When choosing a driving instructor it is of great important that you make sure your driving instructor is legal.

Teaching someone to pass the UK driving test may seem easy but it is not. It is a skilled job that is best left to qualified professionals. In fact is is illegal for unapproved instructors to receive payment for driving tuition.

Money motivates most crime. This is certainly true of bogus driving instructors who can earn up to £25 per an hour for their deceptions.

By UK law, all correctly licensed driving instructors have to display an appropriate licence clearly in the windscreens of their instruction car or the pupil's own car if using it for lessons. Failure to do so can result in a fine of up to ?1000.

The license will be either a green octagon or a pink triangle. The green octagon indicates the the driving instructor is fully qualified. The pink triangle indicates that the instructor is still a trainee however is legally permitted to instruct. Each licence will show a photo of the driving instructor, his name and number.

You can check that your driving instructor is on the Driving Standards Agency register by calling 0115 901 2618 or emailing them at adireg@dsa.gsi.gov.uk

Some driving schools do employ trainee instructors so should you only use a fully qualified driving instructor?

In order to get a pink badge the trainee driving instructor has to pass parts 1 & 2 (a driving theory test, multiple choice test plus hazard perception video test and an advanced ADI driving test which is of a much higher standard than the driving test you will take) of the DSA Driving Instructor examination and have done at least 40 hours ADI training as well. Then they must do a further 20 hours training shortly after the badge is issued. Part 3 of the exam is a practical test that tests the trainee's instructional ability. These are the facts. The choice is yours.

You should also make sure that your driving instructor has the legal amount of insurance. All instructors require specialised driving instructor insurance - Class C hire and reward. If an instructor does not have this level of insurance then in the event of accident or injury, you the learner driver will not be covered.