Your name will be entered in the Register once you have qualified and paid the fee. You will then be sent an official Certificate of Registration which will have your name, photograph and official title. The Certificate is suitable for display in the car that you use for tuition. The Police and authorised officers of the Department of the Environment may also ask you to produce your Certificate. You must not give instruction for money before you have received your ADI Certificate, unless you are a holder of a valid trainee licence.
REMEMBER - If you wish to have your name entered in the Register you must apply for registration within 12 months of passing the Register Qualifying Examination.
The official title of registered instructors is "Department of the Environment Approved Driving Instructor" (DOE ADI) and you are allowed to use this title for as long as your name is on the Register. It is illegal for anyone to use this description unless they are entitled to.
[top]
When required to do so by the Registrar you must take a test of 'continued ability and fitness to give instruction' (check test). The Examiner will be present whilst you are giving a driving lesson to a pupil. You will be assessed much as before on:
- method, clarity, adequacy and correctness of instruction;
- the observation and proper correction of the pupil's errors; and
- manner, patience, tact and ability to inspire confidence.
The tests are conducted Mondays to Fridays during normal working hours. If you do not have a pupil at the time, you may give instruction to a full licence holder, but the level of instruction should be equal to their ability.
You must not use a current ADI as a pupil. As before, the Examiner's supervisor may wish to come along.
[top]
If you cannot attend your check test you should notify DVA ADI section as soon as possible and they will cancel your appointment and issue you with another. If you do not attend and fail to notify DVA or continue to fail to attend this could result in your name being removed from the register.
[top]
Registration lasts for a period of 4 years. Before it expires you can apply to extend it for a further 4. As a courtesy we try to send out a renewal notice to your last known address about a month before your registration runs out. But it is your responsibility to note the expiry date and to apply to the Registrar for renewal, whether or not a renewal notice is sent. You must still satisfy the conditions to be an ADI and you must, not have refused to undergo a check test nor have failed it. If your registration is allowed to lapse for a year or more from the expiry date, you must re-sit the three parts of the qualifying examination before you can be re-entered in the Register.
[top]
If you can satisfy us that the original has been lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed, then a new certificate will be issued to you. This new certificate will make the previous one invalid, so if the original is found, it must be returned to us to be cancelled. The fraudulent use of such a certificate is a serious offence.
[top]
You must tell us promptly if you change your home or working address, or if you change your name following marriage or divorce. If you don't, you may not receive your notification of a check test or renewal notices or a member of the public may be told that you are not an ADI (if we don't know your new name).
[top]
You must notify us immediately whether the offence is motoring or non-motoring. DVA will become aware of the conviction when we run a character check on renewal. Failure to disclose the information could effect the Registrar's decision to renew your registration.
[top]
Your name can be removed from the register at any time if the Registrar is not satisfied that you still meet the qualifications for registration or if you have failed, or refused to take a check test.
[top]
If you are aggrieved by the Registrar's refusal of your application or removal of your name from the Register, or if your existing licence is revoked, you have the right of appeal to the Department of the Environment.
The Registrar will notify you of his intention and you are entitled to make representation to him with a view to reversing his decision. If the Registrar stands by his decision you then have a right of appeal to the Department. The same rights of appeal apply to a person who is refused a trainee licence.
On receiving the appeal, the Department may appoint a board to hold an enquiry into the matter and the Department will make their decision after considering the recommendations of the board.
[top]
You have a professional responsibility to ensure that all your pupils are ready for the driving test when they take it. This means that they have been trained to a level of competence which will enable them to drive safely without the help of their instructor. You should be teaching your pupils to drive as a life long skill and not just to pass the driving test. The test is just a step in the learning process. You also have a responsibility to treat your pupils in a courteous, respectful manner appropriate to a teacher/pupil relationship.
[top]
It is not a requirement to stay on the register to take more training. However, it would certainly be in your, and your pupils interests to keep your skills and competencies up to date - be it by with formal training or simply subscribing to relevant publications and so on. Driving conditions and the regulations concerning licencing have changed so much in recent years and will continue to change. Keeping up to date might make the difference between you passing your check test or not when the time comes.
[top]
ADI Registration
Qualifying