feel frustrated about driving here

I have been taking lessons since last July.  I am learning how to drive a manual car since my husband's company car is a manual.  I do realize that i am not going to have my uk licence by June 19th.  I am at the point to learning the maneuvers like the turn in the road and reverse bay parking.  I have not even been introduced to parallel parking or reverse sweeping corner turn .  Any that have passed your practical test, how did you learn these manouvers for your test?  My instructor tells me what to do but does not start off by showing me.  He gets me to do it and then asks me what did i do wrong?  When he thinks i am not trying, he says you arent listening or you are trying to put your spin on things.  STill having a very hard time on reverse bay parking and having a hard time on finding the point of turn for the reversing left around the corner.

My husband cant help me on this because he did not have to do that when he did his driving test back in 1986.  Once June 19th comes around, i cant drive on my Alabama license and i cant drive my husband's car because it is a company car.

I want my licence since i have been driving for 20 years and my husband wants me too so he does not have to drive on the weekend because he travels so much during the week for work.

If any one can give me some advice with this and what you did to prepare for your practical test, i would love it.

For the bay park, and parallel park, my instructor gave me specific tips for the car I was learning in/taking the test in. For instance, he would tell me to line up the door handle with the line on a bay 2 a way from the one I was aiming for (or whatever it was--can't remember now) and then just start turning the wheel immediately. Worked like a treat! Ask your instructor if he can give you any points of reference like this. Just be sure that you will take the test in the car you are learning in!

I had similar points of reference for the reverse around the corner (i.e. when the curb hits a certain point in your mirror start turning the wheel) but in all honesty, they weren't all that helpful for me for that particular maneuver. I just used my mirrors a lot to make sure I was close enough to the kerb, but made sure to do some big sweeping looks all around, as they don't want you to just stare in your side mirror!

As for 3-point-turn, I didn't really have any issues with this one, so didn't have any tricks.

Also, you can adjust your mirrors for the maneuvers, just make sure that you stop and re-adjust them before you continue your test!

Good luck!

My instructor tells me what to do but does not start off by showing me.  He gets me to do it and then asks me what did i do wrong?  When he thinks i am not trying, he says you arent listening or you are trying to put your spin on things. 

Have you thought about changing instructors?  I'm not trying to be snarky, but 9 months to learn to drive a manual transmission and learn the parallel parking/reverse around a corner/3-point turn skills seems like a long time for someone with 20 years of driving experience.  It sounds like perhaps you and the instructor may not be the best match.

Have you thought about changing instructors?  I'm not trying to be snarky, but 9 months to learn to drive a manual transmission and learn the parallel parking/reverse around a corner/3-point turn skills seems like a long time for someone with 20 years of driving experience.  It sounds like perhaps you and the instructor may not be the best match.

I second this thought. I was lucky to "click" with my instructor and only had to take 6 lessons before I was ready to take the practical test. And that included unlearning some very bad habits after driving in the states for over 30 years.

My instructor tells me what to do but does not start off by showing me.

My instructor never showed me, she just gave me step-by-step instructions as I learned the manouevres. I was starting from scratch at age 17 and I think I had all of them down after about 4 months of lessons (it took me over a year to pass, but that was due to failing the test twice and having to wait 2 months between each of my 3 tests for an available appointment), so I'm surprised that you're still having trouble with them and haven't even been introduced to some of them. What has your instructor been doing with you all this time if you still haven't tried two of the manouevres? To be honest, it does sound like you might need a new instructor  .

Do you have a car that you can practice on between lessons? If you can practice at all with someone else, maybe you can try them without your instructor there.

Just did an online search for tips - this site here has some instruction videos and demonstrations of the various different manouevres which may be helpful:

http://www.driving-test-success.com/par_parking/par_parking.html

If you click on the links at the bottom of the page, you can see videos for the other manoeuvres as well.

First of all, I always feel like saying...if I can pass that stupid test and drive here, ANYONE CAN!

My advice is that you should change instructors, I had 2 AA Instructors who didn't challenge me on anything, then I changed to this little old Irish lady who yelled at me around every corner, and boy oh boy, did I pull my shorts up!

And I did fail my first test, but it put the fire in me to do it again and pass! Keep on keepin' on is my advice, but try a different instructor! Also, I don't think you really master the gears until you actually pass your test and understand what they really do in practice. I know I didn't understand the gears at all until I was out on my own making (safe) mistakes with the gears. Now I would not go back to driving an automatic, I much more enjoy driving a manual!

Good luck!

Have you been taking lessons continuously since July or off and on?  I only ask because there were gaps in my lessons due to moving from Cumbria to Liverpool, so in total it probably did take me over a year to get my UK license from when I moved here.  I didn't need to drive much living in the city centre, so husband did most of it.

I had to change instructors when my first one stopped being able to give lessons.  The second one was much better, picked right up on the fact that I more or less knew what I was doing, and got me ready to pass the test in five lessons.  I managed to do it on the first try too.   

I think you should see about getting another instructor. You're paying them to provide a certain level of tuition, and if it's not what you need, or they're trying to make the process take as long as possible to guarantee some income, don't feel bad about finding someone who suits you better.  If you've driven for 20 years in the states, you are most definitely capable of passing the test.

I'd like to take driving lessons but I'm wondering...  How much do they cost?  A rough idea anyway?  

I took my lessons in Worcestershire last October, and paid 21 pounds/hour. I had 10 hours of lessons in total.

Have you thought about changing instructors?

I think this is a good idea, too.

I didn't find it quite so hard, but I took my test in an automatic - so, although I still had to learn all the maneuvers, at least I didn't have to learn a whole new way of driving! I really feel for you.

For the bay park, and parallel park, my instructor gave me specific tips for the car I was learning in/taking the test in.

Mine gave me similar tips. I can't remember them now, but they must have worked because I passed on my first try. I will admit that I was terrified of having to do the corner reverse on my test, and of course I did have to. But somehow I managed! Actually, I recall that none of the tips worked for me on that particular maneuver. It was pretty much a crapshoot.  

I'd like to take driving lessons but I'm wondering...  How much do they cost?  A rough idea anyway?  

In Pembrokeshire, mine were £15 an hour - but this was nearly five years ago.

The going rate around here is about £20-23 (or so) per hour.  Mine were £22 per hour (I think it was) but I bought a block of 10 hours to get a teensy price concession, paying £20 per hour instead.

I am probably going to end up taking about 20 hours' worth of lessons, I think, or thereabouts - including allowing 2 hours in there for taking the practical (cos my instructor will be with me in the back seat of the car for that)....heee heee - I mean I'll be driving in the front seat with the examiner beside me, and my instructor will be in the back seat.  Not in the back seat with me. 

The first instructor I tried was AWFUL, so I switched instructors & I like my instructor now.

The first instructor I tried was AWFUL, so I switched instructors & I like my instructor now.

I know a few people who've had to change instructors, and it seems to make all the difference!

The going rate around here is about £20-23 (or so) per hour.  Mine were £22 per hour (I think it was) but I bought a block of 10 hours to get a teensy price concession, paying £20 per hour instead.

I am probably going to end up taking about 20 hours' worth of lessons, I think, or thereabouts - including allowing 2 hours in there for taking the practical (cos my instructor will be with me in the back seat of the car for that)....heee heee - I mean I'll be driving in the front seat with the examiner beside me, and my instructor will be in the back seat.  Not in the back seat with me. 
Glad you explained that

The first instructor I tried was AWFUL, so I switched instructors & I like my instructor now.

Within London I'm with "AA" driving school and they are charging £27 for each individual lesson paid one at a time, but if you purchase a block of ten, twenty, etc, you get a 10%, 20% etc discount of the total price of that block of lessons, so it works out much cheaper. But for now I'm just going lesson-to-lesson until my practical next month.

I too had to switch instructors. My first one was taciturn, surly and impatient. My current one is a 180 degree difference, sunny, funny and helpful.

kfleet, given that you don't say so, can you confirm, have you now got a UK provisional driving licence? and have you already passed the Theory Test?

Do appreciate that you cannot even book the practical driving test until you have passed the Theory Test, and you cannot even book the Theory Test until you have a UK provisional driving licence.

As regards your driving instructor, I share the view of others .... time to change instructor! Get one that suits you, and who is giving you the instruction you actually need.