Frequently Asked Questions
If you are looking for a PDI franchise, you are bound to have lots of unanswered questions, and if you have been qualified for some time, you may have some apprehension or want to make sure the next move is to the right driving instructor franchise for you.
Check out some of our frequently asked questions below:
- What happens when a pupil pre-pays the office?
- Why do we pay per lesson at the beginning/during the trial?
- Why do we ask you to use a driveJohnson’s roof sign?
- If a pupil passes what should you do?
- Can you decline the pupils we send to you?
- What’s the best way to let the office know you need pupils?
- Do we provide business cards, progress cards, stationery, t-shirts, fleeces etc?
- Why don’t you just send us the pupil’s name and number and let the instructor call the pupil?
- Do you have an online calendar/booking system?
What happens when a pupil pre-pays the office?
Once you have completed the pupil’s first lesson, you can claim for the payment through our driveJohnson’s driving instructor app.
Payments are made daily between Monday to Friday. Any payments claimed after 2.30pm will be paid the following working day. Any payments claimed after 2.30pm on Friday will then be paid on Monday morning. We do not make payments on bank holidays as our Accounts Team is not in the office on these days.
If you claim for a payment through the app during the week, you can expect the money due to enter your bank account within 24 hours.
We know many national driving schools hold your money for longer. We want to pay you as quickly as possible. We don’t take pupil payments off your franchise costs either to keep it clean and simple for everyone.
Why do we pay per lesson at the beginning/during the trial?
In the unlikely event that you don’t want to continue with us, the pupil who paid driveJohnson’s should be able to choose if they wish to continue with driveJohnson’s or with you (the instructor). If the pupil is happy to continue learning with you then we will happily transfer the remaining balance.
We don’t want to be difficult, we just want to please both parties – pupil and instructor – as much as possible, and we feel this is the fairest way.
Why do we ask you to use a driveJohnson’s roof sign?
Branding and marketing have never been so powerful as at present. People are buying into the driveJohnson’s brand more than the national companies now. We know this because our phone is ringing more and instructors are regularly leaving the national companies saying they aren’t getting enough work. If we’ve got most of the work, then we need the instructors to help us by promoting driveJohnson’s.
In a nutshell, if you purchased a British Airways flight and boarded an EasyJet or Ryanair plane, you would have some apprehension and concerns. The same goes for pupils; they have bought into driveJohnson’s service and branding, which costs us thousands and thousands of pounds every year to be above our competitors.
Our goal is to become a premium driving school (charging above-average lesson prices) but still offering a low franchise. To do this, we need you to be working with us, not against us.
If a pupil passes what should you do?
Please take a picture of the pupil with their pass certificate (next to your car with its driveJohnson’s roof sign) and upload it through your portal/app. We have to remove any posts where the car is clearly parked on double yellow lines so please ensure you take your photos in a suitable location.
As a company, we also count how many pupil passes you get and send out rewards.
Social media is quite powerful when you are on a national platform like driveJohnson’s, so you would be helping to promote yourself as well as us!
Any referrals/requests to learn with you will always be sent to you directly too.
Can you decline the pupils we send to you?
Of course you can, but please just let us know why so we can avoid sending similar pupils in the future. If they live too far away or it’s a congested area for example, then you can take off and add on postcodes through the driveJohnson’s instructor app.
If you can’t take a pupil on, please let us know as soon as possible through the instructor app. Nobody wants to be let down the night before the lesson. The more notice you give us, the less upset the pupil will be and the higher the chance we will be able to reallocate the pupil.
What’s the best way to let the office know you need pupils?
You can log into your instructor app to adjust how many pupils you need.
You can also provide specific details, such as times you would like a new pupil. For example, you can request new pupils with availability between 9am-12pm, Monday to Wednesday.
If you update your needs through the app 5-7 days in advance, there is a very high chance we will be able to accommodate your needs. It’s not uncommon for instructors to adjust their pupil settings through the app, saying they need 5 new pupils, and within 5-7 days we send them 5 new pupils.
Do we provide business cards, progress cards, stationery, t-shirts, fleeces etc?
Yes, we offer all of the above and more. As you know, looking the part and branding is important. If you want all of the above mentioned and more, please call the office on 01908 533 023.
You can also view our stationary and clothing list through the instructor app.
Why don’t you just send us the pupil’s name and number and let the instructor call the pupil?
This is called a lead and it’s not a secure booking. 17 to 20-year-olds searching Google aren’t going to hang about waiting for someone to call them back when they are browsing and searching.
You might call them back straight away, but then you have the issue that many people don’t like answering the phone to unknown numbers.
Do you have an online calendar/booking system?
Yes, if you want new pupils placed in your calendar to suit your needs then it’s important to use our calendar through the driveJohnson’s instructor app.
Click the relevant link below to download and open the app on your mobile:
Our office team can observe when you have free slots and then we will place pupils in those vacant spaces. We won’t move things around in your diary. You will receive notifications that you have received a pupil by email and through the app. You can turn off the email notifications later, once you are comfortable with the app.
Our calendar can be used on any smartphone, so you can update your appointments in the car when you are on the move.
Enquire about joining driveJohnson’s Franchise
Fill out the form below if you are interested in joining the driveJohnson’s Franchise and someone will contact you within 24-48 hours.
Rob Bostridge, a driving instructor in Rugby, trained and joined driveJohnson’s in 2015 and he hasn’t looked back.
