Driving School Owners and Instructors

High School

A few classes can help prepare you for a career in driving instruction. You should do well in your own driver education classes, as knowledge of the rules of the road and familiarity of the maintenance and operation of a car is imperative. Communications and speech classes are also important since instructors must be able to convey ideas and techniques to their students. Learning a foreign language will help you to communicate more effectively with students who do not speak English fluently.

Postsecondary Training

A college degree is not necessary except at certain high schools where driver education is taught by licensed teachers. In such cases, a degree in education, or comparable major, is required. If you aspire to operate your own driving school, you may want to consider taking college-level business courses. Classes such as accounting, marketing, or business management will help you set up a successful operation.

Other Education or Training

The American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association offers continuing education (CE) opportunities at its annual conference. One recent workshop provided tips on creating hands-on learning activities in driving education classrooms and in in-vehicle instruction. The Driving School Association of the Americas also offers CE seminars at its annual international conference. Recent conference sessions included Grow Your Business Intentionally; Leveraging Excellent Customer Service for Business Growth; How AI will Change Your Driving School; and Strategies for Motivating Students. Contact these organizations for more information.