driving instructor

truck driver

agent instructeur

customer service representative

truck driver trainer

Young Drivers of Canada

It was a fantastic place to work. However, everything changed around April 2023 when there was a significant ownership change. Since then, the environment has become extremely toxic, largely due to the actions and influence of the new COO. This place went from my favourite job I’d ever had to the worst. 

The new COO is highly unprofessional and has created a culture that is both dismissive and demeaning. Favoritism is rampant, and only a select few are valued, while others are routinely overlooked and disrespected. Constructive feedback is rare, and any attempt to voice concerns is met with hostility or indifference. This has led to a significant erosion of trust and respect between employees and management.

The overall atmosphere has become incredibly stressful and oppressive. There is constant pressure to meet unrealistic expectations without adequate support or resources. Workloads are excessive, and the demands are relentless. Employees are often expected to work long hours without proper compensation or acknowledgment, leading to burnout and a high turnover rate.

Interpersonal relationships among colleagues have become strained due to the competitive and cutthroat environment fostered by the new management. Instead of promoting teamwork and collaboration, the culture encourages backstabbing and gossip. This toxic behavior is not only tolerated but often rewarded, creating a hostile and divisive workplace.

The impact on mental health cannot be overstated. The constant stress, lack of support, and pervasive negativity make this company a particularly harmful place for anyone struggling with mental health issues. Anxiety and depression are common among employees, and there are no effective mechanisms in place to address these concerns. The company's approach to mental health is dismissive, with little to no support provided to those in need.

Imagine you're with a novice driver who is on a main road for the first time, having to make a lane change with traffic. Imagine your with a novice driver making a left turn with oncoming traffic and judging how fast the pedestrians are moving in the crosswalk.

Now imagine your doing this with 4 novice drivers everyday. This is the life of an instructor. When you consider the number of drivers on the road increases every year while the number of streets barely increases, we can easily see the math problem here. Driving today is not like driving 20 years ago let alone 40 years ago. There are way more cyclists, motorcycles, pedestrians and distracted drivers on the road today than ever before.

This is why you come to Young Drivers of Canada. You trust that the in-car instructor is going to make sure you or your loved ones are going to be safe at all times and learn how to be safe themselves when they are on their own.

The training that instructors receive is unmatched and allow them to drive CollisionFree! They then teach the CollisionFree! approach to all their students, taking some of them from not knowing the gas pedal from the brake, to passing their road tests. Its then their real test begins. Driving with the other 8 million drivers in Ontario alone. 

Working for Young Drivers of Canada is challenging in many ways. However you will not likely ever get bored. New students pose new challenges to overcome and you have a team of people supporting you. I know that as an instructor I changed many lives in a positive way. Helping students overcome anxiety, fear, lack of confidence and helping them achieve their goals.

The benefits are good and the pay is competitive. Flexible scheduling and driving brand new vehicles. Learning a system of driving that will keep you safe for your lifetime of driving. There is a lot to like.

Disappointing experience with Young Driver’s Canada

I worked at Young Drivers of Canada full-time (Less than a year) 

Pros 
They have a lot of good thinking and procedures about safe driving. They are trying but are limited in soooo many ways...... 

Cons 
I was told “Anyone can do this job”, and if you think about it, anyone with clean drivers license can do this job. 
Money wise, do not bother...unless you want to stay tooooo long time with them. 
Management is good, but for the office, they do not care about you, as DI!
They are cheap! 
They count on turnover of people (driving instructors). 
Need more new, young people as management. 
Is it a union job, or a contract job, or you are paid by piece... 

Advice to Management 
Copied!! 
Pay your employees what they are worth. 
Allow them to claim income tax refunds for the repairs and maintenance. 
Better pay results in happier employees who want to come to work as opposed to feeling stuck and have to work for you. 
Instructors need a living wage, and need to keep up with the ever-rising costs of living. 
Instructors are not being paid enough for the amount and quality of work, and the risk we deal with every day. 
It is disconcerting to see that a scheduler who is at a desk talking on the phone to parents all day is getting paid better than front line people who risk life and limb to do the job.

Working as a full time job, 50 hours a week, will get you T4 for 27k for the year.

If you want to work with them, ask questions. Know all you need before you buy a car to work for them.

They do not disclose information easily, and it seems for a purpose.

Do not buy a car! Work with theirs and see what is what...

You need to be good with math! Check your pay stub!!!!

If you have no education and can not find anything else, that is a good job for you!

My time at Young driver of Canada was memorable and educational. I was a scheduler there and even though I did not have a lot of experience. They were able to train me and give me chances to get comfortable and learn. For that I am grateful because the job was difficult in the sense that you are on the phone constantly. Speaking to clients that are usually unhappy or frustrated. You also need to be quick on the computer in order to be ready for the next call and keep your tasks up to date and organized. 

Unfortunately, their office moved to Woodbridge so I could not continue there due to commuting issues. The pay is ok however there is hardly any room for advancement in the business. The manager and assistant mangers are relatively young and there is only two assistant mangers and one main manager in the office. So you are looking at staying in your position for a few years once you start working there. You get benefits after 3 months and the work is pretty routine. You just have to get use to dealing with clients that can be agitated and frustrated. 

The working environment was pleasant enough. Everyone was kind to me and helpful. The manager was understanding too. You just have to show them that you care about your job and the clients you are assisting. 

Overall, I enjoyed my time there however if you are looking for a job where you are dealing with pleasant clients, and you like being rewarded for your efforts and dream for promotion anytime soon, then this is probably not a job you'd want.

-Taught classroom driving theory in three of the school’s six locations, as well as at Colonel Bi high school as part of an eight week Driver’s Education program.
-Presented Ministry of Transportation approved curriculums.
-Used visual and kinesthetic demonstrations in order to teach students how to develop pro-active and safe driving habits.
-Led students on group discussions about safe driving, adverse road conditions and the handling of emergencies.
-Coached and corrected students on the various exercises and assignments to be done in the classroom and in their workbooks.
-Wrote easy-to-read pamphlets for students in order to help them develop better visual skills, space cushioning habits, and techniques for communication with other road users.
-Crafted props and other visual aids for demonstration purposes.
-Graded theory tests, and signed-off on student workbooks once all assignments were completed.
-Collected payments, and issued receipts to clients.
-Made photocopies of students’ licenses for office use, and provided students with photocopies of their registrations.
-Performing general upkeep of the classroom(s). Organizing paperwork and prepping the room for upcoming sessions, vacuuming and sweeping the floors, wiping down of work desks and taking out the garbage, etc.
-Aided in the setting-up of new classroom locations. This included painting, moving and assembly of furniture, and other classroom equipment. This also included the hooking-up of computers, projectors, speakers, etc.

I have been with Young Drivers 2 years now. Best decision I ever made. From the start, they provided the needed training for me to be successful and ensure I had the information and support needed to complete the instructor registration process. I have a mentor who is always available and willing to answer any questions I may have and help with honing my skills. I also have via email or phone, head office support. The staff at head office are always responsive, helpful and friendly. I work CRAZY hours. But that is MY choice. You let head office know what hours/days you want to work and that is when they will schedule lessons. Beyond that, it is up to you how much additional time you work. I’m paid per lesson, so the more I work, the better my paycheque. Even with just base hours, the pay is quite good and I’ve received more than one raise since starting! There is also a clothing allowance for uniforms, which I wear proudly.  No job is perfect. YD books the initial lessons, then it is my job to connect with students and schedule the balance. This can be a challenge. You have to stay on top of it! I’m responsible for vehicle maintenance for the car I lease from YD and administration responsibilities for my instructor license. But I am paid well enough to easily cover most of the costs. At the end of each day I feel good! I get paid well to help new drivers drive safely and with confidence and make our roads safer in general. 

After a 4 week unpaid training course, you do not begin working for another 2 weeks, which is more for admin purposes (waiting for your certification to come in mail, observations of other instructors, etc)  so I’ll give them that. 

But then to be not scheduled any students as it’s now moving into the winter holiday season (most students are on vacay) meaning you are now about 8 weeks of unpaid training and about $4000 in debt from borrowing for rent, gas, food… and you left your previous full time position being promised full time work…


I will not even go into the fact that the dual braking system has RUINED my personal car and dealership says they aren’t even sure how to fix it… it’s all bandage solutions…


From other reviews I will personally say my direct management/training was actually really good and I can tell they are doing their best and I gather a lot of issues come from the fact that head-office is in Toronto and there’s no really
Vancouver one when there should be 

Again, this is IDEAL as a part time gig but BEWARE this is NOT a full time gig as you are not guaranteed ANY hours. 


The only reason I moved on from YD was because I got a job in trades.  The management staff I worked with were all fantastic, the training was top notch, and overall the job made ME a better driver.

When it came to teaching, 90% of your lessons will be for high school students, so you will do the best if you work evenings and weekends.  It is a lengthy process to get everything ready for your first actual lesson.  You need to complete Young Driver's training course and jump through the hoops with Ministry of Transportation to finally get your instructor license.  Getting the secondary brake installed can be challenging, but if you have a choice I recommend going with the bar style brake, which connects directly to the driver's brake.  The cable brake is bolted to the floor of the passenger seat and is prone to getting stuck.

As for the job itself, I have never had something so rewarding.  The kids were all eager to learn and took the instruction to heart.  After a year of teaching, I was able to count on one hand the number of students I had who failed their driver test on the first attempt; and it was usually because of something simple like they didn't see something that put them at risk.

If you have the stomach to laugh in the face of danger so as to make the students comfortable behind the wheel, I definitely recommend this job.

I worked in customer service during my time at Young Drivers of Canada. The management are enthusiastic about the company, about the program, and stand by what YD teaches 100%. 
The company offers great perks, such as company picnics, holiday parties, etc that is always appreciated. The courses YD offers is the best there is out there. I myself took the Collision Avoidance program many years ago and still use their avoidance techniques to this day. 
With my position I was able to interact with the driving instructors one on one and they are an amazing group of people. They take what they teach seriously. 
This is easily a company that you could stay with for years. There is opportunity for growth from within. I know many who have been there for decades. That says alot about the company in my opinion. 
Management expected everyone to pull their weight and do their job, just as they themselves did. This is not one of those companies where you see upper management slacking off while the rest of us were doing all the grunt work. I always found upper management to be approachable and their passion for what YD offers is/was contagious . 

This review is coming from someone who was told in highschool that "I would never amount to anything' from my teachers and has spent the vast majority of their life jumping from job to job with very little to no satisfaction at all.
In the 7 years with the company I have been able to move up in the company from driving instructor - classroom teacher - admin - corporate because this company will recognize your talents if you put in the time and effort and show commitment and dedication.
Keep in mind that this is Premier Company offering a Top Tier Service so if you are not willing to give 100% commitment to the company then this is not the right place for you.
Out of all the companies, businesses, stores, bosses, etc. that I've worked for, YD is by far the best. I am living proof because out of the hundreds of jobs I've had, within the first few days of being hired I could pickup on the company's negative energy and would never last longer than a few weeks to 6 months.
The bottom line is that this company will work for you if you work for them.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Driving instructor 17 salaries reported	$46,853 per year
Truck driver 5 salaries reported	$47,500 per year
Agent instructeur 7 salaries reported	$41,500 per year
Customer service representative 1 salary reported	$20.00 per hour
Truck driver trainer 2 salaries reported	$26.00 per hour

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