DSA

[Jon]

Some news for the ones thinking of taking their bike/car tests this month and possibly the next.....

Examiners have recently been going on strike for pay increases and the schedule of bike tests. obviously, they want more pay but they also want the 17? minute gap between each test to be increased as they say if there is a delay in the day they have to cancel certain tests and also get their lunch breaks cut from this.

Not only are they going on strike but they are also cancelling tests if the previous whet over the 40minutes, they are also being ALOT more strict on letting you get through.

You can guess what happened to me today, test was cancelled as the previous test went five minutes over (due to traffic). He could have carried on with my test but instead he thought he would be a cunt and cancel.

The reason they are doing this is because they're trying to show the DSA that the 17minutes gap between each test is not long enough and because their pay is not good enough.
The DSA will notice and have to do something as it will be costing them major cash as their are having to pay out for each cancellation, 'Refunding out-of pocket expenses' form.

Also, apparently, the reason they are being more strict on the tests is because they're pissed off with all the strike business. My instructor told us the amount of people who failed due to stupid things. Wrong considering they pass and fail people depending on their mood.

one word, TWATS

but I do see their point with the time gaps and pay! but they're still twats cause they've fucked up my test.

[Danny]

Sorry to hear that mate.

You kept your test quiet.

Good luck with your re-test.

[Ian (GPX)]

Hmmm ! Thats not good !!

If you fail the test for silly things, you can opt to have the test reviewed by appeal. If you think that you've been dealt a duff fail, please do appeal it, cos this will put the onus on the DSA to sort it out.

On the other hand, the Examiners have a point with the time limits due to traffic, as for wages / rate of pay, I can not comment as I have no idea what they get paid at this time.

If they overrun on a test, they should not cancel the next test if they are between 5 - 10 mins late. It should be recorded in his paper work and sent in to the DSA for them to see the problem.

Good luck with your Test, and I hope you don't have to wait to long.

[carvell]

A note on appealing the decision of a test:

The decision of a test cannot be changed, no matter how wrong it was.

All they will do if it turns out that it wasn't fair is give you a free re-test.
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Yamaha TDM 850

[cagiva gezzer]

I worked with a lady who ran a training body. A very good one at that.

She knew the ins and outs of the business and she always said that tests were getting tougher. No because the stds were rising, but because the dsa was getting greedy.

She could predict if someone would pass just by going on the past rate of the previous couple of weeks. The dsa know that people who fail will be straight back with more money wanting another test. They have targets to meet, and if that means being harsher thats what they do.

They can be really picky about you or your bikes appearance. Thats why its always better to use an instructors bike and dress to blend in. A bit of use on your kit shows you are not fresh from your cbt.

My test was cancelled. They said the examiner was ill when they phoned me, but when i asked the examiner the next week he said he had to cover a other area for the day.

The dsa are anti female. To train people for cbts you need some certificate of some sort. To gain this you have to be tested by the dsa. The lady i worked with went for this test every year, but every year she failed. Small things, but she failed. Shes trained other people and they gained their certificate, but because she is female she will probably never be able to train and test a pupil for a cbt.

Basically, the dsa are the only people who can give you a licence. If you want a licence, you HAVE to go to them. They control you. They know this. They take advantage of this. A licence is no longer seen as a luxury, so they know that 95% of the upcoming uk population will be willing to pay them money at some point.

Stuart.
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"because one stroke isnt enough and four strokes waste two"

[nealski]

I hate examiners! They are definitely not paid to talk! The worst thing about the test for me was how in-human the examiner appeared.

DSA do them a deal - If they act a bit more like humans pay them an extra 10%

Unlucky on your test. You'll get it soon no doubt.
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Nealski
- Dealing with the SSDD

[carvell]

[Jon]

My instructor told us that although the examiners are failing some people for stupid things, it's still a valid fail. The thing about it is one day they'll fail someone for doing something slightly wrong, the next day they'll pass someone for doing the same thing.

I'm just pissed off cause all of the inconvenience it's caused, all because of 5 minutes.

Can't say when I can take the test next as I've got so much work on at the moment and can't really book anymore time off.

Anyway, cheers for the 'good-lucks'!

[cagiva gezzer]

Its not rubbish, its the way it happens.

Anti female? How many female cbt examiners and test examiners do you know of? NOT instructors as they need no official certificates.

ZERO. The dsa has said unofficially to her that thay will try their best to keep females out.

They dont have quotas as in, 76% must pass. But they do realise when the bookings are starting to look thin for the next couple of weeks. They know that if people fail most re-book in a week or two.

ITS A BUISNESS, not a SERVICE.

Turn up to a test centre on a spanking new RS125, brand new kit and a cocky attitude and you are more likely to fail than using a hire bike, used kit and and humble, respective attitude.

No difference in riding, its just the way you come accross. Same with cars. Do you test in daddys 40K sports car and you will get a harsher time than if you used your instructors corsa.

However, been there done that, got the licence.

Jon, if you feel that you were disadvantaged/ out of pocket in any way due to their cancelation i beleive you can claim off them.

When they cancellend mine i was offered the money to cover lost work and the hire bike. Didn't take it though, as i wanted to suck up as much as possible.
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"because one stroke isnt enough and four strokes waste two"

[Jon]

Yep, the examiner gave me an expense form to fill out, got to get my instructors, boss at work, etc. to sign it.

[Bendy]

[ZaphodBeeble]

I agree that the DSA want to make more money and will do so by failing certain people for stupid things. I also agree that they control you in a certain way. I think there should be more organisations that run tests like the DSA.
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Current bike: VTR1000F Firestorm. Previous: Firestorm (written off) - XJ600 Divvy - NSR125 - DT125 and a load of offroaders.

[AcIdBuRnZ]

My arguement is this:

YOU KNEW THE PAY AND HOURS OF THE JOB BEFORE YOU SIGNED YOUR CONTRACT...GET ON WITH IT DICKHEAD!!!

Sorry about the shouting, but needed to be said!!!

Totally true though, same with any job that goes on strike, you knew the pay and conditions before you even applied/interviewed, so if you were not happy why did you take the job in the first place?

Thats like taking on any job, then demanding more money just because YOU don't feel your getting paid enough!!! Everybody feels like they don't get paid enough, tough shit, that's the world we live in, suck it up and get on with it or find another job!
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Past: Honda NSR125R >> Kawasaki ER-5a2 >> Kawasaki ZZR-600e1 >> Suzuki GSXR-750Y >> Honda VTR 1000 Firestorm
"Chickity China the Chinese Chicken..."

[ZaphodBeeble]

Yes but if people don't complain or make a stand then things won't get any better, ever...

They could be a bit more thoughtful though, but as with any job, you stop seeing people as people and just as part of your job. I used to work as a 'Telephone Debt Collector', I would call people up and threaten legal action unless they payed me money. I only took the job because I was desperate for cash and I didn't like it at all but I started to treat people like they didn't exist. It's not nice but that's what happens when you deal with people on a daily basis. It's really hard to remember that they are human and that they have feelings.
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Current bike: VTR1000F Firestorm. Previous: Firestorm (written off) - XJ600 Divvy - NSR125 - DT125 and a load of offroaders.

[Adam_P]

[Danny]

I took three tests, the first one was probably my fault that I failed. The second time the examiner failed me for something that I did on very justified safety grounds.

The third time I had a fantastic examiner who I could tell loved bikes and was very accommodating.

[biketeacherda...]

Well hi to every one i'm new to this forum and now lets just put things right in this topic

Yes the examiners are working to rule, they are in dispute about pay thats because most of the time they work with out a break and cut there lunches short so they can carry out there tests for the day with out having to cancel any body, sort of good will thing.

So they are working to rule which means they can cancel tests for a number of reasons all legit, its happened to some of my pupils and yes you get an expense form to fill in and a new test date.

The reason? cos the back room staff who are the same grade get 4k a year more not fair is it.

The cardington test is hard to pass so if some one fails its for a reason then so be it, many instructors are female and so are many examiners so no sex discrimination going on there then.

The instructors test takes 2 days, if you pass you can teach cbt after that you need to take another test to teach DAS. If you fail the cbt instructors test twice you cant take it again for another year, failure rate is 85% for cbt instructors test and 90% for DAS instructors test.

And yes i am an approved instructor and run my own bike school and i know what i am talking about


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www.dgridertraining.co.uk

[Ian (GPX)]

So whats the name of the school you run then Dave ?