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Starting My London Taxi Knowledge


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#1 joewb

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Posted 12 September 2009 - 02:09 PM

I recently decided that seeing as finding a job is quite difficult at the moment i would use my time constructively and start doing the knowledge to become a London taxi driver.
The knowledge can be done in 2 - 5 years, being 18 at the moment and hoping to take about 3 years to learn it it means by time I am 21 and able to recieve a license I will of passed all of my exams.

So I was just wondering if there was anyone else on here considering doing it or who is a taxi driver and could give me any advice?

Thanks

Joe

#2 joewb

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Posted 13 September 2009 - 01:19 PM

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#3 pogie

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Posted 14 September 2009 - 04:17 PM

I recently decided that seeing as finding a job is quite difficult at the moment i would use my time constructively and start doing the knowledge to become a London taxi driver.
The knowledge can be done in 2 - 5 years, being 18 at the moment and hoping to take about 3 years to learn it it means by time I am 21 and able to recieve a license I will of passed all of my exams.

So I was just wondering if there was anyone else on here considering doing it or who is a taxi driver and could give me any advice?

Thanks

Joe

Hi Joe,
I've had my (green) badge since 2007 and have been full time for 3 months since taking voluntary redundancy from my last job. I’m not 100% sure on this but I think you need to be aware that you can't actually apply for the K until you are 21 so that still means you have the initial talk, map test and appearances to go through after that date. Check with the PCO to make sure.

How fast you get from starting the blue book to finishing off your suburbs is up to how hard you work and how well you learn the K. From memory, I started the blue book in mid 2000ish but not long after my misses changed job and I had to do plenty of overtime to make up the shortfall in her money while she was training. So I asked for a one year extension on top of the two years they give you to learn the blue book and apply for the map test.

So in late 2003 I took the map test,
then I had 7 apps on 56s but got redlined back to the start (not of a good enough standard for 28s),
another 7 appearance on 56s, got my drop to 28s,
4 appearances, drop to 21s,
3 appearances, got my req,
6 weeks to learn the suburb runs and finally got my badge in Jan 2007.

You can see it took me 6 1/2 years in total but that included the extension on the blue book and 4-5months off whilst recovering from the broken leg I got from being hit by another scooter. But (and this is a big but) I had a full time job and life whilst doing the K. The other extreme are people like my final COP (call over partner) who was supper dedicated and took just over 2 1/2 years to pass but he eat/slept/drank the K during that time and had no holidays and very rarely went out. It worked out that he was doing about 50 hours a week on the road and studying on top of a full time job.

Which schools runs are you going to use? I went with Wizann http://www.wizann.co.uk/ as I found, the owner Deans method to be the most thorough but I've since heard that Knowledge Point have upped their game and their stuff is supposed to be very good now. If you are serious, get yourself along to one of Wizanns introductory talks and they will give you a more in-depth idea of what you have to look forward to. Also check out the Q&A forum on the Wizann website, it's for guys and girls who are currently studying and they are generally a great help.

Good luck, I would really recommend the job to anyone as it suits my lifestyle and means I can work around my partners’ shifts (she’s a paramedic) and you can earn a fair wage. Remember, there is no secret to passing the K, the harder you work the quicker you will get there, and as they will tell you on the initial talk at the Carriage Office, "no one fails the Knowledge, they give up".

Be lucky. :o

#4 joewb

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Posted 14 September 2009 - 05:38 PM

I was told I could take my tests and such, just not gain the license till im 21. so if I do pass before 21 (which will be quite a challenge!) I would have to wait till im 21 to get the license to allow me to start driving a taxi.

I've been looking around some sites and yeah the website you advised looks good as its been recommended most out of anywhere i have looked.

Currently being unemployed but seeking work (just finished a-levels and decided against university to looking into other options) enables me to spend lots of time on the knwoledge and when employed i can just try keep my hours small but i will have gotten into the swing of learning the knowledge so it should be easier by then.

#5 bobthetaxidriver

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Posted 20 July 2012 - 03:15 PM

Hi i'm a taxi driver in Reading. I enjoy my work despite it being a bit tiring most of the times. There is good money involved as well as good experience as the timings are flexible.




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