Applying for a second trainee licence
Hopefully, if you have managed yourself well and received good training from the beginning, there shouldn’t be a need for a second licence unless you really have experienced unforeseen problems/misfortune for the majority of your trainee licence.
Applying for a second licence is possible if the PDI has experienced any of the following:
- Illness or being injured for several months.
- Family member illness, death or bereavement which has been ongoing.
- They have evidence to show they have experienced a lack of pupils. If the PDI has taken many learners for tests, their statistics will go against their appeal.
- Any substantial evidence that can prove to the DVSA that the PDI hasn’t been able to utilise their training licence.
Must-dos
- The PDI must apply for a second licence while their current licence is still valid.
- It is recommended that the application be sent off at least 10 working days before the current licence expires.
- The PDI must complete another ADI 3L form with the manager’s signature section filled in and the payment section completed. A small cover letter should also be attached – see the example.
- The DVSA do not accept post anymore, so please do not not post your ADI3L form or training hours to the address on the forms. Both the ADI3L forms and ADI21T forms should be sent to: padi@dvsa.gov.uk email address.
If you apply for a second licence after the initial trainee licence has expired, then you won’t be able to continue teaching unless the DVSA decide to grant you a licence.
What happens after the application is sent off?
If the DVSA do not think your reason for applying is valid, then the DVSA will usually respond within 2 weeks with a standard rejection letter, asking for further giving you the opportunity to appeal the decision.
The letter will also explain the continuation rights, Section 129 (6) of the Road Traffic Act 1988. This basically means you are allowed to continue teaching for reward until a final decision has been made by the registrar on the appeal.
If you fail to submit an appeal with evidence supporting your reasons for another trainee licence within 14 days of the initial rejection letter, then your trainee licence will become invalid.
General process to appeal for a second trainee licence
- Apply for a second trainee licence within 10 days of the current licence expiring, by email or by post. Attach a basic cover letter with the ADI 3L form.
- Wait for the DVSA to respond.
- The DVSA may call/email you to take payment for your trainee licence, this doesn’t mean you will be granted a licence. They usually only ask for the last 3 digits of the card details that you put on the ADI3L application
- Despite payment being taken from the DVSA, you will receive a generic DVSA rejection letter after approximately 14 days. Payment for trainee licence will be returned if you application is unsuccessful.
- You will have 14 days to respond from the date the DVSA have rejected your trainee licence application.
- Send an appeal letter back to the DVSA with any supporting evidence.
- It may take between 4 to 8 weeks for the DVSA to respond; sometimes it may be sooner.
- While waiting for the response, you can continue teaching, despite the trainee licence expiry date.
- You receive a second licence OR receive a rejection letter from the registrar stating the reasons for the rejection.
- If rejected, you have 14 days to appeal again. This time to the First Tier Transport Tribunal DVSA.
- Assuming you appeal within 14 days, you can continue to teach until an independent tribunal is held and a final verdict is reached at the tribunal. You will need to fill in a form or letter explaining why you think the registrar’s decision is wrong and why it should be overturned, attaching supporting evidence.
- Usually a tribunal will be in several months’ time, during which many PDI’s go on to pass their Part 3 test.
- You can cancel the tribunal if you pass the part 3 test or you decide you no longer want to attend or take the appeal further.
- You can take a representative with you on the day on the tribunal along with any supporting evidence to present to the judge. You should let the tribunal know in advance, if you intend to bring a representative
There is no charge to the PDI when going to a tribunal if they have started the initial application for a second trainee licence within the DVSA timeframe.
Am I likely to receive a second trainee driving instructor licence?
The objective of the trainee licence is for the PDI to obtain experience and practice to increase the chances of passing the Part 3 test in the eyes of the DVSA.
In Covid-19, the DVSA gave out second trainee licences very freely and easily. Outside of world catastrophes/pandemics, the PDI would usually be required to explain their reasons for needing a second/third trainee licence.
There are many valid reasons to exercise the need for another trainee licence. If you need another trainee licence, our training manager will be happy to help and advise you.
What is the process for applying for your trainee driving instructor licence?
The process for applying for your first trainee driving instructor licence is straightforward. You may consider applying for your first trainee driving instructor licence once you have completed 40 hours of training with your dedicated instructor.
How to apply for your trainee licence
You will need to complete the Instructor Training Declaration 21T form with your driveJohnson’s trainer.
You will also need to complete the Application for a Trainee Licence ADI 3L form; this should be completed by both you the ‘PDI trainee’ and your instructor trainer together. If you are coming from another training provider to driveJohnson’s don’t worry; we can walk you through the training form process.
Why should I apply for a trainee driving instructor licence?
Since the Part 3 test changed from examiner role play to an actual lesson with a pupil, the need for a trainee licence has increased. It’s quite rare that someone training for Part 3 will attempt to take the Part 3 without going onto a trainee licence.
At driveJohnson’s, we won’t hard-sell you a trainee licence. The choice is yours, and it’s often a conversation for you and your trainer to decide what is in your best interests.
Can I apply for a 3rd trainee licence?
There is no limit to how many trainee licences you can have, as long as you have valid reasons and supporting evidence that proves you have haven’t been able to utilise and gain experience on previous trainee licences. If you are a PDI with driveJohnson’s, we will look at your circumstances, advise and help you apply for another trainee licence should you need one and we believe you have good evidence to justify your needs for another licence, even if it’s your third application.
Benefits of a trainee licence
- You can practise what you are learning with real-life pupils.
- You can earn a living for a short time, which can fund your training as well as act as an income.
- Often pupils create very natural/subtle faults subconsciously; this provides an opportunity for practice that an ADI trainer will find hard to replicate.
- You can see if you like the job before making any major long-term commitments.
Downsides of a trainee licence
- Often trainees work too many hours, don’t practise Part 3 teaching methods and create poor habits, which results in the need for more training.
- The trainee licence is valid for six months, so you should aim to pass your Part 3 before it expires.
- Many driving schools charge a high franchise but do not provide enough pupils to pay for the franchise, resulting in debts and increased pressure to pass the Part 3.
Cost of a trainee licence
The cost of a trainee licence is £140, which should be paid directly to the DVSA by card, cheque or postal order.
Ongoing training whilst on the trainee licence
You should speak to your trainer and decide which compulsory training options benefit you:
- Additional 20 hours of ADI instructor training.
- 20 hours of supervised training where your trainer would sit in the back of your lessons, observe and provide feedback, etc.
Option 1 is the most flexible option to choose. The type of additional training you decide to take is limitless, from supervised training, role play, online training, webinars, attending a course conducted by a qualified instructor, and more.
Option 2 will limit your training to just supervised; this is where your trainer sits in the back of your lessons and observes your teaching.
Does driveJohnson’s offer a trainee licence?
Yes, we do. However, we are mindful of how many PDIs we take on in certain areas. Our business model is very different to most national driving schools; rather than tying you into a 24-month contract, we offer just four weeks’ notice to leave. So, for this reason, we can’t overpopulate the same town/city with too many instructors; otherwise, we would upset our existing instructors and we don’t want to do that.
Please feel free to get in touch, and we’ll be honest about how much we can help and manage your requirements. With just four weeks’ notice for you to leave us, we have to be honest, or our business model isn’t sustainable.
Do we offer a trainee licence to PDIs who are not training with driveJohnson’s?
Yes, we do. Feel free to contact us for a no-obligation chat about your requirements/needs. We’ve taken on many trainees who have trained with an alternative training provider outside of driveJohnson’s and it has worked well for both parties.
The benefits of choosing driveJohnson’s for your training/PDI licence are:
- We won’t tie you into a long-term agreement initially nor when you qualify.
- Some driving schools will sponsor you whilst you are on the trainee licence; however, you are automatically contracted to stay with them for 12/18/24 months when you qualify. We do not operate like this. Please always read the small print before you sign up with a driving school that requires long notice periods to leave. It can be very costly to exit their agreements early once you have signed up with them.
Interested in a PDI Franchise or working with us after your Part 3?
We offer an extremely fair and well-priced franchise for all areas across the UK, with no long tie-ins. Visit our driving instructor franchise page for more information.
If you would like to find out how many extra pupils we have available in your area, please visit our Pupil/Area Checker.
