answer told us far more than another three-hour observation ever could: “I wouldn't know how to do it because I've never been taught this.”
That, for me, gets to the heart of what PDI training should be about. You can observe somebody for hours and produce pages of feedback about what they did wrong, but unless you're filling the gaps in their knowledge and showing them how to improve, are you actually training them?
There's nothing inherently wrong with observing a PDI giving a real lesson; in fact, DVSA's own ORDIT guidance recognises this as one way training can be delivered. However, the same guidance makes it clear that trainers should be helping PDIs understand where they're having difficulty and develop their teaching and coaching skills, using appropriate feedback, analysis and, where useful, demonstrations.
That's an important distinction between observation and training.
Who Can Offer PDI Training?
Who Can Offer PDI Training?
Any Approved Driving Instructor can offer PDI training. They don't need a separate qualification simply to train somebody who wants to become a driving instructor. However, there is an important distinction. The DVSA operates the Official Register of Driving Instructor Training (ORDIT) specifically for trainers who provide ADI training.
If you're choosing PDI training, I would always look seriously at whether the trainer is ORDIT registered. It means they've been assessed and their training has been shown to meet the standards expected by the DVSA.
That's important because PDI training shouldn't just be about learning how to pass Part 3. A good trainer should help you develop your subject knowledge, lesson planning, risk management and teaching skills, as well as showing you how to adapt a lesson to the person sitting next to you.
After all, you're not training to pass one 45-minute test. You're training to become a driving instructor. You can search for ORDIT trainers through the official GOV.UK instructor-training service.
What Should Good PDI Training Include?
What Should Good PDI Training Include?
At Driver Training Ltd, we use a mixture of online, one-to-one and practical in-car training. Some things can be learned extremely well online, but eventually you have to take that knowledge into the car and make it work with a real pupil.
For ADI Part 1, candidates build their theory and subject knowledge using our ADI Part One and Driver Training Theory resources.
The aim isn't simply to memorise enough answers to pass Part 1. You're building knowledge that you'll need later when a pupil looks across at you and asks one very simple question: “Why?”
For ADI Part 2, we combine instructional videos with practical in-car training, helping you understand what is expected from an instructor-level drive and then giving you the opportunity to put it into practice.
Part 3 is where everything starts to come together.
Part 3 is where everything starts to come together.
We use online training to build your subject knowledge, backed up by one-to-one Zoom coaching where you set the agenda. If there's something you're struggling with, that's what we work on rather than spending an hour covering something you already understand.
We then take that knowledge into approximately 20–25 hours of practical in-car training. That's where PDI training becomes real. You're dealing with actual driving situations, identifying faults, working out why they're happening and helping the pupil find a way of fixing them.
Bit by bit, you're no longer simply learning about teaching. You're learning how to teach.
Don't Choose PDI Training by Counting the Hours
Don't Choose PDI Training by Counting the Hours
It's very easy to compare PDI courses by looking at the number of hours. 60 hours must be better than 40. And 40 must be better than 20. Right?
Not necessarily. Martin had received around 60 hours of training, yet when we asked him to give us a five-minute briefing on one aspect of dual carriageways, he couldn't do it.
His explanation was simple: “I've never been taught this.” That's why you need to look beyond the headline number of hours and ask what you're actually going to be doing during them.
Are you going to improve your subject knowledge? Will you learn how to spot and analyse faults? Will you learn how to adapt when a pupil doesn't understand? Will somebody show you how to break a complicated subject into simple, understandable pieces?