Richard Keeber

“I decided to become a Driving Instructor because driving is what I do best. I was an Advanced Police Driver, a Collision Investigator and a Family Liaison Officer, so I would re-construct life-changing collisions and liaise with the families involved after. I always intended to have a career change after I retired from the Police Force, but I wanted something different and fulfilling, as my job as a Police Officer was incredibly stimulating. I was a Witness Services Manager within the courts for about six months, which I really enjoyed, but driving is such a passion of mine and I was itching to get back on the roads. I’m also incredibly vigilant about road safety, so being able to teach someone to drive in the safest way possible is so important to me. I struck upon the idea of becoming a Driving Instructor, and so did some research and approached RED. They’ve been fantastic in terms of providing training and support, and I absolutely love my new career. If I had to say I had a problem it would be that I have so many pupils I’m getting to the stage where I can’t take them all on, which is a nice problem to have, but I hate letting people down! My new career gives me such satisfaction – in the police, I would take someone who had been involved in a traumatic situation and supporting them until they came through the other side. In a way, being an Instructor is similar – I take a pupil with no driving experience and work with them until the point that they’re ready to take their test, and at the end they come out with a life skill, which is so rewarding to see. My advice to anyone looking to change career is to think about becoming a Driving Instructor and to get in touch with RED – their support has enabled me to really get stuck into a second career I love. I’d also advise people to really look at their passions – I love driving and so being an Instructor has come so naturally to me.”