When you become a driving instructor, it's natural to concentrate on the teaching side of the job. But it doesn't take long to realise how much administration comes with running your own diary and managing pupils.
There are lessons to organise, pupil details to keep, progress to remember, lesson notes to write, payments to track and practical test dates to manage.
After more than 12 years working as a driving instructor, I've learned that good driving instructor software doesn't need to be complicated. For me, the important question is much simpler:
Does it make running your working day easier?
Whether you're an experienced ADI or you're training as a PDI, here are some of the things I think are worth looking for.
1. A diary that works for driving instructors
Your diary is at the centre of your working week.
A driving instructor diary should make it easy to see who you're teaching, when their lesson starts and finishes, and where you have available time.
It shouldn't take several screens just to work out what you're doing that day.
I also think it's useful to be able to record other commitments. Driving instructors don't only have driving lessons in their lives. You might need to block out time for an appointment, holiday, car maintenance or simply some time off.
The best system is one you can look at quickly between lessons and immediately understand your day.
2. Keep pupil and student records together
Once you're teaching several learners, information can easily become scattered between your phone, diary, messages, paper notes and spreadsheets.
Driving instructor software can provide one place for the important information connected with each pupil or student.
That might include their contact details, upcoming lessons, previous lessons, lesson notes, progress and practical test information.
Having everything together is particularly useful when you haven't taught someone for a couple of weeks. Instead of trying to remember where you left off, you can quickly look at their record before the next lesson.
3. Pupil progress tracking
For me, this is one of the most useful parts of driving instructor software.
It's easy to remember the general standard of a pupil you've taught recently. It becomes much harder when you're managing a larger number of learners, especially when some have lessons every week and others have longer gaps.
Pupil progress tracking gives an instructor a simple record of the driving skills a learner is developing and the areas that still need attention.
That can include subjects such as junctions, roundabouts, meeting traffic, manoeuvres, independent driving and other skills required to become a safe driver.
The purpose isn't to turn teaching into a box-ticking exercise.
It's about being able to look at a pupil's progress and quickly remind yourself:
- What are they doing well?
- What still needs attention?
- What should we work on next?
A good progress tracking system should support the instructor's judgement rather than replace it.
4. Useful lesson notes
Lesson notes don't have to be complicated.
For each lesson, I find four simple questions useful:
What did we cover?
What went well?
What needs more work?
What should the next goal be?
Recording this while the lesson is still fresh gives you something useful to refer to next time.
It's also much more useful than opening a pupil record several weeks later and trying to remember exactly what happened during their previous lesson.
Digital lesson notes can therefore work particularly well alongside pupil progress tracking.
5. Keeping track of prepaid lessons
Prepaid lessons are another area that can become surprisingly difficult to keep track of.
If a pupil buys several hours in advance, you need to know how much credit they have remaining as lessons are completed.
With several pupils doing this at the same time, relying on memory isn't realistic.
A simple lesson-credit record can make it much easier to see how many prepaid hours a pupil has left without having to calculate it manually each time.
6. Practical tests and important dates
A pupil's practical driving test is one date you definitely don't want to lose track of.
Keeping upcoming tests visible alongside your diary and pupil records can help with planning the lessons leading up to the test.
It can also help avoid something surprisingly easy to do when you're busy: putting another lesson or commitment in the diary at the same time as a pupil's test.
7. Does driving instructor software need lots of features?
Not necessarily.
More features can sound impressive on a sales page, but every additional feature also has the potential to make software more complicated.
As an independent instructor, I'd look at the things you actually do every day.
Can I quickly see today's lessons?
Can I find a pupil's information?
Can I see what we covered last time?
Can I see what they need to work on?
Can I check their prepaid lesson credit?
Can I see when their practical test is?
And, importantly:
Can I do these things easily from my phone between lessons?
If the answer is yes, the software is probably solving the important problems.
What should I look for in driving instructor software?
If I were choosing driving instructor software today, my basic checklist would be:
- A clear lesson diary
- Pupil or student records
- Lesson history
- Lesson notes
- Pupil progress tracking
- Prepaid lesson-credit tracking
- Practical test information
- Good mobile usability
- Simple navigation
- A price that makes sense for an independent instructor
You may need additional features depending on how you run your business, but I think this is a good starting point.
Why I created ADIZY
Many of the points I've mentioned in this article come from my own experience of being a driving instructor.
Over the years I've used different ways of keeping track of pupils and administration, and I wanted something that concentrated on the everyday information I actually find useful as an instructor.
That's why I created ADIZY.
ADIZY is pupil tracking and driving instructor software designed for UK ADIs and PDIs. It brings together your lesson diary, pupil records, lesson notes, progress tracking, prepaid lesson credit and practical test information.
My aim isn't to make ADIZY do everything imaginable.
I want it to make the everyday job of managing pupils simpler.
If you'd like to see exactly what it currently does, you can view the ADIZY features or take a look at ADIZY pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What is driving instructor software?
Driving instructor software is a digital system that helps instructors organise the administrative side of teaching learners to drive.
Depending on the software, this can include a lesson diary, pupil records, lesson notes, progress tracking, payments and practical test information.
Can driving instructor software track pupil progress?
Yes. Pupil progress tracking software can help a driving instructor record how a learner is developing across different driving skills and identify areas that may need further work.
It should support the instructor's professional judgement rather than try to replace it.
Is driving instructor software useful for PDIs?
It can be. Developing good habits around lesson records, pupil progress and planning while training as a PDI can make administration easier as the number of pupils you teach increases.
Can I keep driving lesson notes digitally?
Yes. Digital lesson notes can provide a useful record of what was covered during a lesson, what went well, what needs further work and what you plan to cover next.
Do independent instructors need driving school management software?
Not necessarily.
A self-employed instructor may not need some of the more complex features designed for large driving schools.
The important thing is finding software that handles the tasks you actually need without making everyday administration unnecessarily complicated.
About the author
Kevin McDiarmid is an experienced UK Approved Driving Instructor with more than 12 years of experience teaching learner drivers. He created ADIZY after experiencing first-hand the challenge of keeping pupil records, lesson notes, progress and everyday instructor administration organised.