OCCUPATION: DRIVING INSTRUCTOR

Name: Byung-Il Lee Company: Hallelujah Driving & Traffic School, Garden Grove. Thumbs up: “God gave me this job. I like teaching students about California’s traffic laws, how to drive and about the various driving conditions. I like my students. I have students of all different ages, and that’s something in which I’m very interested. Sometimes I teach minors, sometimes seniors, and they all have different character traits associated with their age.” Thumbs down: “Sometimes other drivers don’t obey the traffic laws, and they make my students nervous.” Advice: “Anyone can learn to drive in California. A driving instructor must be patient with their students so they will be more relaxed.” Salary range: In Orange County, driving instructors generally earn between $6 to $16 hourly. Educational and training requirements: Except for those employed by a school district, driving instructors must be licensed by the Department of Motor Vehicles. They must be at least 18 years old, provide the DMV with their fingerprints, possess a valid California driver’s license and have a high school diploma or equivalent. Instructors must have no felony or misdemeanor convictions within the past 10 years, must pass a medical exam, a written test of 100 questions and a driving test; they must have 40 hours of training and 20 hours instruction behind the wheel and pay a $58 fee for an instructor’s license that is good for three years. There is no free-lance work. A driving instructor must be employed by a licensed driving school or a public school. Size of work force: Small. In Orange County, about 150 people work as driving instructors. Expected demand: Growing. As school districts cut back on budgets and charge parents for driver training, there is greater demand for driving instruction for teen-agers. Job description: Teaching people to drive, including beginners, intermediate drivers and drivers who need defensive-driving skills or specific training for a specific job. Driving instructors also conduct brush-up courses for people who have had traumatic injury, surgery or psychological problems because of an accident, or who are uncomfortable with driving. For more information: Inquiries about obtaining a license should be directed to an occupational licensing inspector at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Sacramento, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (916) 657-8056. Source: Driving School Assn. of California; Department of Motor Vehicles; California Employment Development Department; Researched by DALLAS M. JACKSON / Los Angeles Times