If you’re a confident rider and are passionate about passing your skills and experience on to beginners, you may want to find out how to become a motorcycle training instructor. Being a motorcycle instructor can be a really rewarding career move, with lots of fun to be had doing what you love for a living. Qualified instructors often talk about the job satisfaction they get from giving a beginner the skills, knowledge, and confidence to become a fully qualified rider.    

There are a couple of options to become a motorcycle instructor and different ways to find motorcycle instructor training. Below we outline the two main routes of how to become a motorcycle training instructor. Opportunities for your career growth include additional training to give advanced rider instruction or even opening a motorcycle training franchise of your own. Whatever you decide, the first step is to get qualified as a CBT instructor.

1. Become a DVSA assessed CBT motorcycle instructor

You can apply to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to become a DVSA assessed compulsory basic training (CBT) motorcycle instructor.

To become a DVSA assessed CBT motorcycle instructor you must have a driving licence from either:

• Great Britain or Northern Ireland
• the EU or EEA – but you must register it first

You must also:

• be 21 or older have had a full category A2 or A motorcycle licence for at least 3 years

You’ll have to take a 2-day assessment at a DVSA training and development centre.

When you pass you must work for a motorcycle approved training body (ATB) to be able to:

• provide the CBT day course to learner riders
• train up to 10 instructors at the ATB to also deliver CBT courses (this is known as ‘down-training’)
• apply to become a direct access scheme instructor

2. Become a Direct Access Scheme (DAS) motorcycle instructor

You can apply to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to become a direct access scheme (DAS) certified motorbike instructor.

All provisional licence holders training on a motorbike over 125cc and 11kW power output must be trained by a qualified DAS riding instructor.

To become a DAS-certified motorcycle instructor, you must have a driving licence from either:

• Great Britain or Northern Ireland
• the EU or EEA – but you must register it first

You must also:

• be 21 or over
• have had a full category A2 or A motorcycle licence for at least 3 years
• have passed the 2-day assessment to become a DVSA assessed compulsory basic training (CBT) instructor (as detailed above)

You’ll have to take a 1-day assessment at a DVSA training and development centre.

When you pass your assessment, you’ll be able to give DAS training. You will then be a riding instructor – able to train learner riders from CBT to full test, teaching Mod 1 and Mod 2 training and take students you have taught to their motorcycle test.

The above details may sound complicated to become a motorcycle training instructor, but we’re here to help. Our YouTube clip about motorcycle training instructor backgrounds might help has lots of valuable information for you. Or simply get in touch and we will be happy to have a chat about your aspirations.