It is no secret that getting a driver's license in South Africa the legal route is hardly child's play and more often than you'd think driving school instructors seem to be facing the brunt of this issue.
There has been a lingering undercover rumour that driving school instructors are one of the most corrupt instructors in the country, often coercing aspiring drivers to buy their licenses or face an immediate failure.
Though there is truth in this, it is not nearly always the case as instructors themselves experience their fair share difficult experiences with clients as well as the perception of them as a collective.
Head instructor at the He and She Driving School CJ Oosthuizen notes how he would get approached in malls in between classes by people looking to take the easy route and purchase a license from them illegally without having gotten any training.
I always tell [the instructors] the first thing you say is that we do not get involved in anything of that. You just tell the client the only way to do it is to do it the right way and you given them an example, maybe it's a made up example, where you just say that previously the person got caught or something like that. You steer away from it immediately.
CJ Oosthuizen, He and She Driving School
The issue of driver theatrics is another tribulation faced by instructors. As instructors, it is their job to make sure they produce competent drivers on the road who are not just legally allowed to drive, but who are also courteous, patient and mindful drivers.
This, evidently, is not always the case if you look at the drivers causing a rampage on our roads. Though not their fault, instructors note that they try teach learners to be fully competent but that theatrics from the learners might fool them into thinking they are not, in fact, Hulk behind the wheel.
On a similar note, instructors are also blamed for careless drivers on the road. Though one may argue that instructors are in some part responsible for the people they allow on the road, it is not the responsibility of the instructor to loom over drivers after they have passed the test.
It is up to the examiner to pronounce them ready for the road, what drivers do afterwards is completely out of their control.
From outside we teach courtesy, we teach respect, we teach patience, we teach everything, but once that learner is alone in the car, behind the wheel, on the road, that's their decision to make and unfortunately we cant do anything more but teach them while we are with them
CJ Oosthuizen, He and She Driving School
Lastly, if an instructor is trying to coerce you into purchasing your license or you suspect that they failed you on purpose, you have the right to report them and the driving school.
This article first appeared on 702 : Why being a driving instructor comes with more mileage than you think
Artmotion S.Africa
