Driving Instructor

In response to:Is it just me?

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:33:26 +0200

Reading your blog with intrest, really. I'm 40 and my wife's a nurse, five year old at school and I have a low paid 20 hour a week flexi job as a sign maker that's OK but doesn't set my pulse running and certainly isn't any kind of a career! That's why I'm looking into becoming a driving instructor here in Christchurch. I need something to really get my teeth into and earn a decent living while being flexible enough around my wife's shifts that change by the week and so I can still be about to pick up my little 'un from school. The Driving instructor life really appeals to me (though my wife has yet to be convinced!). Though maybe you guys with all your experience could offer me some advice??? I have an apointment with the Driving Instructor Training Centre in Surrey but I may postpone, there's so much on the web and I need to research everything a bit more before I do two hours up the M3!! They don't advertise there course fees on their site which I don't like and told me they'd talk to me once I was there... what d'you think??

In response to:Sex - yes or no?

Thu, 17 May 2007 20:56:38 +0200

Nope. Not a single sale! I HAVE sold some via ebay listings, but the profit margins are so small that it isn't worth it. My advice to anyone thinking of buying a website from dvddropship is...DON'T!!!

Yet another pebble in the shoe of life.

In response to:Sex - yes or no?

Thu, 17 May 2007 17:34:56 +0200

I started a similar site to dropship DVDs but never really got it off the ground, partly for technical reasons and partly promotion difficulties. I had been doing better on eBay with a smaller, semi-adult range.
Adult DVDs seem to sell better than the ordinary run of the mill family stuff. There's too much competition for that from ASDA, Tesco etc.

I'd be interested to hear if you've actually had any sales through titles-4-less.com

In response to:Super-skinny Double-size zero me! TV programme

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 11:37:46 +0200

I know what you mean, Blogdog1, but the bird-flu isn't being actively promoted by the stars of film and fashion. People are bombarded with images of ultra-thin celebs in magazines, newspapers, posters and the internet. The real problem is that we become de-sensitized to it. A bit like war images. After a while, you see so many film clips of crying women and children in war-torn countries, that the impact is lessened. So we see really thin people in glamorous settings and our head makes an association between thin and desireable.
I know that anorexia is a different issue, as it is a mental health issue, rather than just a wish to be a bit thinner, but watching the programme, you could see how a person could go along that route. Responsible tv and all that! Anyway, thanks for inviting me to your circle of friends.

In response to:Super-skinny Double-size zero me! TV programme

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 11:23:01 +0200

i just saw the trailer. thatwas bad enough.At the end of the day its an indivual choice BUT i think young people are pressured to be thinner and thinner. Problem is its just a media frenzy scenario ...they will be back to killer dogs or bird flu next week

In response to:ADHD and carbs!

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 16:28:15 +0200

Having been blessed (although it doesn't always feel that way!) with two healthy, happy kids, my only knowledge of ADHD is from friends whose children are affected. What I do know, is that carbs turn into glucose inside our bodies. No wonder there is now a diabetes epidemic. I just wish some 'experts' would start thinking for themselves. The problem seems to be that kids, like my eldest daughter (going to Norwich uni) read what someone else has written and become qualified by taking an exam,or doing coursework, and answering questions based on that 'experts' written works. What if the original expert is wrong? It follows that those newly qualifieds are convinced that they are right BECAUSE that is what they were taught, and that is what it says in the books. It's only when new evidence comes to light that questions are raised.
Long live the free thinkers!!!

In response to:ADHD and carbs!

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 15:55:34 +0200

Having had a child with ADHD I can assure you that carbs are not the cause of the problem, but the fuel that it uses to make it worse. The last thing you give a hyperactive child is sugar.

To look for a cause I think we have to lump in with Autism and blame the MMR vacination. Either that or human kind is undergoing a jump in evolution where the geek shall inherit the earth.

In response to:Is it just me?

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 18:44:14 +0100

You are not wrong my own son has respect for people has good manners and is always polite, he never wanted to learn to drive until 25 and that was in the USA. The state has taken so much away from the police and teachers and given all the rights to the people commiting the crimes (do get me stated ) well happy Blogging and teaching I trust our paths will cross again at some time i will watch your blogs with intrest Kev

In response to:Is it just me?

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 18:36:19 +0100

Spot on, Kevvy. It is a situation that has been allowed to happen over time. Decision making is a vital skill which most sadly lack. Like every sane person, I'm strongly against child abuse in all of its forms BUT...I think that when parents and school teachers stopped smacking and caning, we lost discipline and responsability. When a teacher tells the pupil to get on with their work, if the kid says "up yours", then the teacher / parent is powerless. A culture has been allowed to take root that says, "you can't make me do anything". We end up trying to teach young people to drive who cannot read properly, don't know left from right and have a total disregard for other people. My two daughters, aged 13 and 17 are kind, social, funny, polite and extremely happy. Youngest is a goalie in a girls footy team and the eldest is in her final year of 'A' levels. Why are some kids unable to function in todays world? I blame the parents (and the nanny state).

In response to:Is it just me?

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 17:47:16 +0100

Welcome to the blog club, I too am a Driving instructor and with 20 years under my belt and share most of your views. However I think the answer to why these kids are different is because they cannot think. we were asked a question at school and told the library was at the other side of the school and the book we need to find the answer to was in it.
The kids today cannot problem solve they are asked the question given the book with the answer in and told what page is on and told to copy the 3rd line down, they do not even have to try. Driving in part is about problem solving working out a solution to what they meet, they do not need to cook like I did, buy it in a packet stick it in a microwave and leave it there for 3 minutes. When I was younger I went to find the ingredients and put them together to make a meal, they learn almost useless facts without any thing to back it up, no knowledge of why what and how just an answer, and on the road it takes more than an answer to a question, I am approaching traffic light they have changed to red, do you stop, can you stop, is it safe, will the bloke behind stop, is the road, wet, dry, icy, muddy, and so on we can work it out most of them cannot.

In response to:Is it just me?

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 23:36:17 +0100

I would say 20 to 25 lessons, but it depends on whose teaching you. DO NOT use an instructor with a trainee licence. The licence is displayed on the windscreen and should be a green badge, shaped like a 50 pence piece. If it is a pink'ish triangle, do not use them! they are not fully qualified and have not passed the teaching exam, which is the most relevant, for an instructor.

Study and pass your theory test first, then have lessons. Use a cd-rom called 'Driving test success' which costs about ten pounds. Study to learn, not just pass your theory test. The more you know, the less you need to be taught...and to pay for. Good luck!

In response to:Is it just me?

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 23:24:11 +0100

I am learning to drive, I hope it doesnt take 40 lessons as I will never be able to afford to pass!

In response to:Is it just me?

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 23:08:50 +0100

I was delighted when I passed my driving test, I had just previously bought a 1934 Humber for £34 ten shillings.

My first driving lessons were, wait for it, in 1954. Since then I have passed my driving test overseas and have driven in a number of countries. In Canada the test was more or less like in the UK, remember I am talking about the fifties and sixties, I can’t remember what it was like in the Bahamas.
In Zambia I think it was OK to use an international driving licence, I had to sit some sort of test in Jordan , etc. etc.

PS I have not had an accident, yet.

In response to:Is it just me?

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 22:55:32 +0100

Patience? You bet...but it's worth it. I get to spend an hour a week with around 40 different people from all sorts of backgrounds. When they pass, you get to share in a significant moment in their lives. It can be a real 'buzz' and the 'lows' are few and far between. I love it!

In response to:Is it just me?

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 22:37:33 +0100

I don't envy your job. It must require infinite patience.