Intensive courses are exactly what it's says on the tin “INTENSE”. Having a two hours lesson when you have never driven before is the limit I believe most new learners can cope with (I usually suggest one hour for a first lesson) , after that your brain will struggle to retain any further information. So imagine doing 8 hours a day for 5 days. This would be a challenge for an experience diver let alone a new learner with the added challenge of having to learn at the same time. Most people drive 30 minutes a day. The DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) recommend that you stop for 15 minutes every two hours on a long drive. You would have breaks on an intensive course but nothing long enough to clear your mind or refresh it. Once you have learned to drive and are able to drive around I then have the job of couching you for the pressure of the 35-45 minute driving test, this takes time. So I don’t offer 5 day intensive courses to first time learners.
What I can offer new learners that just want to learn safely in a shorter time span are six hours a week in three two hour sessions to start with. On average it will take about three months, reducing the amount of hours as you get more confident. Remember you can’t book your practical test until you have passed the theory. Even though I can support you with the theory here on the website it will still take time.
If you have been driving for a while and an assessment lesson supports your opinion of your driving then I can offer you an intensive course. The criteria for me to accept you as an intensive prospect is for you to be able to demonstrate a reasonable level of car control and road sense. Once I have completed an assessment I will give you my professional opinion on how many hours I think you need in order to be a safe driver that is test ready. This could be anything from advising you to take it slower and have weekly lessons to telling you to book your test in an afternoon so you can take four hours before the test.
One of the best elements of being a driving instructor is also one of its challenges, we are all different we all learn at different rates and in different ways. My job as a driving instructor is to assess your ability to concentrate and absorb the transfer of information by word of mouth while you're driving and assessing what you can see in front of you, reacting in a way that is safe for us and other road users and pedestrians.