Can You Beilive it!!!

[sewer rat]

Eskymo
What can I say mate - gutted for you but there's always next time..........

[Squirrel]

If it is any consolotion - when I first came over here, I was not able to swop my licence for a british one (changed before I took the test, I will admit) so had to get myself an instructor and go for lessons! If I had to take my test now I would fail miserably as I have been driving for nearly 30 odd years! He was very good, grinned at my sloppy habits and gently put me right! Was well worth doing - if nothing else I learnt to drive in snow! (Now treat it like slippy mud which I am used to driving in! )

My point? Don't worry about what an instructor would be thinking - you are paying good money for them to teach you/correct your mistakes! Small cars are easier to drive you know and you can park them more easily! AND if it gets you your drivers licence stick your pride in your pocket and go for it!

[smallblueplanet]

How many tests have you taken Eskymo?

I took three goes but a lot of it was down to lack of confidence on my part. The things I failed the 1st two tests on weren't really enough to fail me, but I didn't seem ready to drive on my own. The 3rd test I made a couple of silly mistakes (sat at the wrong place at a junction waiting to turn right was one) but when the examiner asked me I knew and told him what I'd done.

Also, I found it difficult to keep up my driving skills as i was only having one lesson a week, so if you can afford it have some lessons near your test and take your next test as soon as you can. It also took my instructor to get mad with me and telling me that I should pass as I was fine (I just didn't feel confident)!

[eskymo]

I'm giving up a for while as I've got no cash....waiting list for a test is approx 8 weeks now and my OH wants me to get an instructor. Not going to book a test now as I need the instructors number in order to book it to do it in their car. So I'm going to wait until I've got some money in the bank as it's going to cost a lot to have lessons again.

Thanks for all your support and lovely comments.

[blackkitty]

Sorry to hear the bad news Eskymo, I think it might be worth going with an instructor. I did so after failing my test the first time and they definitely know what you need to do to pass the test. I don't know if it makes you a better driver however, but it achieves the goal.

[Birdie Wife]

Hi Eskymo, I really feel for you, it must be such a blow. These things happen though and you can't let it get you down. I had several instructors because I kept moving around the country and the one thing they all had in common was their patience - they're not going to think worse of you because you've failed twice, in fact they'll give you lots of good advice on what the instructors are looking for - it's their job to get you to pass, not to give you rubbish advice so you have to keep paying for more lessons. It is important to find someone you can get along with though, so if you don't like his/her style, don't feel bad about finding someone else! Bit like doctors really.

I think where you maybe went wrong was that when you had a practice drive before the test, it went really well! That sounds daft, but it's often the case that if you do badly in the practice run/rehearsal then you're often more on the ball when it's for real. It doesn't always hold up of course!

Don't worry, you'll get through it, there's a cloud for every silver lining!

[SueA]

Sorry to hear that Eskymo, don't give up though, get saving & do what everyone says & do the test in a driving school car, I can well believe that examiners are biased against people in their own cars!

[zebedee]

To Eskymo, and any others who have problems with monolithic boneheads in Government departments. Write a letter of complaint and send it direct to the Chief Executive. I have done this a couple of times with pretty good results. All the best for the test, M8