You need to maintain a professional distance at all times. Start by looking professional, an aspect I will come back to later. You are your pupil’s teacher and as such you need to keep that relationship professional.
It is unfortunate that we hear in the press from time to time how a Driving Instructor has crossed that line. It is all too easy to start to be their friend and go and see them at football matches or at work for example. Think how this might be construed, what someone else might think. Do not share your worries and complaints with them. This does not make you look professional. Do not talk about other pupils either. It may seem ok to have a laugh or talk about that odd pupil but all they think is ‘what do they say about me to the other pupils?’ Sometimes a pupil may want to confide in you, and that’s ok, but save it until after the lesson.
What may seem like a joke or just harmless fun can and will backfire on you, sometimes with disastrous consequences. Over the years I have heard stories and read things that are truly beyond belief that have occurred in cars and with driving instructors, some I may share anecdotally within these pages.
