Learning to Drive as a Student: What you Should Know
Are you debating whether or not you should be driving while in education? Here are the facts about learning to drive as a student to help you make the decision that will benefit you best.
It’s time-consuming
The first thing to consider when learning to drive is whether you have enough time. While there is no minimum amount of practice required, it takes around 45 hours of lessons and 20 hours of independent driving to get to the test-pass standard. Initially, you should have 2-3 lessons per week of no more than an hour each to avoid exhaustion, and then move to longer less frequent sessions as you get used to life behind the wheel.
Fitting consistent sessions into an already complex student schedule can be complex, especially when you’re negotiating with your instructor’s schedule too.
It can be expensive
Given the amount of lessons that most people need to become a competent driver, it’ll be no surprise to you that learning to drive can be expensive. An hour with an instructor costs between £25 and £45, so you should be prepared to invest around £2,000 in lessons alone.
On top of this, the theory and practical tests cost £100 together and may have to be retaken. You might want to afford a vehicle of your own too which involves insurance and fuel considerations. It’s important to keep your hand in once you’ve passed, so you should take out a young driver’s insurance policy on a shared car even if you’re not buying your own vehicle.
Increased job opportunities
If you can afford the cost and time involved with learning to drive, you’ll reap the benefits when it comes to starting your career.
Learning to drive is often cited as one of the best ways to improve graduate employability. This is because many employers require candidates to have a full, clean driving licence and sometimes their own vehicle too.
Being able to drive also gives you access to jobs in a broader range of locations. Relying on public transport can be limiting, especially if you live outside of a city centre, whereas having a car allows you to reach more places and obscure areas while maintaining a reasonable commute.
More freedom
Driving isn’t just advantageous for the future – it will also give you more freedom for your student days!
From being able to stock up on affordable items at the nearest supermarket to exploring your local area at the weekend with friends, there are many benefits to owning a car while you’re at university. You can even go on a range of road trips in the UK with your roommates outside of term time.
Perhaps best of all, you won’t have to use public transport to travel to and from home with all of the possessions you managed to accumulate during your years of study!