Becoming an Approved ADI is the BEST!

by 5 Star 20. May 2010 03:02

My Part 3 Experience

I've Done it, and what a feeling!!

I always felt on borrowed time as a PDI with D'day edging ever closer, my confidence was fickle and with doubts about this all been right for me!

I trained with the Instructor college believing i could get through in 3 or 4 months, I soon found that to be a sales pitch!!

So 13 months later having worked only part time and passing part 1 and part 2 at the first attempt the big day was looming!

I found my Trainee license very valuable and 5 star very supportive, my lessons had always gone well but i didn't feel well enough prepared.
Having so many trainers at the instructor college gave me more conflicts than understanding at times compounded by other PDI's i trained with!

My training buddy had his test a week before me and unfortunately lost out on phase 2.
His experience changed my out look, dispelled a lot of myths and made for some last minute revisions to my technique!

Basically we had been taught to find a fault, analyze it to death then remedy, however this wasn't practical only leading to getting bogged down with 1 fault as the next chance to fix it or indeed the next fault or 2 comes along! by that time your out of it!

This set me on a mission and the way i dealt with it was to simulate faults enroute to lessons and test it out in lessons.... ID, analyze and remedy time after time cutting it down to bare essentials such as:

You signalled late... when should you signal? .... why is that important?.... (if time then ask consequences?) but most importantly by the next time a signal is needed you are asking something like..... which signal are you going to give? either as a prompt or guided dependent on the pupils answers to the above.

You can always carry on the analyzing the consequences and further Q&A after the next instance when you have more time.

Just DO NOT miss the next opportunity to fix the fault even if you haven't had chance to remedy it make sure he doesn't do it again, jump on him by guiding him through it then explain how your way is correct and check if he agrees and understands.

Be dynamic and attack every fault, he wants you too. I had mine for taking a marginal gap at a crossroads to which he out of role said you were right but I was trying to get us back to the test centre so don't worry about it!
Even at the end of the test as he turned the engine off i had him for leaving the car in gear to which he smiled and said oops. They are human lol but until that final whistle blew i wasn't letting anything slip by!!

Don't just prompt once either, do the next time and the next if necessary before informing him that next time you will watch to see if he gives the correct signal. If he doesn't or is late then prompt again.

You will probably have another fault by the time you get to prompting him anyway so use the same process, quick short questions to get quick short answers don't make a speech and don't make him either.

I found i was saying things like.......... right ok then you were late signaling there......
               TOO LONG
                                            ............ you signaled late then.
                  OR             ............ your signal was late.

The biggest piece of advice I got was from Steve and Russell at 5 Star and it was to BE YOURSELF, Your Personality not just what the book says.

Treat him just like a pupil, talk to him as one, he is acting as one so treat him like a pupil who has gotten into your car needing help.

Don't worry as i did about how to start the PST's or who drives he will tell you which side of the car to sit in! if unsure ask him before going into role. Relax and enjoy a pupil who learns at warp speed as you remedy his faults, if only they were all like that lol!

Anyway it worked for me so I hope it helps somebody else, see you on the other side!!

All the best,    Simon Chetwynd .........proud ADI !!!