50th Year As An Instructor

Veteran instructor Chris Bloor, from Stoke-on-Trent, has celebrated her 50th year as a driving instructor.

She began her career very soon after passing her test at the age of 18 by taking on a few of her father’s clients. Back in the 60s, she was one of only two female driving instructors in Stoke-on-Trent.

She briefly left the company for several years to pursue a career in advertising but soon returned to her father’s driving school and remained there ever since.

After so many years in the job, she has seen many changes in the driving tests and learners. In the late 70s and early 80s, there was an influx of Chinese people, prompting her to learn to speak Cantonese and she can now conduct lessons in the language. Attitudes have also changed: at first a lot of Asian men refused a female instructor and the women had to have a chaperone in the back. She highlights that a few men even prefer a female instructor.

She adds the most rewarding part of her job is seeing her students pass their practical tests.

At Britannia Driving School we have female instructors in manual and automatic cars. Let us know your views in the comments section below: