BSM or AA driving school franchise

If you are asking the question which driving school franchise should I go for as a recently qualified instructor looking to build up a pupil base before going independent, then my suggestion would be the AA driving school just for the main reason that you are currently only tied into a one month contract as opposed to BSM which can be up to 6 months.

Unless you already have a job and want to start driving instruction on a part-time basis, most newly qualified ADIs have to join a school franchise in order to get their foot into the business, as it takes more than a few family members, friends and neighbours to earn a living.



Some BSM instructors particularly those in metropolitan cities might swear by their franchises, but consider being locked into a 6 month contract in an area where BSM is not very strong, and having to pay £300 a week irrespective of if you have enough learner drivers or not (no franchise ever includes a guarantee of pupil supply in their contract).

While I am no longer with the AA driving school, it would be my option if I ever needed a boost in learner drivers as an existing or newly qualified driving instructor, and the weekly fee of £200 is not too bad even though you still have to pay £40 pounds for every new pupil supplied!

I miss AA driving School Franchise

One of the things that I miss about the AA driving school franchise is that the tuition car is totally worry free and all I need to put into it is petrol, everything else is taken care (of course that hefty weekly fee covers it), tyres, car scratches, dents, breakdown and servicing (if required).

Being an independent driving instructor means you have to be even more vigillant to avoid unnecessary additional costs caused by learner drivers hitting the kerb and damaging tyres, punctures, scratches or dents to car, especially if you are leasing the driving school car.



Having said all that, this is not enough reason for me to ever consider taking out a franchise with AA driving school again.

More Reading
Ex AA instructor in court over franchise promises.

Ex AA Instructor in Court in Franchise battle

An ex AA driving instructor is challenging the AA driving school in court over it's driving school franchise on the grounds of fraudulent misrepresentation and damages, the main problem being that they take on more instructors than they are able to support with pupil supplies!

Anyone who has been in this business will know that any franchise is out there to make money for the owners, and the cause of the franchisee is secondary.

I left the AA for the very fact that they couldn't supply me with enough learner drivers in London in 2007, despite the fact that I had to pay them almost £200 a week, on top of which there was the £30 a pupil introduction charge.



While I do sympathise with this ex-AA driving instructor, I would not have taken the bold step he took based just on the words of a salesperson sitting in a Bristol based call centre who was concerned about meeting their monthly target.

I wish him all the best with the case that begins on the 6th of April 2010.

Details of the claim can be found here

AA Pupil introduction fee 2010

The AA driving school pupil introduction fee rose to £40 in feb 2010 so I was told by one of their franchised instructors told me recently!

This fee wouldn't be a problem if the quality of the introductions where high like it used to be in the olden days when every referal came with a minimum of 12 pre-paid hours so you where guaranteed a set income for each learner driver. Nowadays you pay the £40 fee even if the learner driver only takes one driving lesson, especially now with the state of the economy and the high cost the the AA charges for tuition.



I have mentioned in the past that driving school franchises are designed to make money, so all the call centre has to do is to persuade the provisional licence owner to prepay for one lesson, they charge the instructor £40 in addition to the weekly franchise fee, it is then up to the instructor to do everything in his/her power to keep the pupil, which might include dropping the lesson price from the official rate!

AA Driving School Marketing January 2010

The AA seems to have just launched its 2010 driving school marketing campaign to recruit more fully qualified instructors to take up its franchise, as I today received a letter in the post advising that now than any other time is it right for me to join them.

The marketing letter which was probably sent to all fully qualified intructors in the area from the ADI register which can be bought by any organisation gives a few 'good' reasons why I should join this progressive national driving school.

  • There are not just about learner drivers.


  • The AA is a leading UK ADI training provider


  • They provide BTEC in science training on a national level


  • The AA provides some training for the Police


  • Corporate driver training to businesses



  • All in all, I should join them because they have many ways of earning me money with the AA franchise, and as a sweetner, they will give me a £600 discount on their over £200 a week franchise fee in the early months to get me started!



    The main reason i left the AA driving school was because they could not offer me enough learner driver pupils in London, always advising to do my own marketing/advertising to suppliment my pupil supply (they were giving me less than 5 a week, despite the £30 charge for each introduction)!

    Good luck to any of you starting out with them in this new year 2010, you might have a much richer experience than I did.