Dale Brooks – Meet The Instructor
How long have you been a driving instructor for?
Over 11 years now, I qualified as an instructor back in May 2007.
What were you doing before that?
I was a franchisee with a national, overnight, parcel company, called Amtrak Express Parcels. They were based in Exeter, Devon. I did that for 14 years.
What do you enjoy most about driving instructing?
Taking a pupil from absolute beginner, to being a really confident driver and seeing that confidence get them a full licence. It’s a really proud moment for me to see them pass, knowing their future, all of a sudden, has so many more opportunities for them. I also love the pupils keeping in touch, once passed, to let me know about their new car or job. It’s amazing!
Is there anything you dislike about the job?
I don’t really dislike anything really. I feel really disappointed when a really good, confident driver doesn’t pass, for some weird reason. If I had to choose something, I don’t really like doing the accounts side of the job, fortunately my wife is always on hand to help with this side of the business though!
What are your interests/hobbies outside of driving instructing?
I love driving, believe it or not!! I’m a football fan, and a keen supporter of Manchester City, and of course, England. I do enjoy playing poker, and play quite a lot online, although it is on my bucket list to play in a tournament in a casino. I also enjoy playing pool and darts. I guess the pub is my spiritual home!
As the owner of Weelz Driving School, how do you balance that with instructing?
I started franchising Weelz in 2012, and the company has seen massive growth since then, with the number of driving instructors who have decided to join us. The instructors need looking after, and the admin side of the job, for me, has grown massively. This, in turn, means that my role as an instructor has decreased quite a bit over the years. We have instructors with specific roles throughout the company, such as “Social media guru” and “Social events organiser”, and individual instructors have specific roles on different social media platforms, which helps me out a lot.
I love seeing the company grow, due to all the hard work that the instructors put in. I know they always keep the standard of tuition, customer care, and attention to detail at the forefront of their minds.
