Terms and Conditions
This information sheet has been designed so you know what you can expect from me and vice versa. It can help in clarifying matters and avoiding misunderstandings. This document should be signed by you and whoever is financing the lessons (if applicable), then returned to me to indicate that you have read it and agree.
1. My working week
I offer lessons Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 8am to 7pm. Lessons at other times are by special arrangement. I offer 1, 1.5 and 2-hour lessons, as this benefits students and myself in tuition time and length of working day respectively. I leave on average 30 minutes between each lesson to ensure I arrive on time, but on occasions I may be 5 to 10 minutes late due to traffic, any more than this and I will call or text you, providing I am able to legally, of course.
2. Lesson start/finish location
Anywhere within the areas agreed at time of booking. Should lessons start/finish outside of this area, the lesson time may have to be reduced slightly (5/10 mins) to allow for extra travelling time for me to get to my next appointment on time.
3. Payment for lessons
My lesson rates are dependent on your location, as due to rising fuel costs this will be priced accordingly, my rates are £40 to £45 per hour, pay as you go. There is a discount if ten hours of lessons are paid in advance, Prices are subject to change unless prepaid. If lessons are paid for in advance ie Block Lessons You will always know what your credit balance is if you prepay, as I keep accurate records. Any unused lessons not taken at the end of your course will be refunded back to you or the person financing the lessons as applicable. Pay as you go lessons must be paid in cash, bank transfer or cheque at the beginning of each lesson (with the correct change as I do not keep a float in the car). For Intensive courses, a non-refundable deposit of 50% of the total cost is required 14 days before commencement of the lessons, with the balance payable on the commencement date. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Stuart Edwards’ please. Any refund will be subject to an administrative charge deduction of £30 to cover my time in processing the refund and will be made by cheque or bank transfer.
4. IMPORTANT: Lesson cancellations / charges
Please keep cancellations to a minimum as they are very expensive and time consuming to myself and they will affect your progress. Except for intensive lessons, you must give a minimum of 48 hours verbal notice to cancel any lesson (including the first lesson) so that I can try and place the lesson with another student. Should you give less than 48 hours notice then I reserve the right to charge you for the cancelled lesson(s). Reasons which can still lead to a cancellation charge include illness (yours or your family), being unable to read a registration plate from 20.5m away, being unfit to drive (alcohol / lack of sleep) and your work commitments, other reasons are chargeable at a rate of 50% at my sole discretion. In addition, lessons will not start immediately should you have been woken up by my arrival. Any missed lessons will also need to be rebooked to avoid your progress being affected. Should I have to cancel/rearrange, I shall endeavor to give you the same 48 hours notice, but please note that i am are not financially liable for any loss. Lessons can still go ahead but if reduced in duration (e.g. you want 1.5 hours instead of 2), they are subject to the same 48 hour cancellation rule. For intensive courses, a refund of up to one half of the total cost of the lessons may be made where I am able to reallocate the hours to other pupils and thus mitigate my loss.
5. Keeping up regular lessons / Postponing lessons
Please ensure that you always have pre-paid lessons booked ahead to avoid your desired slot being taken up by another student. Taking regular lessons will ensure that you go to test as soon as possible. Should you wish to put lessons on hold for an indefinite time, please inform me so I can open up my diary for other pupils. Should you be unhappy with any part of my teaching, please discuss it with me, as I would not want to lose you.
6. How much and how long? Theory and test information
The DVSA state that on average it can take 54 hours of instructionial lessons plus 20 hours of private practice to get to a test standard
For me It can take a novice driver around 35 to 45 hours to cover the whole syllabus, revisit parts of it for practice, and then the test. For an intermediate skill level, the number is typically 25 hours. At an average of 2x2 hour lessons a week, a new driver could complete this in 10 weeks. At an average of 2 hours per week, please allow 4 to 5 months for the whole process. Best results in terms of pass rates and overall cost occur when a student has 4 to 6 hours a week in a semi-intensive fashion. Test Fees for the DVSA are £23 and £62 (£75 Saturdays) per attempt for theory and practical respectively. Practical extended tests are £124 (£150 Saturdays). It takes on average 2 to 3 weeks to book and take a theory, and around 8 to 10 weeks to book and take a practical test (further to passing the theory). I keep detailed student records so that we can see your progress and minimise the number of lessons needed. An assessment of test readiness is always made 2 weeks before test, if a student is deemed not ready, then it is best for the test to be postponed, as the test date can be rearranged by the DVSA at that stage at no cost to the pupil.
7. On your big day
You will need the car for about 2.5 hours in total, and is therefore payable as a 2.5 hour lesson, (1 hr pre-test practice in the test centre area, 40min for test and 10mins debrief, and 30 minutes return home travel). You will need to bring with you your theory test pass certificate, and your photo card driving license otherwise the test will not go ahead.
Pupils / Parent Name:
Pupils / Parent Signature:
Dated:
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