Former RAF transport specialist Neal Jones reveals how his military background has influenced his ADI teaching style and why he puts discipline at the heart of all his lessons.

From tours in Iraq and Afghanistan to providing ground-based support for Britain’s Typhoon fighter force and VIP driving Prince William, Neal Jones, an ADI working with The Driving Academy, is using what he learned in the RAF to help students become better, safer drivers.

Why did you make the move from the RAF to instructing? I have two young children but because of my military commitments, I ended up being a weekend dad. I needed to bring myself back to reality so asked myself what’s the most important thing in my life? And for me, family comes first. So I needed a career which was adaptable, could fit round my family life but also let me get what I wanted out of it – and my wife said: “Why don’t you become a driving instructor?”.

I wasn’t sure at first because I’d heard how hard it is to become one. I don’t think people really appreciate how challenging the process is, the rigorous testing you have to go through – especially the pupils who have no idea about the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes!

How has your RAF background informed how you instruct? I focus on discipline which a lot of people say you shouldn’t do but I think it’s really important. At the end of the day, being disciplined will save your life and possibly the lives of those around you, just like in the RAF. Being disciplined with your mirror use, being observant at all times, is essential.

I also focus on leadership and mentoring. When you’re in the military, you’re always dependent on the guy sat next to you and it’s the same with instructing; the pupils depend on me to guide them in the right direction with their learning. I should say though that I’m not like some corporal shouting at his pupils! I actually like to have a laugh and make students feel very relaxed from the beginning.

What about the use of specific military skills? We use reverse psychology in the military a lot. So, say, we were interrogating local people in Afghanistan, we would try and get them to think about the current situation from a wider angle and to see it from our point of view so they would open up. It’s a technique I use when teaching pupils about road safety too.

For instance, I have a pupil at the moment who is really bad at observations. The other week, she pulled away without checking her blind spot and I said: “You should think about the motorcyclist who has just crashed into us”. She said: “But there wasn’t one”. I told her to pull over and then showed her a video of a car pulling out on a motorcyclist, causing a crash, and told the pupil: “In effect, that’s what you’ve just done”. And she was like: “I’ve never looked at it like that before”. It really drove the message home for her.

My VIP driving experience also informs my teaching as well – for instance, being able to scan the road ahead to predict what might be coming up boosts road awareness. Also when I was a VIP driver, I would inadvertently ‘eco-drive’ because you’re trying to make the drive as smooth as possible for the VIP in the back! And again, this is something that I teach my pupils.

How important is technology to your instructing process? Very important. I use internet clips on my iPad to directly address driving issues that pupils have; to show them the possible consequences of their actions when behind the wheel and how it can go horribly wrong so they ‘get it’. It’s an approach that works because this generation of learners is the YouTube generation.

They’re so used to consuming videos on their phones and tablets that it’s an approach that really resonates with them. It’s like they don’t believe you otherwise but by showing them the issue from a different angle through, say, a video clip, it helps them understand and helps make that penny drop.

A car is a killing machine – for all your life, you’ve been looked after by your parents, by your school, but now you’re asking the government to be allowed to drive on the road and then to eventually drive by yourself. That is a big responsibility and a huge privilege.”

– ADI Neal Jones on the responsibilities of being a driver.

Don’t you risk scaring learners? You do have to be careful. You need to be blunt without terrifying them. I know people can be like, “no, let’s do it softly, softy” but kids are different nowadays and that’s the problem. They all have phones and are on social media. They can be wrapped up in themselves.

I’ve seen things in this world that are not nice at all and they need to know that the world is not all it seems and in turn, help them get rid of that mentality that says it’s not going to be them who causes a crash. Learners need to know that they are not invincible, that bad things can happen to them on the road if they are not aware at all times.

What is your favourite part of the job? Like any ADI, you get a buzz when a pupil passes but there’s more to it than that. It’s seeing a pupil leave a lesson with a smile on their face, knowing that they have achieved something, learnt something important. Even when they’ve had a bad lesson and they are down in the dumps, I always try to find the positives so they walk away with a smile, not a frown.

Ultimately, it’s not all about that test pass but the actual training itself. I remember when I started at the RAF, I was nothing. By the end of my basic training, I was a Royal Air Force airman. And that’s the same for the driver – at the beginning, they can’t drive and at the end, they can drive safely and have the privilege to join every other road user out there. It’s that development process which is the magic part of the job for me.

And the least favourite part of your job? The very long days! I walk in some nights at 10 and by the time I’m done with admin, booking tests, sorting out money and more, it’s 12.30 at night – but you do what it takes to get the job done. Plus I loath diary management!

What do you think of Theory Test Pro? It helps students massively and I always make a point of showing them your statistic about pass rates doubling if you use Theory Test Pro. I say to pupils: “Get rid of your other apps; just use this – it’s all you need”. I really love it.

I have a routine for it as well – when I get into bed last thing at night, I pull out my iPhone, put it on charge, go into Theory Test Pro and have a good look for 10 minutes, checking on student results before turning off the light. It even helped me with the theory elements of my Part 3!

What advice would you give to someone training to be an ADI? Do your research. One of the biggest things I did was talk to people. I went on forums, I watched videos online and I spoke to ADIs. Actually, I was quite cheeky when I was researching and actually rang an ADI in my local area and asked him what life is like as an instructor and what tips he could give me.

At first, he was a bit shocked that I had the cheek to call him but he ended up giving me some brilliant advice: “Stick to your theory – if you learn theory like the back of your hand, then you’ve got that knowledge with you at all times. And if you teach the way you would drive when doing your Part 2, you can’t go wrong – if you spot something the pupil is doing that you wouldn’t have done in your Part 2, you need to pull them up on it.”

Describe driving instructing in one sentence. I’d say it’s one of the most satisfying careers in the world, not just in terms of earning – because it can be a good earner if you work at it – but in terms of enjoyment and freedom.

Just one of the many vehicles that Neal was qualified to drive in the RAF.