Thinking about training as a driving instructor in Middlesbrough?
Talk to Clint before you spend a penny. No packages, no deposit, no hard sell.
Becoming an instructor
Driving instructor training in Middlesbrough
Most people looking into this get sold a package before anyone tells them an honest number.
We do it the other way round.
There are no packages here and nothing to pay up front. Your training is delivered by an ORDIT registered trainer we work with, at £45 an hour, and you pay for the hours you use.
This page covers the full driving instructor course in Middlesbrough. ADI training, PDI training, the trainee licence, and what happens after you qualify. Read it before you speak to anybody, including us.
People search for this in a dozen different ways. ADI training in Middlesbrough, PDI training, driving instructor jobs in Middlesbrough. It all leads to the same three tests and the same badge at the end.
Areas we cover around Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough, Acklam, Linthorpe, Marton, Nunthorpe, Coulby Newham, Park End, North Ormesby, Berwick Hills, Hemlington, Thornaby, Stockton, Billingham, Redcar and the surrounding areas.
The money
What it actually costs
These are the government fees. Nobody can charge them for you and nobody can discount them. Correct as at September 2026.
| What you pay for | Cost |
|---|---|
| Enhanced DBS check, needed before anything else | approx. £17 |
| Part 1 theory and hazard perception, per attempt | £81 |
| Part 2 driving ability, per attempt | £111 |
| Part 3 instructional ability, per attempt | £111 |
| ADI registration, lasts four years | £300 |
| Total, if you pass everything first time | approx. £620 |
| Trainee licence, optional, lasts six months | £140 |
| Training with an ORDIT registered trainer, per hour | £45 |
Parts 2 and 3 are capped at three attempts each and every attempt costs the full fee again. All three parts must be passed within two years of passing Part 1.
Training is the variable, and it cannot start until your PRN comes through. Forty hours at £45 is £1,800, which is the minimum before you can apply for a trainee licence. Plenty of people need more than the minimum.
The route
The driving instructor course in Middlesbrough, step by step
Step one: your DBS check
Nothing starts until this is done. You need an enhanced DBS check through the DVSA, it costs around £17, and the DVSA walk you through the online verification themselves.
Start it today. It takes weeks and everyone who leaves it until last ends up waiting.
Begin at the DVSA criminal record disclosure service on GOV.UK.
Step two: your PRN
Once your DBS is cleared you apply to the DVSA and they issue your Personal Reference Number. Every later step hangs off it.
You cannot begin training until you hold it. That is the DVSA’s rule, not ours, and it is the single biggest reason people lose months at the start.
Part 1: theory and hazard perception
One hundred multiple choice questions and a hazard perception test in one sitting. £81 an attempt, and you can take it as many times as you need.
Most people pass this. It is the part you can revise your way through.
Part 2: your own driving
An hour of driving assessed far above the standard of the test you took as a learner. £111 an attempt, three attempts maximum.
People who have driven for twenty years often struggle here. Two decades of habits get picked apart in sixty minutes.
Part 3: teaching
You teach a real lesson while an examiner watches. £111 an attempt, three attempts maximum. Fail one and you must do five hours of extra training before the next.
Part 3 has the lowest pass rate of the three by a distance. Being a good driver has nothing to do with it. Being able to teach does. Most people need around twenty to thirty hours of coaching before their first attempt.
Register and start work
Pass Part 3 and you pay £300 to join the ADI register. That gets you the green badge and it lasts four years. You have twelve months from passing Part 3 to register.
The pink badge
You can earn before you finish
Once you have passed Part 2 and completed at least forty hours of training, you can apply for a trainee licence. It costs £140 and lasts six months. It lets you teach paid lessons in Middlesbrough while you work towards Part 3.
There is a catch worth knowing. You choose one of two supervision routes on the form and you cannot change it afterwards. We will talk you through which one suits you.
Ask Us About The Trainee LicenceLocal knowledge. Middlesbrough Driving Test Centre
Middlesbrough Driving Test Centre
Maxwell Road, Tees Industrial Estate, Middlesbrough, TS3 8TE
Training stays local. Route knowledge matters, and you will learn Middlesbrough properly, mentored by a former DVSA driving examiner. Tests from this centre regularly include the A19 and A66, the multi-lane roundabouts near Teesside Park, and residential routes through Marton and Nunthorpe.
Diary build time
New instructors often reach a workable diary in two to four weeks, depending on availability, areas covered and hours offered.
You choose your days, your hours and your areas. We supply the structure and the lead flow.
Free training deal, when it is available
We run a free training deal from time to time. When it is on, it covers:
- Part 1 learning materials, plus signposting to the rest.
- Part 2 training. Six hours often gets an experienced driver up to standard.
- The mandatory forty hours of ADI training needed for a trainee licence. At £45 an hour that is £1,800 covered.
Ask us for current availability and the full terms. It is not always running and we will tell you straight if it is not.
After you qualify
The driving instructor franchise in Middlesbrough
| What you pay | Cost |
|---|---|
| Weekly fee with Total Drive, first 12 months | £53 |
| Weekly fee with Total Drive, after 12 months | £43 |
| Weekly fee without Total Drive, first 12 months | £50 |
| Weekly fee without Total Drive, after 12 months | £40 |
| Percentage cut of your lessons | None |
| Fee per pupil we send you | None |
| Charged while sick, on holiday or off the road | No |
| Payable from | Once you have 10 paying pupils |
If your pupil numbers drop back below ten, the fee stops again. There are also two free weeks in summer and one in winter.
We can occasionally take instructors on a pay per pupil basis instead, for part timers or anyone testing the water. It is capped and it is case by case, so ask rather than assuming.
A realistic weekly earnings example in Middlesbrough
- Three 90 minute lessons a day, five days a week. Fifteen lessons.
- Lesson price £65 per 90 minutes.
- Weekly lesson income: £975.
- Weekly fee: £53.
- Fuel: roughly £50 to £90.
- Left after fee and fuel, before tax: £832 to £872.
That excludes car costs, insurance and tax, and it assumes a full diary. Nobody starts with a full diary. Treat it as the ceiling, not the opening week.
Most people looking at driving instructor jobs in Middlesbrough want to know that number before anything else. Now you have it, and you have how we got to it.
What you get for the weekly fee
Included
- Pupil supply across Middlesbrough
- Total Drive diary management
- Mentoring from former DVSA examiners
- Vehicle branding, designed and fitted by us
- Support from the whole team
Not included
- Fuel
- Your car and its upkeep
- Insurance
- Tax
What stays yours
- Your pupils and their contact details
- Your diary and your hours
- Every penny you earn. We take no cut.
- The right to take private work
FAQ
Questions we get all the time
What is the first thing I should do?
Your enhanced DBS check. Around £17, and the DVSA guide you through the online verification. Once it clears you apply for your PRN, and only once you hold your PRN can training begin.
How much does training cost?
£45 an hour, paid as you go. No packages, nothing up front. Forty hours is the minimum before a trainee licence, which comes to £1,800.
Who delivers the training?
An ORDIT registered trainer we work with. You will meet them before you commit to anything.
How long does it take?
Six to twelve months for most people. You have two years from passing Part 1 to pass all three parts, so there is room, but the clock is real.
Do I have to train in an automatic?
Not at all. But you will be teaching in one with us, because automatic is all we teach.
Do I need DrewMatic branding on my car?
Most of our instructors carry it and we design and fit it at our cost. It works hard as a moving advert. It is not an absolute requirement though. We would rather have a good instructor in an unbranded car than lose them over a decal.
Do I have to sign a contract?
New starters sign a twelve month minimum, then move to rolling monthly with one month’s notice. We brought that in after a small number of people took advantage of a handshake. There are no exit penalties and no threats.
Am I guaranteed a job at the end?
You are guaranteed an offer of a place with us. We are short of instructors and long on learners, so if you qualify with us and we get on, there is work here.
I am already a PDI or ADI. What can I do?
Come and talk to us. We sponsor trainee licences and supply the Part 3 training that goes with them, and changing sponsor is done by email to the DVSA who reissue the licence free of charge. If you are already qualified, our page for qualified instructors covers the terms.
I want to leave my current franchise. Can you help?
We can talk it through in confidence. Whether you can leave depends entirely on your agreement and how you have been treated, and that is a question for a solicitor rather than for us or for a web page. What we will not do is tell you what you want to hear.
How do I get in touch?
WhatsApp or text Clint on 07870 809 373, or use the form below.
Instructor training elsewhere in the North East
Wherever you are across the region, we will find you work.
Start With A Conversation, Not A Deposit
Call or text Clint on 07870 809 373. Ask him anything. What it costs, how long it takes, whether you are cut out for it. He will tell you straight, including when the answer is no.
Enquire about instructor training in Middlesbrough
Tell us where you are up to. No obligation and no hard sell.
