Driving Instructor Jobs
Driving Instructor jobs are open across private driving schools, public school districts, and corporate fleet training programs, at every level from entry-level instructors to senior and lead roles, with specializations in teen driver education, defensive driving, and commercial vehicle instruction. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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CDL Instructor
New York, NY · In person · $50/hour + performance bonuses
About the Role
As Emerge Career's first CDL Instructor, you will be responsible for supporting low-income individuals who are looking to change their lives. Many of our students are coming home from incarceration, and most have never driven anything bigger than a car. You'll take them from their first pre-trip inspection to a passed road test and a Class A license, and make sure they show up to their first job safe, on time and ready to learn.
You'll also shape how we teach. You'll help build the training plan, set the standard for every instructor who joins after you, and grow our training operation in Hunts Point.
Who You Are
- Experienced driver. You've driven a Class A truck professionally for at least 2 years.
- Clear communicator. You break difficult concepts into clear chunks anyone can understand. You're the person other drivers went to when they needed help learning the pre-trip.
- Coachable. You're open to new ways of teaching based on the Emerge method. We want you to give us meaningful feedback, but expect you to commit to our methodology.
- Belief in every student. You believe in the potential of every person and will do whatever it takes to open doors for your students. Some of our best team members came through the program themselves.
- Motivator. You can get a student back in the truck after a failed backing drill. You're patient, and honest about where they stand.
- Collaborative. You work closely with other instructors, our coaches and our job placement team. You respect the experiences people bring and work well with people from every background.
- Persistent and adaptable. You keep going when things get hard. If a student is struggling, you figure out why and change how you teach it. You don't give up on people.
- Straight shooter. You give students feedback with respect and directness. You don't shy away from hard conversations.
- Organized. You plan your sessions, manage your time well and always know where each student stands. You give Emerge leadership an honest read on each student's results, including the challenges.
- Open to feedback. You ask for it, take it well and act on it. You want to get better every week.
- Results-driven. You care about pass rates as much as we do. That's why part of your pay is a performance bonus tied to your students' results.
Requirements
- Valid Class A CDL
- 2+ years of professional experience driving a Class A commercial vehicle
- 2+ years of experience as a CDL instructor or driver trainer
- Strong verbal communication
- Collaborative: you work well with instructors, coaches and staff
- Very comfortable with technology: you'll use the Emerge app on your phone to report attendance and progress
- A track record of working to get better at teaching on your own: courses, coaching, reading, asking for feedback
- Meets FMCSA Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) and New York State DMV requirements for CDL instructors
- Clean driving record and current DOT medical card
- Works in person in New York City in Hunts Point
Bonus Points
- Experience teaching, coaching or mentoring adults
- Speaks Spanish
- Comfortable recording content on your phone for social media
What You'll Do
- Pre-trip inspection: Teach the full vehicle inspection until each student can run it in order, out loud, from memory.
- Basic control skills: Coach straight-line backing, offset backing, alley dock and parallel parking on the range. Teach advanced maneuvers such as alley docking, hooking, and unhooking.
- On-road training: Ride with students on city and highway routes and build safe habits in real traffic.
- Road test prep: Run mock road tests and decide when each student is ready to test.
- Track progress: Log each student's progress after every session so our coaches and Emerge leadership know where everyone stands.
- Safety: Keep the truck, the yard and every student safe. Report equipment problems right away.
- Professionalism: Model the attitudes, habits, and behaviors of respected drivers in the industry
Compensation
- $50/hour
- Performance bonuses based on the first-time pass rate and overall pass rate of the students you train
Pay: $45.00 per hour
Expected hours: 30.0 – 50.0 per week
Work Location: In person
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Who's Hiring
- State of Georgia10
- Jungle Driving School3J
- Official Driving School3
- AAA Auto Club Enterprises3
- FunLawn2F
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in driving instructor jobs.
- Valid state-issued driving instructor or driver education license
- Clean driving record with no major violations in the past three to five years
- High school diploma or equivalent required, associate or bachelor's degree preferred
- Experience teaching beginner, teen, or adult drivers in one-on-one settings
- Strong verbal communication and patience when working with anxious or novice students
- First aid or CPR certification, required by some districts and commercial programs
Tips for Your Driving Instructor Job Search
List your licensing credentials upfront
Hiring managers scan for state-issued instructor certifications before reading anything else. Put your license number, issuing state, and expiration date in a dedicated credentials section at the top of your resume, not buried in a summary paragraph.
Tailor your resume to the student population
Teen driver education, adult remediation, and commercial fleet instruction each require different skills. Match your resume's language to the student type in the posting, schools want instructors who understand their specific learners, not a one-size-fits-all candidate.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists driving instructor openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target postings that match your vehicle endorsements
Many listings specify whether the role requires automatic-only, manual transmission, or CDL-class vehicle experience. Applying to roles that match your endorsements exactly saves time and puts you ahead of candidates who need training before they can start.
Prepare a teaching scenario for the interview
Most driving instructor interviews include a mock lesson or a verbal walkthrough of how you'd handle a nervous first-time driver. Prepare a two-minute scenario that shows your calm communication style and how you give corrective feedback without rattling the student.
Negotiate your per-lesson rate and schedule separately
Part-time and contract driving instructor roles often separate base hourly pay from per-lesson bonuses. Ask about both before accepting an offer, and confirm whether weekend or evening shifts carry a different rate, that detail rarely appears in the initial posting.
Driving Instructor Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most driving instructors?
The companies hiring the most driving instructors right now include State of Georgia, Jungle Driving School, and Official Driving School, with the largest share of openings in Georgia, California, and Wisconsin, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Public school districts and national driving school franchises consistently account for the majority of open roles.
How many driving instructor jobs are remote?
About 7% of driving instructor openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the hands-on nature of most in-vehicle instruction. The sub-areas most likely to offer remote or online components are classroom-based driver education courses, written curriculum development, and virtual theory sessions for adult learners.
How do you become a driving instructor?
Start by meeting your state's minimum age and driving experience requirements, which vary but generally require several years of licensed driving with a clean record. Apply for a state-issued driving instructor or driver education license, which typically involves a background check, a written exam, and a behind-the-wheel evaluation. Some states also require completion of an approved instructor training course before you can apply for the license.
How do you get hired as a driving instructor with little experience?
Emphasize any tutoring, coaching, or mentoring background that shows you can communicate clearly under pressure and stay patient with beginners. Getting certified in defensive driving or completing a state-approved instructor prep course signals readiness even without in-car teaching hours. Many private driving schools hire newly licensed instructors for structured training programs, so targeting those employers rather than independent schools improves your odds early in your career.
What does the driving instructor interview process look like?
Most employers start with a phone or video screen to confirm your license status and scheduling availability. An in-person interview typically follows, where you walk through your teaching approach and handle scenario questions about difficult student situations. Many schools also ask you to conduct a short mock lesson in the parking lot or describe step-by-step how you'd teach a specific maneuver, so practicing a structured lesson format before you go in is worthwhile.
Where can I find and apply to driving instructor jobs?
You can find and apply to driving instructor jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States. Search the listings to find roles that match your license type, preferred student population, and location, then apply directly to each one that fits.
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