We are constantly inundated with enquiries from people wanting to become ARDS Instructors. Before continuing, please take note that the ARDS Instructor Licence is as the name suggests (ARDS = Association of Racing Drivers Schools) a licence to instruct Racing Drivers or people training to be Racing Drivers, or people taking part in track or race experience days; you CANNOT be considered for an ARDS Instructing Licence unless you have at least 12 signatures on your Racing Licence acquired over at least two seasons of racing, i.e. to be even considered to become an ARDS Instructor, you must first be an experienced Racing Driver. If you hold, qualify to hold or have held at least a MSA National A Race Licence, the rest of this page explains how to go about applying for an ARDS Instructor Licence.

To become an ARDS Licenced Instructor you will need to meet certain criteria and be 'sponsored' by one of the UK's ARDS approved racing schools.

In order to qualify to be assessed for an ARDS Instructor Licence you must first be able to satisfy the Chief Instructor of the racing school you are applying to that you meet the required criteria. View the full criteria as set out by ARDS here... (to download as a PDF, print or email the page, use the relevant icon at the top of the page).

Having met the requirements of the individual race school the next stage is an assessment day - this can vary slightly between different schools but essentially includes:

• A written test (to establish your knowledge of race/circuit driving techniques, car dynamics, track rules, etc).

• A practical test (where you will instruct a senior instructor on the track a drive for a hot lap ride).

In addition to race driving experience and skills, an instructor requires good communication skills and the ability to continually assess conditions and situations in car and on track and react quickly and effectively to prevent potentially dangerous circumstances from devoloping into catastrophes.

If you have the required qualifications your first step should be to contact the Chief Instructor at one of the schools. Some circuits/schools will not process applications unless they actually require instructors while others charge a fee (usually £250) to put an applicant through their assessment even when the applicant does not intend to work for the school (perhaps because they intend to do freelance work for private customers).

If you are successful and pass the assessment, the school that has approved you will 'sponsor' your application; you will need to pay a fee of £185 (which includes your joing fee and your first Instructor Licence fee) which the school will take from you and forward to ARDS with your application form which they will have endorsed. ARDS will then process your application which will be forwarded to the MSA who will subsequently issue your ARDS Instructor Licence.

If you would like to apply to become and ARDS Instructor contact one of the  ARDS Approved Race Schools.