Choosing a Driving Instructor: Accreditation, Dual Controls and the Lesson That Counts

If you are the parent in the passenger seat, gripping the door handle a little more than you would like to admit, you are in very good company. Most of a learner’s logbook hours come from family and friends, and that is fine. Most families cannot pay a professional for every hour, and practice with you is where a lot of the confidence builds. Paid lessons do a different job. They are where good habits get set early, where a nervous learner gets a calm voice that is not Mum or Dad, and where the gaps get filled before the test. So it is worth choosing the instructor with a little care. The checklist below covers the main points, and the rest of this guide explains each one.

Check the instructor is authorised

It can feel a bit awkward to ask a stranger for their credentials, but a good instructor will expect it and will not mind at all. Each state does this a little differently.

In New South Wales, driving instructors hold a driving instructor licence issued under the state’s rules, administered through Transport for NSW and Service NSW. It is perfectly fine to ask to see it before the first lesson.

In Victoria, Safe Transport Victoria says that a professional instructor teaching an unlicensed person to drive a car must hold a Driving Instructor Authority, often shortened to DIA. To apply for one, a person needs a full driver licence held for at least six months and a Certificate IV in car driving instruction. So when you ask a Victorian instructor about their authority, you are also asking, quietly, about their training.

In Queensland, the term you will hear is accredited driver trainer, under the Queensland Government’s system.

If you live in another state or territory, simply ask the instructor which accreditation they hold for your state, and check it with your state’s transport authority if anything sounds vague. A confident, specific answer is a good sign.

If an instructor cannot show you anything, or changes the subject, you do not need to argue about it. Thank them, and keep looking. There are plenty of instructors who will happily show their credentials before they take your learner anywhere, and those are the ones you want.

How lessons count in the logbook

This is the part many families do not know about, and it can change how you plan the whole learner period.

In New South Wales, learners under 25 need to log 120 hours of supervised driving, including 20 hours at night. The NSW Government’s 3 for 1 bonus means that a one-hour structured lesson with a licensed driving instructor can be recorded as three hours in the logbook. On top of that, completing the Safer Drivers Course adds 20 hours. The NSW Government page sets out exactly how many bonus hours can be claimed this way, so it is worth reading before you book a package. Planned well, a handful of professional lessons can make a real difference to the logbook as well as to the driving.

To picture it, here is an illustration rather than a plan. Say a NSW learner under 25 books five one-hour lessons across their learner period. Under the 3 for 1 bonus, those five hours could be recorded as fifteen in the logbook, within the limit the NSW Government page sets. The rest of the 120 hours, including the 20 at night, would still come from practice with family and friends.

In Queensland, learners under 25 need to log 100 hours, including 10 at night. The logbook also records whether the supervising driver was an accredited driver trainer, so make sure the instructor’s details go in for each lesson.

In Victoria, learners under 21 need to log 120 hours, including 20 hours at night.

Whatever your state, a lesson only helps the logbook if it is written down properly. Ask the instructor at the start how they record lessons, whether in a paper book or an app, and check that each one has been entered before you drive away.

It can help to think of lessons and family practice as a pair. The instructor introduces a skill, such as a reverse park or a roundabout with several lanes, and then you practise it together over the following week. When your learner goes back for the next lesson, the instructor can see what has stuck and what needs another go. Used that way, each paid hour shapes the family hours around it as well.

The car

The car matters more than people expect, especially for a nervous learner.

Ask whether the lesson car has dual controls, meaning a brake on the instructor’s side. That second brake is a big part of why a first lesson in traffic can feel safe for everyone. It is also fair to ask about the car’s condition and insurance. A well-kept car is one less thing for your learner to worry about.

Check, too, whether the car is manual or automatic, and match it to the car your learner will sit the test in. It is usually easiest if the learner practises with you and with the instructor in the same type of car, so that the test day holds no surprises.

What a good first lesson looks like

You might be surprised by how little driving happens in a good first lesson, and that is perfectly normal. One parent described her daughter’s first lesson as 25 minutes parked at the kerb going through everything, and that turned out to be exactly right.

A good first lesson usually looks something like this:

• a cockpit drill before the car moves: seat, mirrors, steering wheel, seatbelt, and where everything is
• a quiet street to start, rather than a busy road
• a plan for the lesson, explained before you begin
• feedback at the end, with something specific to practise before next time
• a note in the logbook or app

The instructor’s phone should stay away for the whole lesson. Some learners have spent part of a paid lesson waiting while the instructor took calls, and you are entitled to expect better than that.

A few red flags are worth knowing. Be wary of lessons spent on the phone, of no feedback at the end, and of an instructor who pushes to book the test before your learner feels ready. It is okay to try someone else. Some learners go through an instructor or two before they find the right one.

At the end of the lesson, it is worth asking the instructor one simple question: “What should we practise before next time?” A good instructor will have an answer ready, and it gives your family hours a clear purpose. If you can, ask your learner how it felt, too. A lesson can look fine from the kerb and still have been frightening from the driver’s seat, and that is useful for the instructor to know.

Fit and price

The best instructor for your learner is not always the one with the most five-star reviews. It is the one your learner feels safe with.

If your learner is anxious, mention it when you call. Ask how the instructor works with nervous drivers, and listen to whether the answer sounds patient. A good instructor will want to know about your learner’s experience so far, how many hours they have logged and what they find hard.

It also helps to ask about the practical side:

• whether packages are available, and whether single lessons are fine too
• whether the instructor’s car can be hired for the test, and what that includes
• the cancellation rules, including how much notice you need to give

Timing is worth a thought as well. Some families save professional lessons for the end, as test preparation. Others book a few early on, so that the basics are set properly before the family hours begin, and then a few more as the test gets closer. There is no wrong answer, but early lessons can stop habits forming that are harder to undo later. A short chat with the instructor about your learner’s timeline will usually settle it.

One more thing: if you can, stick with one instructor. Lessons with the same person build on each other, while a rotating roster of instructors can mean starting over each time.

Questions families often ask

Do we need paid lessons at all? Not for every hour. Most families cannot pay for all the logbook hours, and practice with family and friends is where most of them come from. Paid lessons are best used for setting habits early, calming nerves and filling the gaps before the test.

My learner is very nervous. Is that a problem? Not at all, and you are far from the only family dealing with it. Mention it when you first call, and choose an instructor whose answer sounds patient. A first lesson that starts with a cockpit drill on a quiet street suits a nervous learner well.

What if the first instructor is not right? It is okay to try someone else. Once you find an instructor your learner feels safe with, try to stay with them, so each lesson builds on the last.

Can we hire the instructor’s car for the test? Some instructors offer it. Ask what it includes when you talk about packages and cancellation rules.

Buying the learner a car later

Many families start thinking about a first car somewhere in the learner period. If you are buying a used car for your learner, this site’s roadworthy certificate guide explains what the certificate covers and what it does not.

Every hour should leave a note in the logbook

You do not need to become an expert in driving instruction to choose well. Check that the instructor holds the right licence, authority or accreditation for your state. Make sure the car has dual controls and matches the one your learner will be tested in. Find out how lessons count in your state’s logbook, and in New South Wales, plan around the 3 for 1 bonus. Then watch the first lesson for the small things: a cockpit drill, a quiet street, a phone out of sight and feedback at the end.

Most of all, make sure every lesson is written down. A paid lesson that never reaches the logbook leaves hours your learner will have to make up somewhere else.

Sources: NSW Government, Driving instructors and 3 for 1 bonus hours (https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/driver-and-rider-licences/driver-licences/learner-driver-licence/driving-instructors); NSW Government, Using your Learner Driver Log Book (https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/driver-and-rider-licences/driver-licences/learner-driver-licence/using-your-learner-driver-log-book); Safe Transport Victoria, Apply for your Driving Instructor Authority (https://safetransport.vic.gov.au/on-the-road/driving-instructors/apply-for-your-driving-instructor-authority/); Youth Central (Victorian Government), Learners permit (https://www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/driving-and-public-transport/driving-your-ls); Queensland Government, Learner logbook (https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/licensing/getting/learner-logbook)