Approved Driving Instructor

Approved Driving Instructor (or ADI) is a UK term for a trainer of car driving who has been tested and registered by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). UK law requires driving instructors be thus qualified before they can charge for their services.

Free tuition or supervision may however be given by any individual over the age of 21 who has held and continues to hold a full licence in the same class of vehicle as that being used for at least 3 years. The UK has no law requiring the compulsory use of an Approved Driving Instructor but it is against the law for someone to charge a fee for driving tuition at any level, if they are not an Approved Driving Instructor.

To be entered on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors one must:

If your application to start the qualifying process and join the Register as a Potential Driving Instructor is successful, you will need to prepare for the qualifying examination.

The qualifying examination is in three parts:

You must pass all three parts of the examination in this order and must complete the whole examination within two years of passing the theory test (part one).

The theory test is the first of three tests you will need to pass before you can register as an ADI. It is made up of two elements:

You will need to pass both elements of the theory test in the same sitting to get an overall pass result. The overall pass mark for the multiple choice part of the test is 85 per cent - i.e., 85 out of 100 questions answered correctly. However, you must reach a minimum mark of 80 per cent - 20 correct questions out of 25 - in each of the four categories:

This means it's possible for you to get an overall mark of 85 per cent or higher, but still fail the exercise because you did not gain at least of 80 per cent in any one - or more - of the four categories.

For the hazard perception test, the pass mark is 57 out of a possible 75.

Part two of the qualifying test for potential driving instructors is a practical assessment of your driving ability. It involves separate assessments of your eyesight, and your driving technique. You must pass both parts of the test at the same attempt.

To pass the test, you must drive to a high standard of competence, demonstrating a well-planned, positive, progressive drive, sticking to - and reaching - national speed limits when safe and where possible.

During the test, you are allowed to make a maximum of six driving faults. Seven or more faults mean will result in a fail. One or more serious or dangerous faults will also result in your failing the test.

...
Wikipedia