Driving lessons in Ilkeston
Calm, patient, one-to-one lessons built around how you learn.
DVSA Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) · DBS checked · Ilkeston based
How lessons work
Everyone arrives at a different point on this. Some have never sat in the driving seat, some have had lessons elsewhere that knocked their confidence. We start wherever you actually are.
The first lesson is about getting comfortable — and figuring out where you are. If you're nervous, that's ok. We can start on quiet roads with minimal traffic, or if you are ready we will move onto more challenging routes. We move at a pace which is appropriate for you. Equally, if you have had lessons before we assess where you are at and start from there.
Junctions, roundabouts, dual carriageways and country roads are all part of driving, but it's the skills of planning, anticipation and awareness of other road users which will help you navigate these safely. You get to decide at the start of each lesson what we're covering, and we move on when you're ready — not when a syllabus says so.
Once you've gained the necessary skills and experience the focus shifts towards you driving independently and putting everything you've learnt into practice, making those critical decisions by yourself. By now you will have gained the skills necessary to pass your driving test but, more importantly, become a safe driver for life.
About me
Hi, I'm Caroline. I'm a newly qualified driving instructor, and before that I spent twenty-five years working as a primary school teacher. My years in the classroom have helped me fine tune my ability to remain calm under pressure, be patient and understand that everyone learns differently.
The goal is to get you to become a safe independent driver. What I can offer you is a calm and supportive environment in which to achieve this. We will start at a point which is appropriate to you and you alone.
The car
You'll learn in my 2021 SEAT Ibiza Excellence — a six-speed manual. Small, light and easy to place on the road: the steering and clutch are gentle, the visibility is good and you can actually see where the corners of the car are, which makes junctions and bay parking far less daunting. It's the same car every lesson, and the car you'll sit your test in, so nothing shifts underneath you.
I have my own brake and clutch, so I can step in if I need to and support where necessary.
Passing in a manual means you can drive anything; you can stay with manual or switch to an automatic.
Fully insured for you to drive during lessons and on test day. Nothing for you to arrange.
Where I teach
I'll pick you up from home, work or college anywhere inside the circle. Just outside it? Ask anyway — if it works, it works.
Prices
Most people get on best with an hour and a half. It's long enough to drive somewhere useful, practise properly and have time to reflect afterwards. A 90‑minute lesson is £57. That said, if shorter suits you better, or your concentration or anxiety means an hour is plenty, we'll do that instead. It's your lesson.
Payment by cash or bank transfer. Please give 48 hours' notice to cancel or rearrange a lesson.
Common questions
Very common, and usually it's a mismatch rather than a lack of ability. Tell me what happened and what you found hard, and we'll do it differently. Starting again with someone new isn't going backwards.
Honestly, it depends — the DVSA's own rough guide is around 45 hours with an instructor plus private practice, but people vary enormously in both directions. I'd rather give you a real answer after a few lessons than a made-up one now.
Private practice alongside lessons helps a lot, as long as your supervising driver is over 21 and has held a full licence for three years, and the car is properly insured for you. I'll tell you what we've covered so you can practise the right things rather than reinforcing the wrong ones.
A valid provisional licence and glasses or lenses if you wear them for distance. That's it — bring those and we can get going.
Not remotely, and you're in better company than you think. Plenty of people learn in their thirties, forties, fifties and beyond — often because life finally made it necessary. Nobody's judging the timing.
Get started
If I don't pick up I'm probably in the car with a learner — leave a message or text and I'll get back to you the same day.
Monday–Saturday, 8am–7pm