CIA Driving Instructors

...taking my driving lessons through CIA since 2001. I had a few lessons before I had to stop due to personal reasons. I restarted at the beginning of this year when my Partner Craig secretly arranged and paid for four lessons as part of my Christmas present last year.

I can’t for the life of me see any information on the history of CIA on the web - I have emailed them asking them for permission to write this opinion and for a little ...
...be my experience with the CIA driving instructors.

Back in 2001 I first found the CIA through the yellow pages. After phoning around what seemed like hundreds of companies I felt that not only was their call centre the friendliest and least pushy but their opening rates were the most competitive. The first ten lessons were £10.00 a lesson rising to £16.50 at the end of the ten lessons. Lessons are now £17.95 per one-hour session - ... more

I have been taking my driving lessons through CIA since 2001. I had a few lessons before I had to stop due to personal reasons. I restarted at the beginning of this year when my Partner Craig secretly arranged and paid for four lessons as part of my Christmas present last year.

I can’t for the life of me see any information on the history of CIA on the web - I have emailed them asking them for permission to write this opinion and for a little background info but as yet have had no reply. (Am taking that as permission!) So this opinion will solely be my experience with the CIA driving instructors.

Back in 2001 I first found the CIA through the yellow pages. After phoning around what seemed like hundreds of companies I felt that not only was their call centre the friendliest and least pushy but their opening rates were the most competitive. The first ten lessons were £10.00 a lesson rising to £16.50 at the end of the ten lessons. Lessons are now £17.95 per one-hour session - pricey but about average when compared to other companies I think.

The car that is used for lessons is a dual control Ford Fiesta 1.4 Turbo Diesel my instructor got this car in 2002 and gets a new one every 60,000 miles - always the same model of car. The old cars have the dual controls removed and are sold for £3000. My instructor expects to get his new car early 2004 - yay a new toy to play with! The cars are easy to spot as they have the big plastic CIA sign and phone number perched on the roof. This car, in my experience, when not being kangarooed around a roundabout or stalled into submission is a lovely smooth and comfortable drive with a fab kick when the accelerator is floored.

My instructor is Dave, though my sister and I fondly refer to him as Eeyore because that’s who he sounds like on the phone. (Don’t tell him) He services my little area of Kent.
Dave is by no means a push over and will let you know if he thinks you are wasting both your money and his time. For a while my sister kept cancelling lessons due to her work messing her wages up, ending up only having a lesson once every month or so. Dave let her know that she was not helping herself as she was not progressing at all and so might as well be flushing her money down the loo. He advised her to stop altogether and phone him when she was in a better position to take lessons. I thought this was a really decent thing to do - a less scrupulous person would have continued taking her money and told her how well she was coming along. As it happens my sister was impressed too and is now back with Dave having regular lessons.

CIA as a company state that 48 hours notice must be given when cancelling appointments otherwise you will still be charged for the lesson. I have been known to cancel on Dave once or twice at short notice when illness or cash flow problems have arisen. As long as you don’t make a habit of it he is an absolute gem. However this is his livelihood and I would assume that should you take the Michael you would be off the books, quite rightly so. He is certainly not short of people wanting lesson slots.

As an instructor I would describe Dave as firm but fair. He WILL shout at you if you try to ram a police car up the bum (ahem!) He WILL shout if you try to take the wrong turn off a roundabout and go the wrong way down the dual carriageway (ho hum!) He WILL get your hands and mark a big R for right and L for left in black biro on them should you indicate one way and drive the other way too many times (Ok, ok my worst habit!) BUT at the end of the lesson he will apologise for shouting and explain to you what you have done wrong and how we can remedy it happening in the future. On the flip side, if you handle a situation well, spot hazards and deal with them in advance etc. Dave is not averse to heaping praise upon your shoulders. To be honest I want an instructor who will tell me what I am doing wrong and congratulate me when I am right. This is precisely what Dave does. He points out the bad drivers on the roads and shows me how they could handle situations better. His favourite catchphrase is “there are drivers and there are screwdrivers - which one was he?” LOL. This has turned out to be a favourite game when my sister and I are in my friends’ car. Yes we are sad!

My test is in March and the route will be around Herne Bay. Recently Dave has let my sister and I book two hours together so that we have the time to travel further a field, travel the roads up to and around Herne Bay. We have found this a big help in not only getting a feeling of what to expect on the test but also learning roads away from our home area. We live in a relatively small community and it is something of a shock when we travel any distance away from it - the road users seem so aggressive. It also helps us to get used to other people being in the car whilst we are driving. People that talk and fidget - it helps you get used to dealing with the extra weight in the back, the distraction of talking (as I am sure my kids will do plenty of) and so on and so forth.

***TO SUM UP***

I can only give my view of CIA. This has been limited to a couple of phone calls to the main call centre and my instructor Dave.

For various reasons my friend went through three different instructors with three different companies before she felt comfortable with who was teaching her - she never tried CIA. I would have to say I am lucky in that I have never once contemplated looking around for another company or instructor.

The call centre was polite and courteous. They gave me the information I needed and didn’t push me to book there and then - they were quite happy when I said I was ringing around for quotes.

Dave is just a great instructor. He is strict and he will tell you off for making silly mistakes but he is also very friendly and has a great sense of humour. He does his job and he does it well.

The cars are all modern and well maintained - and believe me they take some hammering just from me and my sister!

The lessons are pricey but this is the price you pay when a man is putting his life in his hands from 7am to 7pm sometimes seven days a week. I think that the price I pay is about the national average.

I don’t see how I can not give CIA - or at least the instructor I am with - full marks.

Their motto - ‘More people pass first time with CIA.’

For more information on lessons and CIA instructors in your area call 0800 707000

I want to be a driver not a screwdriver - what are you?

Thanks for reading :o)

 

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