Newslink March

Q& A with...
I love it when I help learners through
their test... but I’ve had enough of the
reckless drivers and the pot holes!
Yasmin Ajib from MSA GB’s East Coast Area 2
committee is the latest member to take part in our
‘Q & A with’ feature, and she’s getting fed up with
reckless drivers endangering her and her pupils...
When did you become an ADI, and
what made you enter the profession?
I became an ADI in 2014. I have
always had a passion for driving and
becoming a driving instructor was the
ideal career path for me, where I am able
to teach people how to drive safely and
guide them through passing their test.
It’s a very rewarding role.
Also, as I am able to speak more than
one language, I can help those who have
English as an additional language. It’s
great knowing I can help others pass
when they don’t feel comfortable and
confident in speaking English.
What’s the best bit about the job?
Being my own boss, where I can
choose my hours; that’s very important
to me.
In addition, I enjoy meeting pupils from
different backgrounds, all of whom have
their own individual needs, therefore
opening my experiences of teaching
different types of learners.
Finally, I still get a buzz when I receive
positive feedback from my learners. You
can’t beat that.
And the worst?
Impatient drivers who hit the horn,
overtake, speed and cause near crashes
whenever they see a learner car. They
tend to think they can intimidate new
learners and scare them. It’s disgraceful.
I really feel for my pupils when they
are on the receiving end of it. For
some of them it can negatively affect
their performance and can sometimes
put them off learning to drive all together.
Why can’t people just be a little more
patient?
What’s the best piece of training advice
you were ever given?
The best training I received was from
Susan McCormack when I passed my
BTEC level four in client centre learning
and coaching. It helped transform the
way I worked and I’ve really enjoyed the
difference it makes to lessons.
What one piece of kit, other than your
car and phone, could you not do
without?
Money, especially in the current
economic and inflation rates!
What needs fixing most urgently in
driving generally?
We need to find a way of encouraging
drivers to be more patient, as per my
previous answer. But in addition I’m
really concerned that there are more
people out there who are driving under
the influence than the authorities believe.
Also, if we’re aiming to improve the
standard of driving, can we also tackle
the standard of the roads at the same
time? So many of the roads on my usual
routes are really poor quality and in need
of urgent repair – pot holes and cracks
that have been present for ages but
have not been fixed.
What should the DVSA focus on?
Change the marking strategy for
standard check tests.
What’s the next big thing that’s going to
transform driver training/testing?
Having to buy an electric car.
Electric cars – yes or no? And why?
Despite my previous answer, because
of the current pressure on finances with
the cost of living crisis and high inflation
rate, I’m not going for one at present as
it would not be affordable.
However, in the future when the
current crisis eases I will be swapping to
to an electric car, as they do come with
benefits.
How can we improve driver testing/
training in one move?
Easy; employ more examiners!
Who/what inspires you, drives you on?
My family, knowing how proud they
are on how far I have come, and now
being able to teach my own children and
grandchildren how to drive.
I’m also inspired to do my job by
knowing that I am able to make a
difference to someone. When a pupil
passes their test, you can instantly see
how happy they are, especially when
44 NEWSLINK n MARCH 2023