My name is Julie Alvarez and I am a qualified ADI (Approved Driving Instructor) providing manual driving lessons and refresher lessons. I became an ADI because I have a passion for road safety. According to Government statistics, fatalities in young adult drivers and passengers aged between 17 and 24 are among the highest in the UK. As a mother of two I understand how anxious parents can be when their children start their independent driving journey, and it is my mission to help pupils to develop strong planning and awareness skills to help them to stay safe on our busy roads.
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Prior to becoming an ADI I was a midwife and a mentor for a number of years, during which time I developed skills in keeping women and their partners calm during one of the most stressful times in their lives, as well as teaching future midwives. These are skills I feel I have transferred to my current job (which I absolutely love by the way!).
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My teaching approach is client-centred. This means that I work in partnership with my students, tailoring the way I teach to suit each individual person, because learning is not a “one size does not fits all” process. We all learn in different ways and I therefore offer different teaching methods depending on what works for each learner. I do not believe that simply telling someone what they should be doing is the most effective way for them to learn, so I use questioning techniques to enable them to problem solve so that they are able to confidently handle situations once they are out on the roads by themselves.
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I am a calm, friendly person. I understand that learning to drive can be a stressful, scary event in a person’s life, so I try to make my lessons as light-hearted as possible. Rather than looking at “mistakes” that are made during learning, I see them as learning opportunities and treat them as such.
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All my pupils have free access to MyDriveTime, which is a mobile phone app used to record their progress as they develop their driving skills.
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If I can help you, or a member of your family, please do get in touch either via the Contact page or by phone and I would be happy to chat with you further.
