Can I take driving lessons with a US license?

Hello!

I know that I can drive in the UK legally on my US license for a year.  During this year can I take driving lessons without having a provisional license?  I know I'll need to get a provisional license to take the test but I was hoping to start up lessons soon and then apply for my provisional... Has anyone taken lessons before they sorted out their provisional license?

Thanks!! 

You get a provisional licence. But your driving is unrestricted for 12 months from the date you arrived in Britain on your current status. (I.e., if you came here as a student or tourist and then returned later on a work visa, the 12 months starts then.)

"If you obtain a provisional licence during this period, you are not subject to provisional licence conditions eg displaying 'L' plates or being supervised by a qualified driver or being precluded from motorways."
http://tinyurl.com/2h6hlp

I took lessons through BSM on my US license only without any problem.  I got the provisional once felt ready to go for the theory test. 

I took lessons through BSM on my US license only without any problem. 

Yes, I did that as well.  The instructor even took me on the motorway -- although he had to take the BSM thingie on the roof off.

During this year can I take driving lessons without having a provisional license? 

There are no specific legal restrictions to stop you, as your U.S. license conveys the legal entitlement of a full U.K. license for the first 12 months.   There might be an instructor somewhere with an insurance policy which demands a U.K. license, but most simply have "any driver" cover which wouldn't be a problem.

The instructor even took me on the motorway -- although he had to take the BSM thingie on the roof off.

There's no legal requirement to do so.  Maybe he was just worried about it coming off at higher speeds?

It is unusual to take lessons before passing the theory test. But the main obstacle to taking lessons without a Provisional licence is that the instructor is taking the risk that you may actually have been resident in the UK more than 12 months, and that your licence is not valid and that both his or her insurance and licence as an instructor are in jeopardy.

From other replies it seems that this may not have occurred to some instructors.

There's no legal requirement to do so.  Maybe he was just worried about it coming off at higher speeds?

Yes, I think that was the case.

It is unusual to take lessons before passing the theory test.

Is it?

I had weekly lessons for 6 months before I passed my theory test (I was learning from scratch at age 17) - I turned 17 in May 2000, had lessons starting June 2000, passed my theory test in December 2000, and finally got my licence in August 2001 (after over a year of lessons and 3 practical tests). It was the same situation with most of my friends - lessons began around their 17th birthday and the theory test was passed several weeks/months later, just before they were ready to take the practical test.

lessons began around their 17th birthday and the theory test was passed several weeks/months later, just before they were ready to take the practical test.

I did it in this order too - but I was 41, not 17. 

I stand corrected on this point:

"You do not have to pass your theory test before you start to learn how to drive on the road. DVA recommends that you have practical lessons before you take your theory test because you are likely to perform better if you have some driving experience. You can choose how to prepare yourself for your theory and practical driving tests. It is generally the case that learner drivers who have plenty of practice and who receive professional instruction perform well."
http://www.dvtani.gov.uk/drivingtheorytest/theorytestexplained.asp

However my instructor thought otherwise, and it seems to me that for experienced drivers from abroad it makes no sense -- the point is to get the nuisance over with most efficiently. It was deflating enough to fail the first practical exam, given that I'd passed several in US and Canada over the years.

It was the same situation with most of my friends - lessons began around their 17th birthday and the theory test was passed several weeks/months later, just before they were ready to take the practical test.

The separate theory test has only been around since about the mid 1990s.  Prior to that there was just a single test booking in which the practical drive was followed by the examiner asking (verbally, while still sitting in the car) half a dozen Highway Code and road sign questions.