What is a Franchise?

Making the choice to become a driving instructor is an exciting step, but without guidance starting out can be overwhelming and it can be difficult to decide how your business will operate. You will probably have heard of franchises, but may be confused what joining one would mean for you. We hope this article will make things clearer.

What is a driving instructor franchise?
In basic terms, a franchise is when an individual pays a company for using their name. Taking the branding of another driving school brings instant customers and aligns you with an already trustworthy and recognisable brand. We would always advise trainee driving instructors to join a franchise to begin with, even if your future goal is to go independent eventually. The main reason for this is the number of years it takes to build a good reputation as an individual. You only earn money in the time you spend actually teaching, and if you chose to work independently, the vast majority of your time would be spent marketing yourself and dealing with enquiries. There are many aspects to running a business that take time, but when your business is a franchise most of this is dealt with for you. 

At UDrive we offer a monthly rolling contract, as we do not believe in tying in instructors if their circumstances change and they no longer feel the franchise is a good fit. But very few of our instructors have ever left, and, of them, most have returned when they’ve seen how much better it is to be with us!

Different companies offer different franchise packages, meaning it is hard to directly compare the fees. Our aim at UDrive is to offer the best package at the best price for you.

We take considerable pride in the additional benefits we offer with our franchise. These extras mean you will find your business much easier to run, and your pupils’ learning experience will be greatly improved. 

Our fees are competitive against national and local driving schools, and the UDrive name carries the kick of a national school, with the personability of a local one. Our reputation and additional benefits mean we can charge a high lesson price without it affecting the number of customers we have. This is a fantastic advantage to our instructors, as every £1 extra charged per lesson equates to approximately £1500 extra income each year. It is easy to see why so many instructors want to join the UDrive family. The franchise fee is far outweighed by the increased earning potential with us!