The report on driving schools and the German driving license in the September, 2000 issue of Currents quite frankly impressed me. Emilia J, who has bad experiences in getting her driving license in Germany gave it to me and asked me to respond.

Let me first of all tell you that Germans, too, sometimes have extreme difficulties with their instructor and with finally getting their driver's license. However, they have the advantage of possibly finding a reliable driving school through recommendation by friends. For foreigners like you the situation is completely different. You are in a new country, maybe not familiar with the language and with no one to recommend a fair driving school. Here are some major criteria for the "right" school that you should look for.

First of all, when you decide to enroll in a school, you should have the feeling that the people there understand your situation. They should answer all your questions and try to explain everything to you, so that you can follow them. Before you decide on one driving school, you should talk with the instructor -- you will drive with him and therefore it is important that you trust him. Once you know which driving school you want to attend, it is important that you sign a contract with the driving school. Otherwise you might not be insured during the driving lessons.

Next, the instructor should give you an outline of what you will have to learn until you take the theoretical test in the

      Polizei, Landesbetrieb Verkehr,
      Zulassungs-Stelle für Verkehrsteilnehmer,
      Ausschläger Weg 100, 20537 Hamburg.

Ask the driving school to get you papers in your own language. This should not be a problem. You can also have an oral test organized for you in the Verkehrsamt in which your answers are translated. When you are preparing for the theoretical test do not hesitate to ask your instructor about anything you do not understand.

After you have passed the theoretical test (max 8 points), you may begin to take driving lessons with your instructor: driving on the Autobahn, driving in areas where you are only allowed thirty km/h (more difficult than you might think!), parking, driving in the dark, etc. He should follow this program and mostly drive with you on streets which might be part of the exam. Of course, some lessons can be different from the program, e.g. when you have to practice something again. For each payment made, you should get a Quittung (receipt), and all lessons have to be recorded twice. You have to sign on the Tagesnachweise, which is for the driving school's financial books, and then you also have to sign your resgistration card at the school.

Normally the instructor tells you when he feels you are ready for the practical test at the police station. Remember that he knows exactly what the test is like. It is also very important that you know exactly what is expected of you in the practical test. Ask your instructor about this. He should have enough experience to be able to tell you what the examiner wants to see.

Your instructor is the one who decides when you are ready for the practical test and the only one who can set a date for your examination. Be aware, there are instructors who will try to make you take more lessons so they can make more money.

That is why you should ask for what you need to know before you start driving. If you have a good instructor, he will listen and discuss the matter seriously with you. If you think that his argument for taking more lessons is justified, then you should trust him. Failing an exam and repeating the course is usually more expensive than taking another five lessons. But if you feel your instructor has not been honest with you, contact someone else.

If you failed your practice exam and you do not understand why, ask! Your instructor should be able to tell you what kind of lessons you might need to take before your second test, so you can practice what went wrong. If your instructor believes you were failed unjustly, he should tell the examinier. Unfortunately, he is usually not able to change the outcome.

If you are not happy with your driving school, it is no problem to change it. This is something even German pupils often do not know because they are not told. But you have every right to go to a different school. All the documents have to be given to you for your new school.

The German system has its faults, for which I am really sorry. However, even though you might be an experienced driver you might need more lessons in Germnay than you think, because driving here is different than in the States. I would have my difficulties there as well! And driving in a big city like Hamburg is not easy. Therefore you need to have patience, to collect more information and to know how to defend your interests.