Terms and Conditions for Driving Instructors

Introduction and our relationship

1.1 Who we are. Rated Driving Instructors Ltd (“Rated Driving”, “we”, “us”, “our”) of The Carriage House, Mill Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 6YE (company number 11077197) runs a marketplace that connects learners with DVSA-registered driving instructors and helps administer bookings and payments.

1.2 We act as an agent and marketplace. We facilitate introductions and handle administration and payments. The contract for driving lessons is directly between you and the learner. The teaching of lessons, and all duties that come with it, rest with you under that contract.

1.3 You are self-employed. You are not employed by Rated Driving. You are an independent contractor, responsible for your own work and the services you provide to learners.

1.4 No franchise fee, no tie-in. We do not charge a franchise fee, and there is no minimum commitment or exclusivity required.

1.5 Agreeing to these terms. These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. By signing up to use the Platform, you agree to them.

Words we use

“Content” means any text, graphics, images, audio, video, software, data or other information that appears on or forms part of the Services.

“Learner” means a person using the Platform to find and book driving lessons.

“Lesson(s)” means driving tuition you provide to a learner.

“Offer / Offer Rate” means the hourly rate and value of work we offer you for a learner or package, which you can accept or reject. If you accept, your Offer Rate is the rate you are paid for each lesson you deliver.

“Package” means the set of lesson hours a learner has bought.

“Services” / “Platform” means the website, app, tools and services Rated Driving makes available now or in the future.

“Wallet” means the place where a learner’s money is held after they pay, using our payment provider’s secure, FCA-regulated escrow system (Ryft Pay).

“Released” means money leaving the learner’s Wallet to be paid to you for a lesson that has taken place.

“24-hour window” means the short period after each lesson, explained in clause 6, before that lesson’s payment is released to you.

The Platform

3.1 What the Platform does. We provide a platform where you can receive learner enquiries and Offers, build your profile, message learners, schedule lessons, and get paid for the lessons you deliver.

3.2 Registration. Full use of the Services requires registration. Without registration, the app cannot be fully used.

3.3 One account per person. Registering more than one account for the same person is not allowed.

3.4 No advertising other platforms. Your profile and Offers must not refer to or advertise other tuition services or platforms.

3.5 Identity. On request, you must confirm your identity by providing appropriate proof.

3.6 Changes to the Services. We may change, update or improve the Services from time to time. We will act reasonably and try not to disrupt your work.

Your account and eligibility

4.1 Eligibility. Use of the Platform is for people aged 18 or over who can enter into a legally binding contract.

4.2 Account security. Protect your account with a password and keep your password and account secure. Your account is for your personal use only. Do not share it.

4.3 Accurate information. You confirm that the information you give us is true, complete and current, and you will keep it up to date.

4.4 Your ADI or PDI number. You must give us your ADI (Approved Driving Instructor) or PDI (Potential Driving Instructor) number so we can check your registration with the DVSA. If you are removed from the ADI register, you must tell us immediately at support@rateddriving.com so we can freeze or close your account.

Your qualifications and documents

5.1 DVSA registration. You must be a DVSA Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) or a Potential Driving Instructor (PDI).

5.2 Good standing. You confirm you are not currently suspended or under investigation by the DVSA.

5.3 Proof of credentials. You agree to provide a valid copy of your DVSA instructor badge, and updated copies on renewal.

5.4 Insurance. You confirm that both you and your vehicle are properly insured for teaching learner drivers, and you can provide proof of insurance on request.

How you get paid: the Wallet and your Offer Rate

6.1 How learners pay. Learners pay into a Wallet held in our payment provider’s secure, FCA-regulated escrow system (Ryft Pay). The money is held there and released to you lesson by lesson.

6.2 Your Offer Rate. For each learner or package, you receive an Offer showing the hourly rate and the value of the work. You can accept or reject it. If you accept, that rate applies.

6.3 One rate across package sizes. Your Offer Rate is a single hourly rate that stays the same whatever the package size. A bigger learner package does not reduce your hourly rate. Where a learner sees a discount on a larger package, we fund that discount ourselves. It does not come out of your rate.

For example, if your Offer Rate is £35 per hour:

£35 is only an example. Your actual rate is the one shown in your Offer.

6.4 Paid lesson by lesson. You are paid for each lesson you deliver, at your Offer Rate, after the lesson and once the 24-hour window has passed with no problem raised.

6.5 The 24-hour window. After each lesson there is a 24-hour window before that lesson’s payment is released. This is a short window for you or the learner to raise a genuine problem, for example if the lesson did not take place, the wrong length was recorded, or something serious went wrong. It is not a window for the learner to decide whether to pay: the learner’s money is already in their Wallet before the lesson is confirmed.

6.6 You are not asked to teach unfunded lessons. A lesson can only be confirmed once the learner’s money is in their Wallet. You never teach a lesson that has not been paid for.

6.7 No full package up front. Under this process you are paid as you teach, not the full package in advance. This is the main change for you. In return, you carry far less refund risk (see clause 9).

6.8 When the money reaches you. Once a lesson’s payment is released from the Wallet, we pay it into your nominated bank account by the next business day (T+1).

6.9 Chargeable lessons. Where a lesson is chargeable under the cancellation and no-show rules in clause 8, it can be treated as payable and handled through the Wallet in the same way.

Accepting and delivering packages

7.1 Accepting an Offer. By accepting an Offer through the Platform, you agree to teach the learner directly under your own contract with them.

7.2 Teach in person. You must provide lessons yourself, unless the learner agrees to a substitute instructor who has joined through Rated Driving.

7.3 First contact within 6 hours. Send the learner your first message within 6 hours of accepting, to introduce yourself and arrange the first lesson. If you do not make contact within 6 hours, we may disconnect the learner from you and reallocate them to another instructor. We do this to protect the learner’s experience.

7.4 If you cannot complete a package. If you cannot complete a package, please tell us so we can help the learner find another instructor. The learner’s remaining Wallet balance moves with them, and you are paid for the lessons you have delivered. This is a platform participation requirement, not a contractual tuition obligation owed to us.

7.5 Test readiness and use of your car. Whether the learner is test-ready, and whether your car may be used for a test, are matters between you and the learner, using your professional judgement.

7.6 Extra lessons. Arrange any extra lessons through the Platform. Do not take direct payments from learners outside the Platform.

7.7 Completing a package. A package is complete once all lessons are delivered and the practical test is taken.

Cancellations, no-shows and lateness

8.1 One platform-wide cancellation policy. We apply a single, industry-standard 48-hour cancellation policy across Rated Driving. Instructors do not set their own cancellation terms, which keeps things fair and clear for everyone. You are, of course, always free to be more flexible with a learner if you choose.

8.2 If a learner cancels late or does not turn up. If a learner cancels or moves a lesson with less than 48 hours’ notice, arrives too late for the lesson to go ahead, or does not turn up, the lesson is chargeable. It is treated as a delivered lesson and paid to you through the Wallet. You are not left carrying the cost of a learner failing to attend.

8.3 Whether to charge is your decision. If a learner cancels late, the lesson is chargeable and the payment is yours. Whether to be flexible and not charge is entirely your decision, for example on a learner’s first late cancellation, or where something was genuinely outside their control (such as a medical emergency). Rated Driving does not pay you for a cancellation. If you choose not to charge, that lesson’s money simply stays in the learner’s Wallet.

8.4 If you cancel late or cannot attend. If you cancel or move a lesson with less than 48 hours’ notice, or do not turn up, the learner is not charged and does not lose the lesson value. It stays in their Wallet to rebook, or they can have it refunded. That lesson is not paid to you. Please tell the learner and us as early as you can.

8.5 Repeated late cancellations. Occasional changes happen, and genuine emergencies are understood. But a pattern of late cancellations or no-shows on your side may affect your standing on the platform and could lead to learners being reallocated or your account being suspended.

8.6 Manage your schedule. Manage your schedule well, and tell learners about any changes as early as you can.

Refunds

9.1 The big change for you. Because learner money stays in the learner’s Wallet and is only released to you lesson by lesson, you generally do not need to repay anything for lessons that have not been taken. Unused money has not been paid to you, so there is nothing to give back.

9.2 When a refund can still involve you. A refund may still involve you where (a) a lesson has already been paid to you but is later found not to have been delivered as recorded, (b) you and the learner agree a refund for a lesson you delivered, or (c) a complaint about a delivered lesson is upheld.

9.3 Agreeing a refund. If a refund is needed for a delivered lesson, please agree the amount and reason with the learner, and tell us promptly so we can administer it.

9.4 Paying what you owe within 5 days. Where you owe money in connection with a refund, for example money released to you for a lesson that did not take place, or a refund you have agreed for a delivered lesson, you must pay it within 5 days of the amount being agreed with you or notified to you by us.

9.5 Recovering an overpayment. Where money has been released to you for a lesson that did not take place as recorded, you authorise us, acting fairly and as part of the payment process, to recover that amount so it can be returned to the learner. We will tell you before we do this.

9.6 Recovery and suspension. If you do not pay what you owe, we may pause your payouts and/or suspend your account while the debt is outstanding, and take steps to recover it, including instructing a debt collection agency or taking legal action. You will be responsible for our reasonable costs of recovery.

First-lesson money-back promise

10.1 The promise. We offer first-time learners a money-back promise covering up to 1 hour (60 minutes) of their first lesson, if they tell us within 24 hours that they were not satisfied. This is funded by Rated Driving as a platform-level goodwill benefit. You are still paid in full for the lesson you delivered. The refunded hour does not come out of your payment, and it does not come out of the learner’s Wallet balance.

10.2 What it does not change. This is a promise we make to learners at platform level. It does not move responsibility for lesson quality from you to us. The quality and delivery of lessons remain your responsibility under your contract with the learner.

Behaviour and conduct

11.1 Follow the law. You must follow all applicable laws and regulations of the United Kingdom when using the Services.

11.2 Be professional. Manage your schedule well, and communicate any changes or cancellations to the learner in good time.

11.3 Safety first. You are responsible for the safety of the learner and others during lessons. Do not use a mobile phone, or smoke (including e-cigarettes), during lessons.

11.4 Content and others’ rights. Do not publish content that breaks the law or infringes the intellectual property or other rights of others.

11.5 System integrity. Do not use software or methods that could harm the operation, security or availability of the Services.

11.6 Honesty about Rated Driving. Do not make statements about Rated Driving that you know to be false. We welcome honest feedback and genuine criticism. This clause is only about untrue or defamatory statements.

Not going around the Platform (non-circumvention)

12.1 Why this matters to you. Staying on the Platform is how you get paid safely. Every lesson you deliver is funded in advance and held in the learner’s Wallet, so the money is already there before you teach. You are paid your full hourly rate for every delivered lesson, you do not have to chase anyone for payment, and you are protected if a learner disputes a charge. Going around the Platform gives all of that up.

12.2 The rule. You agree not to arrange, deliver or take payment for lessons off the Platform with any learner you were introduced to, or first connected with, through Rated Driving. This applies while they are an active learner on the Platform, and for 12 months after your last lesson with them that was booked through the Platform.

12.3 No off-platform or cash payments. Do not accept or ask for cash, a bank transfer, or any other payment outside the app from a Platform learner, and do not offer a learner a lower price to pay you directly.

12.4 Keep learner details confidential. Do not share a learner’s name, contact details or account information with anyone else, and do not use them for anything other than delivering lessons booked through the Platform, unless the law requires it.

12.5 Tell us about attempts. If a learner asks you to teach or pay off the Platform, please tell us straight away at support@rateddriving.com. You will not be penalised for reporting it. Acting on it is the breach, not reporting it.

12.6 What going off-platform actually costs you. If you take a learner off the Platform, you lose every protection the Platform gives you. That lesson is no longer funded in advance, so you carry the risk yourself: the learner may not pay, may pay late, or may raise a chargeback. You also lose our dispute support, the first-lesson guarantee that Rated Driving funds, and the steady flow of new learners we send you. Any dispute is then between you and the learner, and it is not something Rated Driving gets involved in or can help you recover.

12.7 What happens if you do it. We treat circumvention as a serious breach of these terms. If you go around the Platform, we may suspend or close your account straight away and stop sending you new learners. We may also recover from you the loss this causes us, including the fees we would have earned on the lessons that were taken off the Platform, together with our reasonable costs of recovery and any legal costs, using the process in clause 9.

Data protection and privacy

13.1 Independent controllers. You and Rated Driving are independent data controllers. We are a controller for data about introductions, bookings and payments. You are a controller for data about how you deliver tuition and your lesson records.

13.2 Your own compliance. Each of us is responsible for our own compliance with UK data protection law. Neither of us processes personal data on behalf of the other.

13.3 Purpose. Any personal data shared through the Platform must only be used for arranging and providing lessons.

13.4 Security and breaches. Keep personal data secure. If personal data is lost, stolen or exposed, tell us without undue delay and help us investigate and put it right.

13.5 Retention. Do not keep personal data longer than necessary, and delete it when there is no longer a lawful reason to keep it.

Intellectual property and your content

14.1 Our content. All Content on the Services, except what users upload, belongs to Rated Driving or its partners. You may not copy or reuse it without permission, except where the law allows.

14.2 Your content. You keep ownership of the content you upload, but you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use, store and display it as needed to run and promote the Services. We will not change the meaning of your content.

14.3 Responsibility. You are responsible for the content you upload. It must not be unlawful or infringe anyone’s rights. We may remove or edit content where reasonable.

Availability, disclaimers and liability

15.1 Availability. We do not guarantee that the Services will always be available or free of faults, and we are not responsible for disruptions beyond our reasonable control, including events of force majeure.

15.2 As is. The Services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis.

15.3 Limitation. To the maximum extent allowed by law, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss arising from your use of the Services.

15.4 What we never limit. Nothing in these terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else the law does not allow us to limit.

15.5 Severability. If any term is found unlawful or unenforceable, it will be severed and the rest will remain in effect.

Length of agreement and ending it

16.1 Length. This agreement runs for an indefinite period.

16.2 Ending by either of us. Either of us may end this agreement at any time by giving notice by email to support@rateddriving.com.

16.3 Immediate closure. We may close your account immediately if you seriously break these terms.

16.4 What survives. Rights and obligations that already exist when the agreement ends still stand. Payments owed to you for lessons you have delivered will still be paid.

Notices

All notices to us should be sent by email to support@rateddriving.com. A notice is treated as received on the day it is sent if the email arrives in full on a business day, and on the next business day if it arrives on a weekend or public holiday.

General

18.1 No waiver. If we do not enforce a right, that does not mean we give it up.

18.2 Previous terms. If these terms conflict with any earlier version, these terms apply, unless we clearly say otherwise.

18.3 Entire agreement. These terms form the whole agreement between you and us about your use of the Platform.

Governing law and jurisdiction

These terms, and the relationship between you and Rated Driving, are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Both of us agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

More Rated Driving terms

Learner terms and conditions

Intensive driving course terms and conditions

Privacy and Cookie Policy

All Rated Driving terms