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| Who are the DSA? |
| The DSA is the Driving Standards Agency. It is a government agency and is part of the Department for Transport. The organisation has some 400 test centres throughout England, Scotland and Wales. It has five Area Offices (in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Newcastle) and a Head Office in Nottingham. People who work in the DSA are Civil Servants. |
| So what sort of people make good Examiners? |
| All sorts! A lot of our examiners used to be Driving Instructors. Many have a background in the Armed Services, the Police or the other emergency services. Others have been professional drivers, like taxi and lorry drivers. But people from all sorts of backgrounds can, and do, make good Examiners if they have the right mix of skills, driving competence and training. |
| Not so long ago it was a predominantly male profession, but now we have an increasing number of women examiners. We want our workforce to reflect the community and so we are particularly keen to encourage applications from women and people from the ethnic minorities. The old image of a man with a plastic Mac and clipboard is long gone - thank goodness. |
| Is there any criteria? |
| Yes, there is basic set of criteria that you need to fulfil to apply to be a Driving Examiner. As long as you are over 25 years old and under 63 years, have a full, clean and unrestricted licence (manual and automatic), and have at least 5 years driving experience, then you are eligible to apply. |
| So what does it take? |
| You need to be a very good driver. Most people who drive everyday, whether on a motorway or general roads are good drivers. Many drivers have clean licences and have never been involved in any type of accident. These may be considered as good drivers. This does not automatically mean that your driving competence is to the exceptionally high level required to become an Examiner. |
| Our maxim is Safe Driving for Life and we believe that you can only assess what makes a good, safe driver, if you are one yourself. So, to become an Examiner, you will have to pass a special driving test. An Examiner called a Sector Manager will conduct this test. You will be expected to demonstrate a high standard of driving competence based on, ability, concentration, effective observation, anticipation and planning. If successful, you will be invited to attend an assessment to take a theory test – when was the last time you read the Highway Code? |
| We strongly advise you to consider having a lesson or two with a member of ORDIT. (Experience has shown that applications who have not taken formal training before taking this test rarely pass). |
| The test |
| This will involve a drive over a carefully chosen route of to last up to 1.5 hours. It will normally be in both urban and rural areas with varying traffic densities, and will include driving on a dual carriageway. You will have to drive at a speed consistent with the road and traffic conditions. This must be done with the bare minimum of driving faults. (Examples of driving faults are anything from not checking your mirrors before indicating, changing direction or stopping, not taking effective observation when moving away or awareness and anticipation of other road users). This is only a small sample of faults. Throughout the drive, the Sector Manager will be assessing your overall suitability to be an Examiner. You will also be asked questions on the Highway Code, including road signs. |
| To perform the duties of a driving examiner, the jobholder must have the right mix of knowledge, skills and attitudes. |
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