I went to the Green Light driving school thinking they'd teach me how to drive properly in this modern world, but boy, was I wrong.

Signing the Contract

The contract signing process took an hour, and the manager explained everything in detail. You start with theory, which you can do at home or attend lectures. After a few lectures, you can sign up for practical lessons, and you can do that through the app.

The manager was honest about the app's glitches - sometimes slots aren't visible, sometimes they don't mark the ones you've chosen, and sometimes the opportunity to sign up just doesn't show up. Reinstalling the app might help, but by that time, free slots might have disappeared.

They also warned me that signing up for the next week opens at a specific time and day. You need to sit and wait for free slots, and if you're late, you might miss out for a whole week.

There's a time limit for theory and practice, and if you don't finish something, the rest of the lessons will expire.

So, the contract's signed, and the app's installed.

Theory

I chose to do theory from home, and lectures were twice a week. The lecturer was great, and the material was available online. I could practice and take a test on the chapter I'd completed.

The lecturer also recommended some external apps that really helped with learning.

Practical Lessons

After a couple of months, I got access to practical driving lessons. I was assigned an instructor, and I'd go to them a few times a week and learn. First, it was on a training ground, then in the city.

This is what the app looks like (instructor's surname removed)I'll only write about my experience, as different instructors work on different locations.

My instructor was a bit of a letdown. Lessons started five minutes late and finished five minutes early - the time in the car was fudged! He also smoked a lot and often, stealing my learning time.

We left the city only after I insisted, and even then, we always drove on the same route. The route in the city was very easy, teaching only to stay in your lane - no roundabouts, no turns at uncontrolled intersections, no merging into traffic. My approximate speed on my route was 40 km/h, going straight.

We practiced parking in the city very little - 'garage' was only on a huge parking lot where anyone can park, and parallel parking - where there's plenty of space between cars. On the exam, these conditions are complicated several times over - just like in real life.

One guy from our course never saw any free slots - either his app crashed or he forgot to open access. I don't know how they handled his situation. Hopefully, they extended his training time.

I'm still trying to figure out what I learned from my instructor. To pass the exam, I had to hire a separate instructor and learn from him - like I just started from scratch.

As for the pros, I'm struggling to think of any.

Theory Exam

After passing the online tests, you need to go to a specific location and take the exam on a laptop. It's similar to the exam at the DMV, but you need to pass two tests instead of one. If you prepared, you won't have any issues. I passed on the first try.

Practical Exam

The training doesn't give you the necessary skills, confidence, or teach safe driving. On the exam, they're picky - don't forget to turn on the turn signal the correct number of times when parking in the 'garage', or you'll lose a lot of points. And they give you tasks like: stop at the first possible location.

But being picky isn't the problem. The problem is that after training, you can't be considered a normal driver. You're just another hazard on the road.

Who gets it - they go for additional training with other instructors (outside of the school, but why have the school in the first place?). But not everyone gets it.

The exam can be taken multiple times - indefinitely. While I was taking the exam, I met many students. The same ones kept coming back. We started recognizing each other and chatting. One girl tried to pass the exam for a year.

If you don't pass the exam, you need to call and schedule another attempt. They only answer the phone once a week - I'm exaggerating a bit, but waiting for someone to pick up and schedule the exam was frustrating.

Approximate Exam Route

Profsoyuznaya, d.3 (exit the parking lot in reverse). We move along Profsoyuznaya street, turn right onto Dmitry Ulyanov street (Attention! Many students turn into the wrong lane on the exam. This mistake ends the exam)

Driving straight. Then, turn right onto New Chernyshevskaya Street. Make a turn on the unregulated intersection to the left (Be careful! Another common mistake: turning into oncoming traffic. They also didn't let cars pass during the turn, which ended the exam)

We drive straight to Vinokurov Street, then turn left. Make a turn on Gromau Street. We drive back on Vinokurov Street (Be careful! The examiner asks you to stop here. There's one-way traffic, a sign 'No parking and stopping' on the right side of the road. You can't stop on the nearest parking lot, which ends the exam!)

We drive on Vinokurov Street to Gromau Street, turn right. Turn right onto Shvernik Street. Turn right onto New Chernyshevskaya Street. Turn right onto Kryzhanovsky Street. And then to Profsoyuznaya, house 3.

Common Mistakes on the Exam:

Turning right into the wrong lane,Turning oncoming,Stopping in a prohibited area,Merging onto a pedestrian crossing,Parallel parking not at the curb,Sometimes they forgot to take off the handbrake (and the exam was over immediately),Not stopping to let a car pass during parallel parkingNot letting a bus leave the stopA long turn (they also deduct points for slow speed, just like for high speed)Not letting pedestrians cross near the pedestrian crossingForgetting to turn on the turn signal while driving on a curved roadMy instructor scared me with the exam, and I became extremely afraid of it. But then I saw the mistakes the guys (and I too) made, and I felt sorry for them. We tried to pass the exam, but we weren't prepared for it. But why weren't we prepared, if we honestly went to classes and wanted to learn properly?

Driving is a dangerous thing. You need to prepare for it carefully, with dedication. It's a matter of life and death. Instructors are the most important thing in a driving school.

Getting My Documents

After passing the internal exams, the manager prepares your documents for GAI. I didn't see any problems here.

Looking back, I'd definitely not go to the Green Light driving school. I didn't get lucky with my instructor, and the instructor is the most important thing.