How will this work and how will it effect the average ADI? What a great question, even if I say so myself. Many ADIs I see posting on FB and elsewhere are claiming that they will not sign up for this app that the government want us all to join so eagerly. ADIs are terrified of being checked up on and in some ways, they have good reason. They are almost all self-employed and we hate being checked up on, then add in the DVSA and their new title of ENFORCERS for the old supervisor role and we are away. People are terrified of the ‘big brother’ society idea that they have been fed since old George Orwell put pen to paper all those years ago and most likely very few of them have even read the books.

They are perfectly happy to commit their souls to FB, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp et al, and yet mention Google or Microsoft and they run a mile. Our bank cards and credit cards track us, as does our Tesco and all other loyalty cards, our smart phones tell everyone where we are and who we are with and yet sign up to a government app, not a hope as Boris and all his people will know about us. Get real people, they already know. Were you aware that up to a few years back we had more cctv in the UK than old Mr. Yeltsin has?

My worry about this app is different. If I sign up to it and my pupil’s family are all signed up to it. Then all I need is for my pupil’s dad to sit on the train next to an infected commuter or, the tea lady in his office to be infected then in no time at all the TTT people will be sending me a message that I need to self-isolate. Now, multiply this by a factor of 10-15 pupils as I only teach part time, or in the case of you of you guys working full time, say, 18-30 pupils and you see the likelihood of you getting a tinkle from the TTT people goes up exponentially. No sooner than we go out to work on a Monday to pick up little Johnny whose dad was…. And we get a text message on Wednesday and then we have to go into isolation for 7 days and need to cancel all the lessons we booked.

I can see an awful lot of people abandoning this app very quickly and the whole thing possibly going back to square one very soon.

Let us be honest about this, we all watch the daily updates from the various Ministers and Professors on the evening bulletins but, are we any the wiser for it. So many are confused and lost after seeing what is said. 

We have ADI associations rushing to get out the latest ‘news’ and this changes more frequently than a model changes her shoes.

 There is so much hot air being vented at the moment that we could have a convention of balloonists and could keep them up there for a couple of weeks at least. See out cover photo to see what can be achieved on this score.

Nobody had even heard of this virus before the latter parts of last year and we can easily see that the HMG spokespeople are doing their best, accepted that in the eyes of some their best it is a load of tosh but that is not for us to debate here on these pages, we are concerned with what we have to do and the answer is quite simple …they don’t know, so we definitely do not know! We can only guess and surmise what we think is happening but, and it is a serious but, we have to wait until the DVSA contact us by email or letter and say that it is ok for us to go out to work and the test centres and booking systems will be open from ‘XX’ date. 

 The DVSA are the people who grant us a licence to teach and police the system for standards in teaching and behaviour, this is why they have a code of practice and a national standard for teaching. They tell us if we can teach for an income and they tell us how we should teach. If we are human and make an error we have to advise them of any convictions we may have, no matter how minor, and those that are pending at the time of our security check otherwise we can be removed from the register. So, is it reasonable that the 40,000 ADIs & PDIs out there on the register, a number that is sadly falling in the current crisis due to illness (mental stress and physical), IVAs and bankruptcy, would expect that the body that holds the Sword of Damocles over them would provide this simple service. Even if they simply said, sorry guys we do not know the answer yet but will get back to you asap. Where are the DVSA when we need them to help?

The information received is, sadly contradictory and confusing as different spokespeople say different things, the information is often out of date and then some of it is so vague and confusing, open to such wide interpretation it is almost impossible to disseminate sensibly. One association group has recently published a ‘guide’ that is so long winded and frightening it has put many off. I have had the calls and messages on it and understand where these ADIs are coming from in their concerns.

We have already read in this issue the email from the DVSA where they say that the keyworkers should be test ready and have no need for driving lessons. Are they expecting these people to have woken up on the morning of their test, the driving fairy having visited them in the night and anointed them with all the skills that they need to pass the test?

Where do these people come from, how on earth do they expect a candidate to get ready for the test without any practice, do they really believe in fairy dust? Are ADIs the modern-day fairies that can produce magic from nothing. 

Not a chance, getting ready for the test requires hard work, focus and lots of support from the ADI and the pupil. This takes time which is not being allowed for. Rethink badly needed.

Dear Mr Grumbler, we have recently received the attached complaint (above) about you still providing driving lessons during the Covid-19 outbreak. We expect all instructors to follow the latest Government advice on COVID-19 and practice social distancing. It is the responsibility of you and your pupil to consider the risks to health and to decide if the driving lesson is essential. We have cancelled all driving tests, apart from those required by key workers, in order to comply with the government rules on social distancing. Guidance about COVID-19, driving and theory tests can be found online at Gov.uk.

 However, pupils who are classed as ‘key workers’ and have applied for an emergency driving test should have reached the standard of driving needed to take their test, so should not need further lessons. The Chancellor recently announced a package to assist self-employed workers. Information can be found on the Department for Work and Pensions website at: www.understandinguniversalcredit/gov.uk/coronavirus . We appreciate your co-operation in this matter. Yours sincerely N.K.

What is Tier1 even, and how does it help me, ADIs ask, does it matter?

We hear a lot made of the status of Tier 1 bandied about by some associations and how ADIs should only read and believe that which is put out by Tier 1 groups.

Well once upon a time there were several associations out there and it was decided that it would be better and a whole lot easier for the DSA to ‘negotiate’ with the groups that spoke to them on the concerns of the ADI industry. The MSA. DISC, DIDU (now the AADI), UNITE, ADINJC and the DIA got together and sat down with the DSA and were under the NASG label. The National Associations Steering Group. 

The DSA rebranded as the DVSA after merging with the vehicle standards agency, VOSA.

All went well for a short while, and as happens in many relationships there were disagreements and then some cracks began to appear. There were several issues and the trust was beginning to weaken amongst some of the members. DIDU (AADI) and UNITE were unhappy with some of the things that were happening and stated their displeasure. This was largely that the meetings were held under Chatham House Rules. DISC, also had serious reservations. Now Chatham House is fine if major industry discussing takeovers and nations are having high level talks, but these were talking about learning to drive and driving tests plus associated matters, what would you need to be kept quiet? Associations are there to represent their members and are voted into office, well in the case of DISC, UNITE and AADI they certainly are. So, these 3 had big problems with not fully reporting back to their members.

Cutting a long story short the MSA, ADINJC and the DIA left and formed NASP or National Associations Strategic Partnership. The DVSA really liked these guys and liked them a lot. 

TIER1 according to the DVSA means sitting at the table, discussing and agreeing a course of action mutual to the smooth and efficient running of the DVSA machine then putting out a statement. All as agreed by the DVSA of course, behind closed doors via Chatham House, so we have no idea if the ‘associations’ stood up for their members or simply acquiesced. This is not what AADI, DISC or UNITE wanted from these discussions, they wanted openness and honesty.

To me, associations run for the benefit of their members and support their members, simple really to my little brain. Tier1 seems to be like a little puppy out on a long extending lead, you know the ones where the dog can be pulled back into control when they step out of line and try to be independent. They have to be held back and kept in line, to obey the master and do “what is best for them” do not worry as the master knows best and they will obey if they want a pat on the head or a treat. Maybe, Tier1 should be called Treat1.

I for one, do not want to be a nodding dog with no independent free will, do you?

As always, if I am wrong would someone please correct me, I love being corrected by a dominant master. 

Thanks for reading the Grumbler.  

www.theaadi.co.uk