How much can I earn?
This depends on several factors. These include the location you are in and whether you work on your own, have repeat customers and boast a good reputation.
The amount you make will also hinge on how much you charge per lesson per hour or whether you take block bookings; how many lessons you carry out within a week; and, if you do represent a franchise, how much they charge as part of their fee.
Nick Zapettis, of Driving Instructor Services, gives a rough indication of what you can expect to earn. “If you charge between £20 and £25 an hour, which is the going rate in different parts of the UK, and take between 25 and 35 lessons per week including weekends and evenings and take into account the cost of renting and running a car, then you could be earning a net salary of roughly between £18,000 and £36,000 per year.”
Other elements that will almost certainly affect your income include seasonal conditions, particularly if you are working for yourself. Some periods of the year will be busier than others, with the Christmas season and mid-summer being quieter than the rest of the year. Bad weather will also play its part in decreasing your annual salary by discouraging leaner drivers to head out onto the road, and if you do start out on your own, it might take time to establish your reputation, so expect things to be a bit slower at the beginning.
Costs versus earnings
Costs
Lesson prices throughout the UK are usually around £20-25 an hour, so you should budget:
Between £40 and £60 per week for a car hire purchase repayment (depending on age and type of car and amount of deposit available)
£5 per week for tax and insurance
Between £5 and £10 per week for maintenance depending on age, type and condition of car
Between £2 and £3 per lesson for petrol
From about £40 to nearly £300 per week for the franchise fee (if joining a driving school can be fixed or hourly) or the cost to the instructor of arranging their own advertising
Earnings
|
No of hours
|
Net earnings per week
|
Net annual earnings
|
| 10-20 hours |
£150 to £300 |
£7800 to £25,600 |
| 20-30 hours |
£300 to £450 |
£15,600 to £23,400 |
| 40-50 hours per week |
£450 to £600 |
£31,200 to £39,000 |