Who to hire for driving lessons for a learner

Short answer

An accredited driving instructor. This is the one trade in this group with a real register: every state requires driving instructors to hold a current accreditation or licence, and it can be verified with the state's transport or licensing authority. Ask for the number.

Plan itThere is time to get more than one quote, which is where the money is.

What to do before anyone arrives

  1. Check what your state's logbook requires, including any bonus hours credited for professional lessons — several states credit structured instruction at a multiple of the hours, which changes the maths considerably.
  2. Decide automatic or manual. A licence obtained in an automatic is restricted to automatics in most states, which matters later.
  3. Ask whether the instructor teaches in the area where the test will be conducted. Route familiarity genuinely matters.
  4. Book a single lesson first rather than a package.

What to ask when you book

  • What is your accreditation number, and which state issued it?
  • Is the car dual-controlled and insured for learner instruction?
  • Do you teach in the test area, and do you offer the car for the test?
  • Are lesson packages refundable if we stop partway?
  • Do you provide a written record of progress for the logbook?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

  • Lesson length and whether you buy a package.
  • Whether the test-day car hire is included.
  • Automatic or manual.
  • Location and travel.

What you can do yourself

Is this licensed work?

Driving instruction requires state accreditation or registration in every Australian jurisdiction, generally involving a driver history check, a working-with-children check and a training qualification. Instructor vehicles have their own requirements including dual controls.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for driving lessons for a learner
An accredited driving instructor. This is the one trade in this group with a real register: every state requires driving instructors to hold a current accreditation or licence, and it can be verified with the state's transport or licensing authority. Ask for the number.
Do professional lessons count for more logbook hours?
In several Australian states, yes — structured lessons with an accredited instructor are credited at a multiple of the actual time, up to a cap. The rules and the multiples differ by state, so it is worth checking your own transport authority before buying a package, because it can change the total number of hours needed substantially.
How do I check a driving instructor is accredited?
Every state's transport or licensing authority maintains the accreditation, and instructors are required to hold and generally to display it. Asking for the number and checking it is reasonable, and it is a check almost nobody does despite it being one of the easiest in this whole site.

Find a Driving School near you

1,541 driving schools in this directory, ranked on published evidence rather than on advertising.

Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.