Are All Driver’s Ed Teachers College Educated?

Did you know that motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death for teenagers age 14-19? It\’s a frightening statistic and trend that is only getting worse. To keep our teenage sons and daughters safe, it is critical that they learn a safe, defensive driving skill set and mentality before they get behind the wheel of the car. If you like working with teenagers, maybe you\’re the right person to teach them.

To become a driving instructor in America, you\’re probably wondering if you need a college degree. Luckily for you, no advanced schooling is required to get certified. While requirements differ from state to state, and differ depending on what class of license the driving instructor is teaching, a high school diploma is typically enough. Most states will also allow an equivalent degree, like a GED, to be proof enough of an applicant\’s education. No grades, report cards, or test scores are required, so you won\’t need to worry about that.

Despite not needing a college degree, you will need to go through a state approved driving instructor training course in order to be certified and licensed as a person who can teach driving. The curriculum for this course changes state by state, but includes both a refresher of driving laws as well as tactics to teach students. The training is set by the DMV of each state. The course includes both in classroom time, sample teaching time and driving time with a licensed training professional. Training typically takes 60-100 hours to complete. Many schools will offer training to applicants, but if you are already certified you may stand out from the pack. If you have been certified in a state different than the state you want to teach in, you may need to go through training again. It all depends on the school. Some states will require that you get trained from a local university rather than from a driving school. Check with your state DMV for more details.

If you are looking to set yourself out from the rest of the people who want this job, than you may want to consider enrolling in some additional classes that will provide you more advanced skills. For example, an AA degree from your local college may help set your application apart and get you hired. There are lots of course which can be beneficial, pretty much anything having to do with cars or teaching will be very useful for you. Many drivers education academies maintain a fleet of cars, so having a driving instructor on hand who has knowledge of engine maintenance is always a good thing. Experience with teaching teenagers, coaching them, mentoring them, or any other volunteer type work with this age range is also highly valued by the owners of drivers education schools.

In conclusion, while you need not have gone to college, you will need to go to driving instructor training in order to get hired by a drivers education company.

Head over to the U when you\’re ready for driving instructor training where we walk you step by stepthrough the driver training process