All Instructors are graded according to their teaching ability. The grades start at one and reach up to six. The grading is usually carried out by a Supervising Examiner who sits in on a lesson. I am a Grade Six Instructor. With around 40,000 Approved Driving Instructors on the Register, there are only about 8 percent of us providing tuition at this top level. Instructors with lower grades are checked on a more frequent basis to see if they have improved their standards. Continuing Personal Development is also being brought in for the driver training industry. Hopefully this will also act to ensure higher standards and better levels of teaching.

I qualified through The Instructor College, based in Leeds. They are a completely independent training college, approved by the Driving Standards Agency. They only train driving instructors so their expertise and knowledge is second to none. They expect high standards. That's why I chose them to guide me through Parts One, Two and Three of the examinations that would-be instructors have to take.

The Part One is a theory test. As a learner driver you would have to get at least 43 out of 50 answers correct. Our target is 84 right out of 100. The questions are harder (well I would say that) and if you want to know my pass rate I'll be glad to tell you. Part Two is a bit like a Practical Driving Test although it's longer and a lot tougher. It takes many hours of intensive practice to get up to the standard required. When a learner takes their practical test, up to 15 driving errors can be committed and you can still pass.

The test for Instructors only allows a maximum of 6 errors so, when I got just one marked against me, I was allowed to move on to the final exam. (I still feel that the examiner was being a bit nit-picky about the one error that I had but it's all history now!) It's a tough test to get through but then it should be as learners should have confidence in the driving ability of their instructors.

Next, we get to Part Three. This is where the would-be instructor is examined on their ability as a teacher. Learners don't just learn automatically, there has to be some "spark" between tutor and student so that both learning and teaching are interesting. If the examiner isn't happy with the instructor's method or attitude, then you've failed.

Having successfully completed all three parts, I was awarded approval by the Driving Standards Agency as an Approved Driving Instructor.

To further my own driving ability I attended a course run by the Institute of Advanced Motorists. Many people may say they are good drivers but one sure way to find out is to have a Police Class One driver as your passenger for an hour's drive! The emphasis is on safety first and hazard awareness and is something that I try to pass on to everyone who is starting their driving life with me. Advanced Drivers also exercise smooth use of the controls together with an understanding of how and why a car behaves in a certain way. These are all stepping stones towards "Safe Driving for Life", the motto of the Driving Standards Agency.

My next step was to take my Diploma in Driving Instruction. This was five separate exam papers testing knowledge of all aspects of driving instruction and car handling. Coupled with my having passed the "Cardington Special Test " at Grade "A" I became a Diamond Advanced Instructor. In June 2007 I successfully completed my City & Guilds 7407 Stage 2 Certificate in Education.

As an independent Instructor, it is important for me to keep fully up to date with all that is going on in the driver training industry. I am therefore also a member of the Driving Instructors Association. The Association not only provides support for Instructors but also tries to work with the Driving Standards Agency as they both have aims of improving the safety record of young drivers.