Shane Brown – Meet The Instructor

How long have you been a driving instructor for?

I have been a driving instructor for over 2 years altogether, and I’m into my 3rd year with Weelz Driving School.

What were you doing before that?

I’ve had a wide variety of jobs over the years. I always wanted to be a driving instructor, but life, and the cost of training, delayed the process a bit. I was a marine painter back in Scotland, where I painted yachts worth well into their millions. The most famous yacht I painted is called “The Drum”.
After moving to Blackpool, I wanted a permanent job, so I trained as a bus driver, and then latterly I moved on to doing house removals and clearances.

What do you enjoy most about driving instructing?

I enjoy getting that nervous pupil, and seeing their face light up when they actually get the car moving. It’s great watching that fear turn to excitement! I like meeting a variety of different people, and, as cheesy as this sounds, I love helping people change their lives. Watching a pupil’s joy when they get their licence is always a great feeling. This feeling motivates me to work hard . I like to keep the environment relaxed, but am always pushing to get pupils to test standard, and ultimately that pass. In my first 2 years I have helped 75 pupils to acheive their goal.

Is there anything you dislike about the job?

Impatient drivers! It’s as simple as that really, and it’s something I had to deal with on the busses too. It seems that no-one wants to be stuck behind a bus, or a learner driver! It’s frustrating, but I guess that’s their problem. I encourage my learners to be aware of them, and to react to any bad driving, but to try and not let it worry them. Every driver has been in that position, as no-one was born with the ability to drive. Some drivers seem to forget that very quickly though.

What are your interests/hobbies outside of driving instructing?

I am, and always have been, a bit of a petrol head. I like old Fords and I currently have a Focus ST, which I try to take that to car shows when I can. You can usually find me tinkering with the car when I do get time off. I currently have it running at about 340 BHP, so its fair to say it can get to 30mph reasonably quickly. I’m hoping to take it on a track day next at some point next year.